Job Description:

Company Description

We Dream. We Do. We Deliver.

At Merkle, a dentsu company, we power the experience economy. Whether we’re building the next great app, running CRM at scale for global brands, delivering technology architectures that support millions of users, or providing world-class data, identity, and insights solutions, it’s all in the name of crafting experiences that set brands apart from the competition. Backed by dentsu's legacy of innovation and creativity originating in Japan, we’ve spent over 35 years helping brands build loyalty, drive growth, and connect meaningfully with their audiences.

We’ve been named a global “Leader” by top industry analyst firms in categories as wide-ranging as digital transformation and commerce, experience design, engineering and technology integration, digital marketing, data science, CRM and loyalty, and customer data management.

Why choose Merkle?

Innovation at Our Core: As part of dentsu’s global network, Merkle pushes the boundaries of customer experience, integrating creativity, technology, and data to drive real-world impact. For over 35 years, we’ve been innovating to meet the changing needs of our clients.

Global Reach with Local Expertise: With over 16,000 employees across 30+ countries, and part of a 70,000 employees’ network at dentsu, Merkle blends global insights with a deep understanding of local markets to deliver personalized, effective solutions.

Collaborative Culture: At Merkle, your ideas and contributions truly matter. You’ll join a team that fosters innovation, collaboration, and creative problem-solving. Together, we work on impactful international projects, making meaningful connections every step of the way.

Job Description:

The Lead Business Automation Engineer is a hands-on technical leader, ensuring automations are delivered with high quality, scalability, and consistency. This role bridges architecture and execution, enabling teams to deliver complex automations reliably while continuously improving engineering standards. This role involves leveraging Business Automation technologies, including AI, robotic process automation (RPA), business process management (BPM), event automation (iPaaS) and other intelligent automation tools.

Key skills:

1. Technical Proficiency:

   • Deep hands-on expertise with UiPath (Studio, Maestro, Robots, APIs, Agents).

   • Strong programming skills in languages such as, C# / .Net and Python

   • Proficiency in automation tools and frameworks, including BPM, RPA, APIs and AI technology stacks.

   • Solid experience with RPA frameworks, reusable components, and enterprise automation patterns.

   • Experience integrating automations with APIs (REST/SOAP), Databases and Enterprise systems (e.g., ERP, CRM).

   • Knowledge of AI-powered automations, including Document Understanding, AI Center / ML skills, Intelligent extraction & decision automation.

   • Familiarity with cloud platforms (Azure preferred; AWS acceptable).

   • Understanding of secure, scalable software architectures and automation lifecycle management.

2. Analytical and Problem-Solving:

   • Strong ability to assess processes and identify automation feasibility and technical risks.
   • Capability to design robust, maintainable, and performant automation solutions.
   • Skilled at troubleshooting complex automation issues across environments.

3. Leadership and Communication:

   • Proven ability to lead and mentor automation engineers.
   • Clear communication with architects, consultants, and delivery managers.
   • Ability to translate high-level architecture or business requirements into concrete technical designs.

4. Delivery & Ways of Working:

   • Experience working in Agile delivery models (Scrum / Kanban).
   • Familiarity with CI/CD concepts for RPA and Version control and release management
   • Awareness of delivery governance, quality gates, and documentation standards.
   • Understanding efficiency concepts, KPIs, and operational automation metrics.

Responsibilities:

1. Design and Implementation:

   • Lead the technical design and implementation of UiPath automations in line with agreed architecture
   • Build end-to-end automations covering Orchestration, Exception handling, Monitoring and logging and Security and compliance considerations
   • Ensure high-quality, reusable, and performant automation code
   • Support solution architects by translating architectural designs into executable automation frameworks
   • Contribute to technical decisions regarding tools, components, and integration approaches

2. Leadership and Collaboration:

   • Act as technical lead for automation workstreams or projects
   • Review code and automation workflows to ensure compliance with best practices and standards
   • Coach and mentor junior and confirmed automation engineers
   • Support onboarding and upskilling of team members on UiPath and automation patterns

3. Collaboration & Alignment:

   • Collaborate closely with Business Automation Architects, Consultants and Business Analysts, DevOps and IT teams
   • Participate in technical discussions with clients when required (within engineering scope)
   • Support estimation, technical feasibility assessments, and delivery planning

*Work visa sponsorship is not available. For local documentation (NIF, NISS), please consult Portuguese authorities.

Additional Information

Benefits and perks:

• 25 vacation days

• Enjoy 2 additional volunteering days to support your passion project

• Mental Health: Benefit from 3 extra wellness days on top of your vacation days and a Mental Health First Aider and Employee Assisstance program to support your well-being

• Health insurance (also possible for family members)

• Cutting Edge Technology & Latest IT tools

• Software-house environment

• Agile and Flexible working hours

• Hybrid working: we combine flexibility with in-person collaboration, with an expectation of 1 day per week/ 4 days per month in the office

• Digital nomad policy

• Focus on career development

• Full access to Dentsu Academy, our global online learning platform

• Beers, foosball, and ping-pong! #workhardplayhard

• Free breakfast every second Wednesday of the month

• Employee discounts

• Team & Company events

• Referral bonus program

*At dentsu, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is central to our vision: "To be at the forefront of people-centered transformations that shape society."

We cherish the unique talents and perspectives of all individuals, welcoming applicants regardless of gender, gender identity, nationality, religion, ethnicity, cultural background, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental ability. By embracing diverse perspectives, we create meaningful change and sustainable growth for our people, clients, and society. Our hiring decisions are guided by qualifications and role-specific requirements, ensuring a workplace free from discrimination and harassment.

#LI-Hybrid #LI-MERKLE

Location: Leiria

Brand: Merkle

Time Type: Full time

Contract Type: Permanent