Data Science Expert (Exp 8 - 16Y)

We help the world run better

At SAP, we keep it simple: you bring your best to us, and we'll bring out the best in you. We're builders touching over 20 industries and 80% of global commerce, and we need your unique talents to help shape what's next. The work is challenging - but it matters. You'll find a place where you can be yourself, prioritize your wellbeing, and truly belong. What's in it for you? Constant learning, skill growth, great benefits, and a team that wants you to grow and succeed.

What you'll build

We are seeking a highly accomplished AI / Data Science Expert to lead the design, strategy, and deployment of advanced AI and machine learning solutions at scale. This role requires deep technical mastery, thought leadership, and the ability to shape enterprise-wide data and AI initiatives. The ideal candidate will combine cutting-edge expertise with strong business acumen-including hands-on experience with agentic AI systems and enterprise AI governance-to drive transformational outcomes and innovation across the orgaization.

• Define and drive the enterprise AI/ML strategy, aligning advanced analytics initiatives with business objectives and long-term vision.
• Architect and oversee the development of complex, large-scale machine learning and deep learning systems for high-impact use cases.
• Act as a technical authority and thought leader, guiding best practices, frameworks, and standards for AI and data science across teams.
• Translate ambiguous, high-level business challenges into innovative, scalable, and production-ready data science solutions.
• Lead the design of robust, end-to-end data ecosystems, including data pipelines, feature stores, and model lifecycle management.
• Drive innovation through exploration of emerging AI techniques, including generative AI, large language models, and advanced deep learning architectures.
• Design and build scalable multi-agent frameworks, leveraging industry-standard agentic protocols such as Agent-to-Agent (A2A) and Model Context Protocol (MCP) to enable robust, interoperable orchestration across distributed agent networks.
• Ensure model reliability, explainability, fairness, and governance aligned with enterprise and regulatory standards.
• Champion AI security best practices, including the design and enforcement of guardrails, prompt safety mechanisms, and trust boundaries for agentic and LLM-based systems operating in production environments.
• Mentor and guide senior data scientists and engineers, fostering technical excellence and continuous learning.
• Influence executive stakeholders and decision-making by clearly communicating complex findings, trade-offs, and strategic recommendations.
• Champion MLOps best practices, ensuring scalable deployment, monitoring, and lifecycle management of models in production environments.

What you bring

• Deep, expert-level expertise in AI and data science with specialization in areas such as NLP, computer vision, or generative AI.
• Extensive experience designing and deploying large-scale machine learning systems in production environments.
• Mastery of modern AI/ML frameworks and platforms, with strong hands-on proficiency in Python, SQL, and distributed data processing technologies (e.g., Databricks, Spark).
• Strong foundation in advanced statistical modeling, optimization techniques, and algorithm design.
• Demonstrated experience architecting and deploying scalable multi-agent AI systems, with working knowledge of industry-standard agent interoperability protocols including A2A (Agent-to-Agent) and MCP (Model Context Protocol).
• Familiarity with AI security principles and guardrail frameworks for agentic and generative AI systems, including prompt injection defense, output validation, and policy-based access controls for autonomous agents is highly desirable.
• Proven experience architecting data platforms, including data lakes, pipelines, and real-time processing systems.
• Expertise in enterprise-grade databases such as SAP HANA, SQL Server, or Oracle.
• Experience with SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) and enterprise AI integration is highly desirable.
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex, cross-functional initiatives and influence senior leadership.
• Strong track record of innovation, including introduction of new methodologies, tools, or AI capabilities.
• Exceptional communication and storytelling skills, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts into strategic insights.

Where you belong

Within the Cloud Lifecycle Engineering and AIOps (CLEO) organization of Global Cloud Operations (GCO), the Core AI Team-at the heart of the AI Foundation Team-drives the vision of an AI-powered autonomous enterprise, redefining how operations are designed, executed, and continuously optimized at scale. As a strategic cornerstone, the team embeds intelligent, self-learning capabilities into core processes, enabling adaptive, self-healing, and increasingly autonomous operations.

With a bold mandate to transform GCO through advanced artificial intelligence and data management, the AI Foundation Team builds resilient, enterprise-grade AI foundations powered by best-in-class machine learning. By working across all GCO organizations, we accelerate the evolution from reactive to predictive and ultimately autonomous operations-delivering real-time intelligence, seamless automation, and sustained operational excellence.

Bring out your best

SAP innovations help more than four hundred thousand customers worldwide work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively. Originally known for leadership in enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, SAP has evolved to become a market leader in end-to-end business application software and related services for database, analytics, intelligent technologies, and experience management. As a cloud company with two hundred million users and more than one hundred thousand employees worldwide, we are purpose-driven and future-focused, with a highly collaborative team ethic and commitment to personal development. Whether connecting global industries, people, or platforms, we help ensure every challenge gets the solution it deserves. At SAP, you can bring out your best.

We win with inclusion

SAP’s culture of inclusion, focus on health and well-being, and flexible working models help ensure that everyone - regardless of background - feels included and can run at their best. At SAP, we believe we are made stronger by the unique capabilities and qualities that each person brings to our company, and we invest in our employees to inspire confidence and help everyone realize their full potential. We ultimately believe in unleashing all talent and creating a better world.

SAP is committed to the values of Equal Employment Opportunity and provides accessibility accommodations to applicants with physical and/or mental disabilities. If you are interested in applying for employment with SAP and are in need of accommodation or special assistance to navigate our website or to complete your application, please send an e-mail with your request to Recruiting Operations Team: [email protected].

For SAP employees: Only permanent roles are eligible for the SAP Employee Referral Program, according to the eligibility rules set in the SAP Referral Policy. Specific conditions may apply for roles in Vocational Training.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their age, race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, et al), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, protected veteran status, or disability, in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local legal requirements.

Successful candidates might be required to undergo a background verification with an external vendor.

AI Usage in the Recruitment Process

For information on the responsible use of AI in our recruitment process, please refer to our Guidelines for Ethical Usage of AI in the Recruiting Process.

Please note that any violation of these guidelines may result in disqualification from the hiring process.

Requisition ID: 454429 | Work Area: Software-Design and Development | Expected Travel: 0 - 10% | Career Status: Professional | Employment Type: Regular Full Time | Additional Locations: #LI-Hybrid