R&D AI Product Owner (m/f/d) - with salary information

We are Covestro. We are curious. We are courageous. We are colorful. We refine chemical material solutions with game-changing products. Let us empower you to push boundaries. Join us and our 18.000 colleagues now and together we will make the world a brighter place.

Are you ready to shape the future of specialty chemicals R&D? Covestro is building an AI-native platform that will transform how we discover, design, and deliver breakthrough materials. As our R&D AI Product Owner , you'll be at the forefront of this transformation, translating decades of proprietary chemistry expertise into AI-powered software that accelerates innovation from lab to market. You'll own the product vision and roadmap for AI applications that embed intelligence directly into our R&D workflows-moving beyond generic chatbots to AI that ideates, recommends, and executes alongside our scientists. Working at the intersection of cutting-edge AI technology, materials science, and global R&D operations, you'll coordinate cross-functional teams spanning data scientists, software engineers, chemists, and external AI partners to deliver secure, high-impact solutions. This isn't just product management-it's pioneering a competitive advantage in an industry where AI adoption will separate leaders from followers. If you have deep R&D experience, AI/data science expertise, and the vision to turn complex technical challenges into transformative products, this is your opportunity to define how a Fortune 500 materials science company wins with AI.

In addition to our diverse benefits, a full-time position comes with an attractive starting salary between €111,300/ year and €139,100/ year, plus a variable component. The starting salary is based on your qualifications and professional experience.

Major Tasks & Responsibilities:

Strategy & Vision:

• Communicate the Digital R&D AI Strategy to stakeholders and maintain organizational buy-in
• Own the product roadmap and prioritization framework
• Prioritize opportunities based on user value, business impact, scientific relevance, data readiness, technical feasibility, risk, and adoption potential
• Balance near-term delivery of practical AI features with the long-term development of AI-native R&D capabilities
• Maintain a transparent roadmap that supports agile delivery while remaining understandable to R&D leadership and expert users

Stakeholder and User Management:

• Build trusted relationships with relationships with R&D chemists, simulation experts, and other end users
• Run structured discovery through Jobs-to-be-Done interviews, workflow analysis, value-stream mapping, prototyping, pilot groups, user testing, and feedback loops.
• Manage leadership expectations and communications on product progress
• Coordinate with IT, security, and external vendor on product-level needs
• Define clear problem statements, target users, success metrics, and adoption assumptions before scaling a use case.

Business & Operations:

• Drive use case validation and ROI quantification with measurable value propositions and business cases for AI producing initiatives.
• Manage budget priorities and resource allocation decisions
• Own vendor selection for non-technical product services
• Track and report on product metrics, adoption, and business outcomes.

AI product definition and delivery:

• Translate validated R&D problems into product requirements, epics, user stories, acceptance criteria, experiment plans, and release scopes
• Work closely with Lead AI Experts, data scientists, software engineers, UX designers, architects, and external partners to shape feasible product solutions
• Support agile delivery through backlog refinement, sprint planning, review sessions, release planning, and prioritization decisions

Basic Qualifications :

• 5+ years of experience in product management, product ownership, digital product development, AI product development, or comparable roles management in large global and cross-functional initiatives
• Proven ability to translate complex scientific, technical, or operational problems into clear product requirements and delivery priorities
• Strong product discovery skills, including user research, problem framing, prototyping, validation, prioritization, and impact measurement
• Practical understanding of AI, machine learning, generative AI, RAG, AI agents, data products, or algorithmic decision-support systems
• Experience working with technical teams such as data scientists, software engineers, AI engineers, architects, UX designers, or platform teams
• Strong stakeholder management skills across expert users, technical teams, middle management, and senior leadership

Preferred Qualifications:

• PhD in a science or engineering field with 5+ years' experience conducting R&D or process optimization in an industrial setting; OR Master's degree in a science or engineering field with 6+ years' experience conducting R&D or process optimization in an industrial setting
• 5+ years of relevant experience in data sc