Research Manager (f/m/d): SAP Business AI Research

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 do

At SAP’s Business AI Research, we are working on exploring the next frontier of AI methods on business data – graphs, tables, time series, and more. Foundation Models have ushered in the GenAI era for business relevant scenarios: Accessing business data at scale using agentic methods, as well as training models with novel architectures and approaches. Now, we are taking the next step. We collaborate with our existing applied research teams and academic partners to develop and publish relevant business benchmarks at scientific conferences and in the open-source community, enabling the development of novel methods and models that solve real business problems.

The Role

• Unique opportunity to build, steer, manage and mentor a team of highly-skilled Research Scientists and Research Engineers, leading a new AI research team being set up in Munich.
• Lead research groups focusing on different topics, ranging from Agentic AI, Causal AI, LLM-based Knowledge Graph Access, Knowledge Engineering, to Foundation Models on Structured Data / Semantically Linked Tables and Business World Models.
• Be accountable for the success, quality, and delivery of open source benchmarks and models showcasing SAP’s key research questions, as well as scientific publications at top tier conferences.
• Collaborate with applied science and product teams to jointly establish research roadmaps leading to long-term product differentiation and impact.
• Collaborate with academic partners and foster the transfer of ideas and knowledge.
• Foster a culture of innovation and scientific rigor.
• Act as a problem solver to address organizational and process challenges, leveraging technical expertise to bridge gaps, streamline operations, and facilitate smooth execution of partnership initiatives.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of Research trends, and jointly with the team apply this expertise to continuously revise and refine the research roadmap.
• Contribute to thought leadership in the space of AI research on business data.

What You Bring

• PhD or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, or other relevant disciplines.
• 10+ years of research experience in AI, ideally covering both - Knowledge Graphs and Machine Learning AND Foundation Models on Tabular Data. This should be supported by a substantial record of related publications, including recent works, and a well-established network in these fields.
• Proven experience and deep understanding of the opportunities and challenges associated with collaboration between industrial and academic research.
• Experience in leading teams and projects in complex environments.
• Understanding of issues and opportunities of applying Generative AI in a business context.
• Demonstrated exceptional leadership, interpersonal and organizational skills, with responsibilities including setting and achieving team goals, mentoring team members, and effectively managing and communicating within large, diverse teams. Must demonstrate a track record of delivering results.

Meet your team

SAP's AI organization is dedicated to seamlessly infusing AI into all enterprise applications, enabling customers, partners, and developers to enhance business processes and generate remarkable business value. Join our international AI team where innovation thrives, opportunities for personal development abound, and exceptional colleagues collaborate globally.

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.

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