Lead Developer - Knowledge Graph & Semantics (f/m/d)

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 touch over 20 industries and 80% of global commerce, and we need your unique talents to shape what’s next. The work is challenging but 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

Summary: The Lead Developer – Knowledge Graph & Semantics (f/m/d) designs, develops, and scales the Knowledge Graph platform that grounds AI use cases in trusted business context across SAP IT. Join a newly formed team working with cutting‑edge graph technologies to define Knowledge Graph architecture, entity extraction pipelines, and hybrid RAG implementations for next‑generation AI systems.

• Design ontology‑to‑graph pipelines, collaborating with Ontologists and Data Scientists to translate domain knowledge into graph schemas.
• Build entity extraction workflows to parse unstructured content to graph‑aware structures.
• Build context retrieval and delivery services that provide AI agents with rich, semantically meaningful information.
• Implement efficient graph traversal algorithms and optimize query performance for large‑scale enterprise data.
• Integrate graph‑based retrieval with vector search and implement SHACL validation pipelines.
• Apply software engineering best practices including code reviews, testing, documentation, and CI/CD automation.
• Provide technical guidance to team members and actively contribute to architectural and technical decision‑making.

What you bring

• 5+ years of professional experience in software development with a focus on data‑intensive applications.
• Familiarity with semantic web standards (RDF, RDFS, SPARQL) and ontology concepts, or a data science background with NLP/NER experience (Azure Cognitive Services, spaCy, entity extraction).
• Experience with at least one graph database (Neo4j, Neptune, Stardog, SAP HANA Graph is a plus) and query languages (Cypher, SPARQL, Gremlin).
• Good understanding of RAG architectures (vector databases, embeddings, reranking).
• Experience with Databricks, Delta Lake, or similar.
• Good understanding of MLOps (MLflow, model serving, evaluation).
• Familiarity with agentic AI.
• Proficient in both German and English, with strong communication skills.

Meet your team

The Knowledge Graph CoE, part of the Corporate Processes & Information Technology (CPIT) organization within SAP, is on an exciting journey to define and scale the use of Knowledge Graphs. This includes ontology and data model design, ingesting and harmonizing data from various source systems, building the graph infrastructure, and enabling AI agents and knowledge workers across the organization. The team is motivated, collaborative, and primarily based in the EMEA region.

Inclusion and equal opportunity

SAP is committed to the values of Equal Employment Opportunity and provides accessibility accommodations to applicants with physical and/or mental disabilities. If you require accommodation or assistance to navigate our website or complete your application, please email Recruiting Operations Team: