Forward Deployed Engineering Manager

SAP SE; Dubai; On-site; AED 450,000 - 700,000; Full time

Job summary

SAP SE Dubai is seeking an accomplished Engineering Director to lead senior engineers and AI practitioners embedded within our strategic customer environments. You will own performance, development, and delivery outcomes at scale, translating business goals into technical direction and ensuring the team has the support to excel.

You will set architecture guardrails with Chief Experts, tackle delivery risks, and build strong relationships with executives and customers.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading senior engineering teams.
• Strong background in AI, ML, data engineering or software engineering.
• Deep experience with forward-deployed or customer-embedded delivery models.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management.
• Ability to attract, hire and develop top engineering talent.
• Advocacy for diversity and inclusion.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of senior engineers and AI practitioners.
• Own team performance goals, feedback cycles, and talent planning.
• Drive delivery excellence across multiple customer engagements.
• Set technical direction and guardrails with senior leaders.
• Escalation point for delivery risks and customer concerns.
• Partner with product, GTM, and regional leadership.
• Champion engineering best practices and responsible AI.
• Represent team to SAP leadership and customers.

Skills

Leadership

AI

Data engineering

Software engineering

Customer engagement

Talent planning

Job description

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.

In this role, you will:

Lead, coach, and develop a team of senior engineers and AI practitioners, fostering a high-performance culture grounded in accountability, collaboration, and continuous growth.

Own team performance, including goal setting, feedback cycles, career development, and talent planning.

Drive delivery excellence across multiple forward-deployed customer engagements, ensuring outcomes align with agreedsuccess.

Whatyou'll build:

In this role, you lead and grow a team of senior engineers, data scientists, and AI practitioners embedded directly within SAP's most strategic customer environments. As aDirector-level people manager, you are accountable for the performance, development, and wellbeing of your team — while also owning the delivery outcomes, technical quality, and customer impact of forward-deployed engagements at scale. Youoperateat the intersection ofpeopleleadership, technical strategy, and customer excellence — translating organizational goals into team direction, and ensuring your team has the support, clarity, and environment to do their best work.

Set technical direction and architectural guardrails for the team, in partnership with Chief Experts and technical leads.

Act as a senior escalation point fordeliveryrisks, team challenges, and customer concerns — resolving issues with clarity and decisiveness.

Build strong relationships with senior customer stakeholders and SAP leadership, representing the team's work and advocating for the resources needed to succeed.

Attract, hire, and onboard top engineering talent across AI, data, and software engineering disciplines.

Partner with product, go-to-market, and regional leadership to align team capabilities with strategic priorities and customer demand.

Champion engineering best practices, responsible AI principles, and a culture of learning and innovation within the team.

What you bring:

Proven experience leading and managing senior engineering teams, with a track record of building high-performing, inclusive, and motivated engineering organizations.

Strong technical background in AI, machine learning, data engineering, or software engineering — with the credibility to guide technical decisions and earn the trust of expert engineers.

Deep understanding of forward-deployed or customer-embedded delivery models, and experience managing complex, high-stakes customer engagements.

Strong problem-solving skills and design thinking approach; ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on delivery accountability.

Demonstrated ability to develop talent, navigate organizational complexity, and drive alignment across diverse, cross-functional stakeholders.

Proven ability to work in an Agentic AI context — understanding and shaping how AI agents are applied within teams and customer environments.

Experience hiring and scaling engineering teams across regions, with a strong instinct for talent and a commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Excellent communication and influencing skills — able to engage effectively with engineers, executives, and customers alike.

Familiarity with SAP AI technologies and enterprise AI deployment realities is a strong advantage.

Where you belong:

You will be part of a growing AI and industry expert leadership team serving customers across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. At this level, your most important product is your team — their growth, their culture, and their impact on customers. We value leaders who are direct, empathetic, and energized by helping talented people do their best work. You will thrive here if you are a builder of teams as much as a builder of solutions — and if you are motivated by creating an environment where exceptional engineers can do the most important work of their careers.

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.

We are ethical and compliant

Our leadership credo: Do what’s right. Make SAP better for generations to come. We believe that great leadership extends far beyond the mere pursuit of business goals. We value and foster leadership that is driven with purpose and integrity. Our leaders are role models who uphold SAP’s values and shape SAP’s culture of integrity, by demonstrating and championing ethical and compliant behavior towards all stakeholders.

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

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: [e-mail].

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.

Location: Dubai, Dubai, AE, 118353

Employment Type: Regular Full Time

Expected Travel: 0 - 10%

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Engineer, Embedded, Engineering Manager, Software Engineer, Manager, Engineering, Technology, Management