Business Engagement Manager

0950 Springer Nature AG & Co. KGaA; Berlin; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Springer Nature Technology seeks a Business Engagement Manager in Berlin to coordinate portfolio planning across Publishing, PPS, and Legal. You will partner with Product Management, Data & Governance to align strategy and drive AI-enabled innovation while ensuring regulatory and policy compliance.

As a strategic connector, you will orchestrate cross-functional teams to enable efficient decision-making and portfolio delivery aligned with the Digital Product Strategy and Enterprise Architecture

Qualifications

• 10+ years in IT with strategy or business relationship management.
• Experience with publishing, digital products, or knowledge-intensive domains is desirable.
• Strong understanding of governance, risk, and compliance.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary Technology partner for designated business areas.
• Align business priorities, product strategy, technology roadmaps and investment decisions.
• Champion end-to-end thinking across capabilities and ensure Enterprise Architecture, Governance and Compliance standards.

Skills

IT strategy

Relationship management

Governance

AI & data innovation

Education

IT/Business degree

Job description

Job Title: Business Engagement Manager Location(s): Berlin, Germany Application Deadline: 16/11/2026

About Springer Nature

Springer Nature opens the doors to discovery for researchers, educators, clinicians and other professionals. Every day, around the globe, our imprints, books, journals, platforms and technology solutions reach millions of people. For over 175 years our brands and imprints have been a trusted source of knowledge to these communities and today, more than ever, we see it as our responsibility to ensure that fundamental knowledge can be found, verified, understood and used by our communities – enabling them to improve outcomes, make progress, and benefit the generations that follow.

About Us

We collaborate on and guide the technology strategy to ensure technologies, data and business capabilities work together smoothly across the complex ecosystem of SN. We help teams make smart technology & investment decisions, improve efficiency, and stay aligned with company goals for long-term success.

About the Role

As a Business Engagement Manager in the Portfolio & Governance Office in our Springer Nature Technology group (CIO), you will be the expert on the business area you support, its priorities, challenges and opportunities. For any Digital Product Development needs in the business areas, you will work in lockstep with our Product Management group under the Chief Product Office, taking alignment with the Digital Product Strategy as your starting point. Acting as the strategic connector, you will then orchestrate the right people from across Technology teams to the table to kickstart portfolio and project planning, and to inform decision‑making in our core Portfolio Governance bodies. You will remove friction and drive efficiency and effectiveness in cross‑functional collaboration, and help business areas and product managers shape their strategies and ensure their portfolios are compliant with key policies, regulations and standards, both externally and internally. By spotting and interpreting emerging business trends, you will also help inform and evolve our Technology strategy, ensuring that what we deliver is always relevant, impactful and forward‑looking.

About your Business Partners – Publishing, Group General Counsel and PPS

For the Publishing, Group General Counsel, and Products, Platforms & Solutions (PPS) functions, you will serve as a strategic Technology partner and trusted advisor, building a deep understanding of their business priorities, operating models, products, platforms, and regulatory obligations. You will work closely with senior leaders to align technology strategy, digital product development, data capabilities, governance, and operational priorities, ensuring that Technology investments deliver measurable business value and support long‑term strategic objectives. Acting as the bridge between business, Product Management, and Technology teams, you will identify opportunities to strengthen end‑to‑end customer and colleague experiences, improve operational effectiveness, enable AI and data‑driven innovation, and embed governance, risk, and compliance considerations from the outset. Through proactive engagement, you will help shape future‑ready capabilities across publishing, legal, and technology‑led business domains, while ensuring insights from these functions influence both portfolio decisions and the wider Technology strategy.

Role Responsibilities:

Strategic Partnership & Business Alignment

Serve as the primary Technology partner for your designated business areas, acting as a strategic tech advisor and catalyst for value creation. Build a deep understanding of publishing processes, legal and compliance requirements, product and platform strategies, and the broader business landscape to provide informed strategic guidance and challenge constructively where appropriate. Work in close partnership with Product Management, Data, Architecture, Engineering and Business leaders to align business priorities, product strategy, technology roadmaps and investment decisions. Champion end‑to‑end thinking across business capabilities and Technology’s value proposition while ensuring all initiatives meet Enterprise Architecture, Governance and Compliance standards. Champion Future of Work transformation, driving the adoption of AI, automation and other emerging technologies to reimagine processes, elevate productivity and future‑proof business functions. Lead strategic planning to strengthen end‑to‑end thinking across business capabilities, technology capabilities, and data strategy, ensuring close alignment and co‑creation with both Technology, Data and business teams. Promote Technology’s value proposition while ensuring all initiatives meet enterprise architecture, governance, and compliance standards.

Demand Shaping & Portfolio Alignment

Align business, product and system demand within established portfolio, architecture, and governance processes. Collaborate with IT Portfolio Management, Enterprise Architecture, Governance and the Global Business Systems team to ensure seamless management across the full portfolio lifecycle. Provide data‑driven insights and strategic recommendations to strengthen corporate planning cycles, investment decisions and business transformation roadmaps.

Governance & Compliance Leadership

Proactively embed governance, risk, privacy, security and compliance considerations into initiatives from the earliest stages to enable sustainable and scalable delivery. Partner with IT Governance, Security and Architecture to maintain compliance, manage risk and ensure alignment with corporate standards and policies.

Relationship Management & Influence

Build and sustain trusted, senior‑level relationships across Business, Product Management and Technology functions. Act as the bridge and translator between non‑technical and technical teams, ensuring clarity, alignment and shared purpose. Be the voice of the business within Technology , and of Technology within the Business.

Innovation & Future of Work

Partner with Finance leadership and Technology teams to identify opportunities to leverage emerging technologies, automation and AI to streamline workflows, be more efficient and enable faster, smarter decision‑making. In collaboration with our Tech teams advise on emerging technologies that will modernise business operations and make the function future‑proof, including intelligent process automation, self‑service analytics, and advanced planning platforms. Act as a connector between business needs and the Competence Centre for AI, Data & Analytics to ensure Business teams can leverage cutting‑edge capabilities and have future‑ready data management. Champion a culture of Future of Work innovation, encouraging adoption of new tools and approaches that improve productivity, compliance and customer experience.

Capability Development & Change Enablement

Champion strategic change initiatives that position Technology as a driver of business transformation. Strengthen the Business Engagement Manager discipline by standardising approaches, sharing best practices and uplifting capability maturity. Foster a culture of transparency, collaboration and continuous improvement that to accelerate outcomes and deliver on our promise of being a reliable and trusted partner.

About You

Your Experience:

• 10+ years in IT and strong experience in strategy or business relationship management, ideally in global, matrixed organisations.
• Experience working with or supporting publishing businesses, digital products, platforms, content workflows, legal and compliance functions, or other knowledge‑intensive business domains is highly desirable.
• A strong understanding of how technology enables business value, governance, customer outcomes and operational excellence is more important than deep technical specialisation.
• Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders and guide strategy‑aligned Technology decisions without direct solutioning or delivery ownership
• Strong understanding of corporate structures, the complexity of a global IT operating model and how to navigate them effectively.
• Experience partnering with senior leaders to shape and cascade strategy in complex, cross‑functional environments.

Your Qualifications Brings business acumen and a strategic mindset, translating business goals into Technology opportunities that deliver long‑term value. Builds trusted relationships at all levels, using influence, credibility and emotional intelligence to drive alignment. Communicates complex Technology topics clearly, tailoring messages for both business and technical audiences. Drives strategic change and continuous improvement, constructively challenging the status quo to elevate Technology’s impact. Navigates complexity and ambiguity with composure, balancing competing priorities without relying on formal authority. Anticipates emerging business needs and market shifts, positioning Technology as a proactive, forward‑looking partner. Breaks down silos and fosters cross‑functional collaboration, aligning diverse teams around shared outcomes. Acts as a curious, proactive self‑starter, spotting opportunities and driving innovation and value delivery. Facilitates strategic dialogue between business stakeholders and Technology teams to align on priorities and trade‑offs. Uses data, insight, and structured frameworks to guide decisions, influence outcomes, and secure consensus. Handles difficult conversations and escalations with confidence, empathy, and diplomacy - protecting relationships while staying aligned to strategic priorities.

What You Will Be Doing In your first six months:

Build a deep understanding of your business areas, forge trusted relationships, align closely with Product Management and the various Technology teams, and shape a clear engagement plan that connects business priorities, Technology strategy, and governance.

Day‑to‑day: Act as a strategic connector, translating business goals into Technology roadmaps, driving alignment across teams, resolving engagement challenges, and championing automation, AI, and data‑driven innovation to modernise and future‑prove your business partners’ functions.

Having a good command of English is important; collaboration is important in our day to day work, so being able to communicate your ideas and understand others’ is key.

For all roles in all locations, we offer a competitive, industry‑benchmarked salary. To find out more about the package provided at each location, please visit: https://group.springernature.com/gp/group/careers/current-opportunities/technology-hub

At Springer Nature, our mission is to be part of progress – and that begins with inclusion: of people, perspectives, and ideas. We believe that diverse perspectives drive progress, and we are committed to creating an environment where people and ideas can flourish. If you have any access needs related to disability, neurodivergence or a chronic condition, please contact us so we can make all necessary accommodations.

#LI-AR1 Job Posting End Date: 16-11-2026

We are an ambitious and dynamic organisation, and home to some of the best‑known names in research, educational and professional publishing. Working at the heart of a changing industry, we are always looking for great people who care about delivering quality to our customers and the communities we work alongside. In return, you will find that we open the doors to discovery for all our employees – offering opportunities to learn from some of the best in the business, with a culture that encourages curiosity and empowers people to find solutions and act on their instincts. Whether you are at the beginning of your career or an experienced professional, we invite you to find out more about the roles we offer and explore our current vacancies. We are a global and progressive business, founded on a heritage of trusted and respected brands – including Springer, founded in 1842, Macmillan, founded in 1843 and Nature, first published in 1869. Nearly two centuries of progress and advancement in science and education have helped shape the business we are today. Research and learning continues to be the cornerstone of progress, and we will continue to open doors to discovery through trusted brands and innovative products and services. Springer Nature Group was created in May 2015 through the combination of Nature Publishing Group, Macmillan Education and Springer Science+Business Media.