Tech Lead & Staff Scientist (f/m/d) for Multimodal Foundation Models: Tabular Business Data

SAP SE; Garching bei München; Hybrid; EUR 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

SAP SE is leading a new multimodal foundation model initiative focused on structured business data such as tables, time series, and graphs. You will shape strategy, drive architecture decisions, and collaborate with AI scientists and engineers to advance prototypes and experiments.

The role demands a PhD or Master’s in CS/AI, strong ML expertise for structured data, and a proven track record in research and leadership. Hybrid work options and global collaboration are offered.

Qualifications

• PhD or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, or related disciplines.
• Strong expertise in machine learning for structured data, with substantial publication record or applied research.
• Hands-on experience prototyping and advancing ML models for tables, time series, graphs, or relational data.
• Proficiency in Python and ML frameworks such as PyTorch or TensorFlow.

Responsibilities

• Lead the establishment of a multimodal foundation model initiative focusing on structured data modalities like tables, time series and graphs.
• Identify high-potential research opportunities and translate them into a focused research and technical roadmap.
• Align AI scientists and engineers, set architectural direction, and drive rigorous experimentation.
• Make hands-on contributions to prototypes and experiments and collaborate across teams.

Skills

Machine learning for structured data

Foundation models

Graph ML

Leadership

Communication

Education

PhD or Master’s in Computer Science or Artificial Intelligence

Tools

Python

PyTorch

TensorFlow

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.

We help the world run better

Our company culture is focused on helping our employees enable innovation by building breakthroughs together. How? We focus every day on building the foundation for tomorrow and creating a workplace that embraces differences, values flexibility, and is aligned to our purpose-driven and future-focused work.

What you`ll do:

At SAP Business AI, we are exploring the next frontier of AI on structured business data such as graphs, tables and more. Foundation Models on structured data, like SAP-RPT-1.5, have ushered in the GenAI era for business-relevant scenarios. Now, we are pushing further. We want to enable companies across industries to collaboratively train foundation models that extend beyond just tabular structured data to additional modalities and to build knowledge graphs.

As Tech Lead & Staff Scientist (f/m/d), you will play a leading role in defining, prototyping and iterating a composable, multi-modal architecture for foundation models, focusing on structured business data and collaborating closely with a Tech Lead for semi-structured data modalities. You will translate advances in structured-data modeling, tabular AI, Graph ML, and foundation models into new research directions, model architectures, and evaluation approaches. Working across multiple R&D teams, you will define the technical direction and guide its execution while making targeted hands‑on contributions to critical prototypes and experiments.

This is the ideal role for a highly focused, ambitious individual with both, strong scientific and coordinating capabilities to grow in a dynamic, fast-paced environment, and your chance to become a key contributor to one of the very few leading foundation models of European origin.

The Role:

• Take a leading role in establishing a new multimodal foundation model initiative, shaping its research agenda, technical direction and architecture with particular focus on the structured data modalities of business data such as tables, time series and graphs. and others
• Identify high-potential research opportunities where SAP can deliver differentiated business value and translate them into a focused, evolving research and technical roadmap.
• Aligning the work of AI scientists and engineers across research hypotheses, experiments, and architecture decisions.
• Establish a high technical bar through architecture reviews, evaluation standards, and rigorous experimentation.
• Make targeted hands‑on contributions to validate key concepts, advance prototyping, and accelerate development.
• Collaborate cross-functionally to inform value proposition and partnering ambitions

What you bring:

• PhD or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, or other relevant disciplines
• Strong expertise in machine learning for structured data, foundation models or both, with a substantial publication record, including recent top-tier conferences or equivalent applied research experience.
• Demonstrated hands‑on experience in researching, prototyping, and advancing machine learning models for tables, time series, graphs, or relational data.
• Proficiency in Python, and experience with ML frameworks such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, or similar.
• Proven history of exemplary leadership and strategic mindset, complemented by superior organizational abilities
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to explain model architectures and their value to technical and business audiences.
• Optional: Experience with multimodal foundation models, Graph ML, knowledge graphs, world models, distributed or federated learning, and enterprise data such as ERP or CRM.

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.

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.

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.

AI Usage in the Recruitment Process

For information on the responsible use of AI in our recruitment process, please refer to our Guidelines for Ethical Usage of AI in the Recruiting Process.

Requisition ID: 455031 | Work Area: Software-Design and Development | Expected Travel: 0 - 10% | Career Status: Professional | Employment Type: Regular Full Time | Additional Locations: #LI-Hybrid