Principal AI Scientist, HCM Autonomous Suite

SAP SE; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 198,000 - 420,000; Full time

Job summary

SAP SE in Palo Alto seeks a seasoned Principal Data and Applied Scientist for the HCM Autonomous Suite. You will design ontologies, semantic models, and the context engine powering SAP AI agents across enterprise landscapes, integrating SAP data, external systems, and cloud platforms.

You will apply GenAI, embeddings, and knowledge grounding with Python/SQL, leading production AI solutions and collaborating with cross‑functional teams to drive innovation and scalability.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in knowledge engineering, semantic data systems, applied AI, or data science in industry, research labs, or advanced academic environments.
• Master's or PhD in Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, Statistics, Engineering, or a related quantitative field
• Hands‑on experience designing enterprise ontologies and semantic models; proficiency in at least one graph query language (SPARQL, Cypher, or GQL); understanding of trade‑offs between RDF triple stores and property graph databases.
• Hands‑on experience with modern GenAI systems RAG, embeddings, vector databases, semantic retrieval, and enterprise knowledge grounding.
• Strong Python and SQL skills with production‑grade development practices; experience with ML libraries such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, or scikit‑learn.
• Proven track record deploying and operating AI/ML solutions in production including handoff, lifecycle support, and continuous improvement.
• Experience with big data infrastructure and cloud environments Databricks or equivalent, plus at least one major cloud (AWS, Azure, or GCP).
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to work cross‑functionally in agile environments.

Responsibilities

• Design and maintain enterprise ontologies and semantic models enabling AI agents to understand SAP data landscapes.
• Build and scale the context layer with data from SAP, Salesforce, Workday, and other providers.
• Develop RAG pipelines, embeddings, and knowledge grounding for production AI solutions.
• Collaborate with product, engineering, and business teams from concept to deployment.

Skills

Knowledge engineering

Semantic data

Applied AI

Data science

GenAI

RAG pipelines

Embeddings

Vector databases

Python

SQL

PyTorch

TensorFlow

scikit-learn

Databricks

AWS

Azure

GCP

Education

Master's or PhD in CS/Applied Math

Tools

SPARQL/Cypher/GQL

Job description

SAP SE in Palo Alto seeks a seasoned Principal Data and Applied Scientist for the HCM Autonomous Suite. You will design ontologies, semantic models, and the context engine powering SAP AI agents across enterprise landscapes, integrating SAP data, external systems, and cloud platforms.

You will apply GenAI, embeddings, and knowledge grounding with Python/SQL, leading production AI solutions and collaborating with cross‑functional teams to drive innovation and scalability.