Senior Data Scientist/ Data Scientist, SAP Applications AI Team

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 are seeking a highly motivated Senior AI Scientist to join our team and work directly with customers on challenging business problems. In this role, you will apply advanced machine learning and data science techniques to develop rapid prototypes, deliver business value, and push the boundaries of what’s possible with AI. You will work across customer projects, product development, and research initiatives making a real-world impact from day one.

This position is ideal for an AI professional with a strong technical foundation and a passion for bridging research innovation with practical business applications. In this position, you will have the opportunity to work on cutting-edge AI projects with direct customer impact.

What You’ll Do

You will be working under the direction of expert data scientists to help deliver prototype and production grade AI solutions for strategic business problems. You will also be providing direction and mentorship to junior staff to ensure timely delivery of sound solutions.

Mathematical Modeling & Algorithm Design

Translate complex business problems into mathematical or computational models.

Design, implement, and optimize machine learning algorithms and data mining workflows

Rapid Prototyping & Customer Engagement

Collaborate directly with customers to understand business needs, define requirements, and deliver proof-of-concept AI solutions

Build, integrate, and test AI-driven prototypes and applications for real-world use cases

• AI Development & Research
  
  

Support internal teams by designing and implementing novel machine learning algorithms

Apply recent research breakthroughs to practical problems to create measurable business value

Contribute to continuous improvement of system scalability, performance, and explainability

• Communication & Collaboration
  
  

Clearly communicate complex results and insights to both technical and non-technical stakeholders

Visualize and document findings to ensure transparency and reproducibility

Work cross-functionally with product, engineering, and research teams to drive AI adoption

Due to the global nature of the team and the customers we serve, the team is completely results-oriented, where team members work during their own local working hours while allowing time to meet with their fellow team members, managers, and customers at mutually convenient times.

What You Bring

• Education & Experience
  
  

Master’s degree or PhD in Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, Statistics, Engineering, or related field

5+ years of experience for Data Scientist and 9+ years of experience as Senior Data Scientist in machine learning, data science, or AI research (industry, research lab, or advanced academic projects)

• Technical Skills
  
  

Strong background in machine learning, deep learning, data mining, and/or optimization

Proficiency with Python and machine learning libraries (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow, scikit-learn) and experience working with real-world datasets, data preprocessing, and model deployment

Familiarity with cloud environments (AWS, Azure, GCP)

• Core Competencies
  
  

Ability to translate abstract business challenges into concrete AI solutions

Strong analytical, problem-solving, and mathematical modeling skills

Curiosity and initiative in exploring new AI techniques and applications

Ability to collect and process necessary data utilizing big data infrastructures and data processing/transformation tools such as Databricks

Write production-grade Python code

Excellent communication and collaboration skills, especially in customer-facing environments, commitment to ethical and explainable AI practices

Meet Your Team

The Intelligence Team within Application AI is the team responsible for performing advanced R&D and AI application development for SAP Business Suite Finance & Spend. Our solutions work across SAP business applications to deliver on the company’s suite-first, AI-first promise. We are a group of globally distributed AI scientists that collaborate in a multidisciplinary environment with customers, product managers, and full-stack engineers. In this role, you will gain exposure to diverse problem domains; no two projects are the same. We foster a culture of innovation where new ideas are encouraged and valued

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: Careers@sap.com.

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.

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.

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

Requisition ID: 434806 | Work Area: Software-Design and Development | Expected Travel: 0 - 10% | Career Status: Professional | Employment Type: Regular Full Time | Additional Locations: