Principal Generative AI Engineer

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.

This is a hybrid role based out of Palo Alto, CA. Hybrid is 3 days a week on-site, 2 days a week remote.

Summary:

With over 3.6 million connected companies, the SAP Business Network powers global commerce. We are moving beyond simple automation to build autonomous supply chain agents capable of reasoning, planning, and exception handling.

This is a high-impact role for a technical leader to design the architecture that bridges unstructured data with structured business logic using the latest advancements in Generative AI.

Responsibilities:

• System Architecture: Lead the technical architecture for high-scale AI applications
• Build Agentic Systems: Design and implement multi-agent systems capable of autonomous reasoning, planning and execution.
• Hands-On Coding: Actively contribute to the codebase of critical components and complex architectural patterns. You will build greenfield Proofs of Concept (PoCs) and guide them to production, setting the standard for code quality and MLOps best practices.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with Product Management to assess technical feasibility and translate complex business requirements into robust technical designs.
• Technical Leadership: Mentor Senior and Specialist developers, conduct design and code reviews and foster a culture of engineering excellence.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering or a related technical field
• 10+ years of professional experience in software development
• 5+ years of experience in designing and architecting large-scale distributed systems or cloud-native applications (e.g. on AWS, GCP, Azure, or SAP BTP)
• 5+ years of technical leadership (e.g. Staff Engineer, Tech Lead, or Architect roles) driving technical decisions
• 5+ years of applied AI experience (e.g. NLP, Machine Learning) including 1+ years of experience with Generative AI techniques like Large Language Models, RAG, Agentic Workflows

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree or PhD in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, or a related field
• Advanced AI Concepts: Deep understanding of Neurosymbolic AI, Reasoning Engines, and the ability to ground LLM outputs using formal logic or constraints
• Graph Technology: Experience designing and implementing Knowledge Graphs (RDF, Property Graphs) to power retrieval (GraphRAG) and reasoning systems
• Agentic Frameworks: Hands-on experience with agentic tools (e.g. LangChain, LangGraph), prompt engineering, and context management
• Domain Knowledge: Familiarity with Supply Chain Management, procurement processes, or logistics data models

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:

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, age, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, et al), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, protected veteran status, or disability.

Compensation Range Transparency: SAP believes the value of pay transparency contributes towards an honest and supportive culture and is a significant step toward demonstrating SAP's commitment to pay equity. SAP provides the annualized compensation range inclusive of base salary and variable incentive target for the career level applicable to the posted role. The targeted combined range for this position is 192, ,000 (USD) USD. The actual amount to be offered to the successful candidate will be within that range, dependent upon the key aspects of each case which may include education, skills, experience, scope of the role, location, etc. as determined through the selection process. Any SAP variable incentive includes a targeted dollar amount and any actual payout amount is dependent on company and personal performance. Please reference this link for a summary of SAP benefits and eligibility requirements: SAP North America Benefits.

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