About the Role
SAP is seeking a (Senior) Development Manager to lead AI Products & Solutions for the KSA-Region, based in Riyadh. This pivotal role involves shaping AI-driven innovation, contributing to SAP's mission, and building and guiding engineering teams focused on developing AI-enabled products and platforms. The position requires strong execution, predictable delivery, and fostering team growth, translating complex business challenges into scalable AI solutions for customers in Saudi Arabia.
Role Responsibilities
The role encompasses ownership of the end-to-end development lifecycle, from roadmap translation and scope management to sprint execution, release planning, and risk mitigation. Key responsibilities include:
- Leading an engineering team in building AI-enabled products and platforms.
- Driving strong execution, delivery predictability, and team growth.
- Managing planning and delivery across the full development lifecycle, including roadmap translation, scope management, staffing, prioritization, sprint execution, release planning, risk management, dependency handling, and stakeholder communication.
- Guiding teams in building scalable services, data pipelines, ML-enabled applications, and LLM-based features.
- Ensuring sound engineering practices around architecture, quality, observability, security, and operational readiness.
- Assisting teams in making informed decisions regarding model integration, experimentation, evaluation, deployment, monitoring, and governance.
- Balancing innovation with business value, cost, and time to market.
- Establishing delivery metrics and engineering KPIs to improve execution predictability and quality.
- Managing engineers across diverse skill sets, including backend, frontend, data engineering, machine learning, and platform engineering.
- Applying sound judgment around responsible AI, data governance, compliance, and quality standards in enterprise environments.
- Translating business goals into execution plans, budgets, staffing decisions, and measurable outcomes in collaboration with senior stakeholders.
- Fostering a collaborative, high-impact environment that integrates AI expertise, industry knowledge, and regional understanding.
- Collaborating across boundaries to improve design choices and build foundations for scalable and efficient AI product deployment.
Qualifications and Experience
Candidates should possess a strong software engineering foundation with the ability to lead teams in building scalable products, services, platforms, and AI-enabled applications. Essential qualifications include:
- A working understanding of machine learning and generative AI concepts, including model lifecycle, LLM use cases, evaluation, deployment constraints, and production risks.
- Experience in leading the delivery of AI or data-intensive programs, aligning product scope, technical dependencies, staffing plans, and execution milestones.
- Strong project and program management skills, including roadmap planning, estimation, sprint execution, release coordination, risk management, and dependency tracking.
- Experience managing engineers across diverse skill sets (backend, frontend, data engineering, machine learning, platform engineering).
- Experience establishing delivery metrics, engineering KPIs, and operational cadences to improve execution predictability and quality.
- A strong understanding of agile methodologies, backlog management, prioritization, stakeholder communication, and escalation handling.
- Practical knowledge of cloud platforms, DevOps, CI/CD, observability, security, and the operational needs of production AI systems.
- Ability to evaluate technical trade-offs, including build vs. buy, delivery speed vs. technical debt, and experimentation vs. reliability.
- Strong people leadership skills, including hiring, coaching, performance management, and building high-performing teams.
- Confidence working with senior stakeholders to translate business goals into execution plans, budgets, staffing decisions, and measurable outcomes.
- Commitment to responsible AI principles, including ethics, transparency, and governance.
- 8-10(+) years of experience in software engineering, architecture, or a related field, with a strong track record of designing and delivering complex systems.
- Fluent professional English (written and spoken) is required; Arabic is a plus.
Required Skills and Competencies
Successful candidates will demonstrate proficiency in a range of technical and leadership skills:
- AI-enabled products and platforms
- Scalable services, data pipelines, ML-enabled applications, and LLM-based features
- Software architecture, quality, observability, security, and operational readiness
- Model integration, experimentation, evaluation, deployment, monitoring, and governance
- Machine learning and generative AI concepts, including model lifecycle management and LLM use cases
- AI and data-intensive program leadership
- Project and program management, including roadmap planning, estimation, sprint execution, release coordination, risk management, and dependency tracking
- Management of diverse engineering skill sets
- Establishment of delivery metrics and engineering KPIs
- Agile methodologies, backlog management, prioritization, and stakeholder communication
- Cloud platforms, DevOps, CI/CD, and operational needs of production AI systems
- Evaluation of technical trade-offs
- People leadership, talent development, and building high-performing, inclusive teams
- Senior stakeholder management and execution planning
- Responsible AI principles, ethics, and transparency
- Proactiveness, organization, outcome-driven approach, ownership, and accountability
- Collaboration and partnership building
- System thinking and practical innovation
Work Environment and Company Information
This is a full-time, regular position based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. SAP is committed to fostering a culture of inclusion, prioritizing employee well-being, and offering flexible working models. The company believes in the strength derived from unique capabilities and invests in employees to help them realize their full potential. SAP is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and provides accessibility accommodations, operating ethically and compliantly.