SAP

Forward Deployed Application/ ML Principal Engineer

SAP$176K — $374K *
Enterprise Technology
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 10+ years in software and application engineering for cloud-native and SaaS environments.
  • Experience designing AI-native applications using large language models and RAG architectures.
  • Proficient in Python AI/ML libraries and data pipelines; familiarity with MLOps.
  • Ability to integrate Agentic AI into complex enterprise processes.
  • Strong problem-solving and critical thinking skills with design thinking exposure.
  • Experience managing full application lifecycle from design to deployment and operation.
  • Effective collaboration and communication skills with cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

  • Design and operate cloud-native enterprise applications integrating AI capabilities.
  • Embed in customer projects to understand business processes and operational challenges.
  • Translate requirements into robust application architectures emphasizing quality and maintainability.
  • Prototype and productionize solutions tailored to enterprise constraints.
  • Own application delivery from discovery to production operations.
  • Apply AI-assisted practices to ensure quality and compliant solutions.
  • Communicate technical solutions and manage technical escalations effectively.

Benefits

  • Collaborative work environment focused on high-impact AI solutions.
  • Opportunities for continuous learning and professional development.
  • Exposure to advanced AI technologies and practices.
  • Involvement in innovative projects across multiple industries.
Full Job Description
What you'll build

In this role, you design, build, and operate AI-native enterprise applications that combine cloud-native software engineering with production-grade machine learning and agentic AI capabilities, embedded directly within customer environments and fast-moving delivery teams.

You translate ambiguous business and operational requirements into secure, scalable, and reliable solutions - owning technical delivery from discovery and prototyping through deployment, stabilization, and successful handover to platform or operations teams.

You are accountable for the technical quality, reliability, and impact of application solutions within your scope and apply modern AI-assisted engineering practices and architectural guardrails aligned with SAP standards to enable responsible and scalable AI adoption.

In this role, you will:
  • Design, develop, and operate production-grade, cloud-native enterprise applications integrating AI capabilities such as large language models, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and agent-based workflows.
  • Embed directly into customer projects and fast-moving cross-functional teams to rapidly understand business processes, technical landscapes, and operational challenges.
  • Translate business and product requirements into robust application architectures, balancing speed, quality, security, and long-term maintainability.
  • Rapidly prototype, iterate, and productionize solutions in customer environments, adapting reference architectures and reusable assets to real-world enterprise constraints.
  • Own application delivery end-to-end - from problem framing and prototyping through deployment, observability, and production operations.
  • Apply AI-assisted engineering practices, evaluation frameworks, and architectural guardrails to ensure compliant, trustworthy, and high-quality solutions.
  • Ensure delivery milestones, quality standards, and technical objectives are met, proactively managing risks and technical escalations within scope.
  • Act as a key technical interface to customers and internal stakeholders, clearly communicating solution approaches, trade-offs, and progress.
  • Contribute to engineering standards, best practices, and reusable components to improve efficiency and consistency across solutions.


What you bring:
  • 10+ years of hands-on experience in software and application engineering for cloud-native, enterprise, and SaaS environments, with strong knowledge of architectural principles such as scalability, security, and reliability.
  • Proven ability to design and deliver AI-native applications, utilizing large language models, RAG architectures, vector databases, and agentic systems to innovate enterprise workflows.
  • Strong proficiency in widely used AI/ML Python libraries and frameworks, with exposure to data pipelines and MLOps practices.
  • Skilled in integrating Agentic AI into complex business processes, ensuring responsible and effective use of AI agents within enterprise operations.
  • Strong problem-solving skills, critical thinking, and exposure to design thinking practices; proven ability to mentor teams and establish development guardrails and best practices.
  • Proven ability to mentor and inspire teams, establish best development guardrails and practices, and drive engineering culture across delivery teams.
  • Exposure to SAP AI technologies such as SAP AI Core, Vectorization, Joule Studio, RPT-1, and Business Data Cloud is a strong advantage.
  • Experience owning solutions across the full application lifecycle - from design and implementation to deployment and production operations.
  • Strong collaboration and communication skills to work effectively with cross-functional teams and customer stakeholders on complex technical topics.
  • Learning mindset, technical leadership, and accountability in high-impact, ambiguous environments; you proactively leverage AI in everyday workflows to ensure high-quality outputs.


Where you belong:

You will be part of a growing AI and industry expert team dedicated to serving customers across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. We are building a collaborative, high-impact environment that brings together deep AI expertise, strong industry knowledge, and regional understanding to help customers innovate, transform, and lead in their markets. This team thrives on turning complex business challenges into practical, scalable solutions. We value curiosity, ownership, and continuous learning - and encourage new ideas where real-world impact matters. You will thrive here if you are customer-centric, motivated by meaningful outcomes, and comfortable navigating ambiguity in a fast-evolving AI landscape.

Location: this is a hybrid position based from our New York City office located in the Hudson Yards.

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Requisition ID: 457460 | Work Area: Software-Design and Development | Expected Travel: 0 - 70% | Career Status: Professional | Employment Type: Regular Full Time | Additional Locations: #LI-Hybrid

Requisition ID: 457460

Posted Date: Aug 3, 2026

Work Area: Software-Design and Development

Career Status: Professional

Employment Type: Regular Full Time

Expected Travel: 0 - 70%

Location:

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