About the Role at SAP Saudi Arabia

SAP Saudi Arabia is seeking a Forward Deployed Engineering Manager to join its team in Riyadh. This full-time position is central to SAP's global operations, impacting various industries and global commerce. The role involves leading engineering teams embedded directly within SAP's strategic customer environments.

Leadership Scope and Impact

As a Director-level people manager, the Forward Deployed Engineering Manager is responsible for the performance, development, and wellbeing of their team, which includes senior engineers, data scientists, and AI practitioners. This role also encompasses ownership of delivery outcomes, technical quality, and customer impact for large-scale forward-deployed engagements. The position requires operating at the intersection of people leadership, technical strategy, and customer excellence, translating organizational goals into clear team direction and ensuring team support.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of senior engineers and AI practitioners, fostering a culture grounded in accountability, collaboration, and continuous growth.
• Own team performance, including goal setting, feedback cycles, career development, and talent planning.
• Drive delivery excellence across multiple forward-deployed customer engagements, ensuring outcomes align with agreed success criteria.
• Set technical direction and architectural guardrails for the team, in partnership with Chief Experts and technical leads.
• Act as a senior escalation point for delivery risks, team challenges, and customer concerns, resolving issues with clarity and decisiveness.
• Build strong relationships with senior customer stakeholders and SAP leadership, representing the team's work and advocating for the resources needed to succeed.
• Attract, hire, and onboard top engineering talent across AI, data, and software engineering disciplines.
• Partner with product, go-to-market, and regional leadership to align team capabilities with strategic priorities and customer demand.
• Champion engineering best practices, responsible AI principles, and a culture of learning and innovation within the team.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• Proven experience leading and managing senior engineering teams, with a track record of building high-performing engineering organizations.
• Strong technical background in AI, machine learning, data engineering, or software engineering, with the credibility to guide technical decisions.
• Deep understanding of forward-deployed or customer-embedded delivery models, and experience managing complex, high-stakes customer engagements.
• Strong problem-solving skills and design thinking approach; ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on delivery accountability.
• Demonstrated ability to develop talent, navigate organizational complexity, and drive alignment across diverse, cross-functional stakeholders.
• Proven ability to work in an Agentic AI context, understanding and shaping how AI agents are applied within teams and customer environments.
• Experience hiring and scaling engineering teams across regions, with a strong instinct for talent and a commitment to diversity and inclusion.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills, able to engage effectively with engineers, executives, and customers alike.
• Familiarity with SAP AI technologies and enterprise AI deployment realities is a strong advantage.

Team and Work Environment

The successful candidate will be part of a growing AI and industry expert leadership team serving customers across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. At this level, the focus is on people leadership, emphasizing team growth, culture, and customer impact. Leaders who are direct, empathetic, and energized by helping talented people do their best work are valued within this environment.

Application

Qualified candidates are invited to apply for this full-time Forward Deployed Engineering Manager position in Riyadh.