Head of Architecture (m/f/d) Office of the CTO

We help the world run better

At SAP, we enable you to bring out your best. Our company culture is focused on collaboration and a shared passion to help the world run better. How? We focus every day on building the foundation for tomorrow and creating a workplace that embraces differences, values flexibility, and is aligned to our purpose-driven and future-focused work. We offer a highly collaborative, caring team environment with a strong focus on learning and development, recognition for your individual contributions, and a variety of benefit options for you to choose from.

As a Head of Architecture (m/f/d), you will be responsible for leading and managing a high-performing team of architects, driving the technical and architectural vision and strategy for SAP’s portfolio considering future innovations and technology trends that have significant impact on SAP’s future architecture across the solution portfolio. This role also defines and guides SAP’s Northstar Architecture. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams to define and implement architectural solutions that align with SAP’s business objectives considering our AI-first and Suite-first product strategy, driving innovation and ensuring the delivery of high-quality, scalable solutions. Your leadership will empower the team to adopt best practices, solve complex technical challenges, and deliver transformative services for our customers.

We are looking for a leader (m/f/d) with a strong technical background, excellent communication skills, and a proven track record in architecting and delivering complex distributed systems. As the Head of Architecture, you will report into the Office of the CTO and will work closely with the Chief Technology Officer and Head of PE Cross Architecture. Leading SAP’s global CTO Circle, you will provide direction to SAP’s architecture community and foster an environment of growth, innovation, and excellence.

What you'll do

• Lead and manage a team of Development Architects, guiding the architectural direction for our AI-first, Suite-first portfolio to meet both business goals and technical requirements at scale.
• Drive strategic innovation by leading the adoption of emerging technologies, staying ahead of industry trends to ensure SAP’s solutions remain at the cutting edge of the market.
• Define, drive, execute, and communicate the architectural strategy to senior leadership and key stakeholders across multiple departments, ensuring alignment with corporate objectives.
• Collaborate with C-suite executives, business leaders, and stakeholders to define and align strategic business goals, ensuring architecture decisions support overall corporate strategies.
• Mentor and guide architects and engineers, fostering professional development and growth within the team, while ensuring that technical solutions align with both business and technical objectives.
• Influence and guide major architectural decisions, focusing on scalability, availability, and high-performance cloud solutions that drive business transformation across industries.
• Ensure architectural best practices are consistently followed, with an emphasis on performance, scalability, and security improvements across services and solutions.
• Evaluate risks, conduct technical assessments, and lead decision-making processes for complex technical challenges, driving actionable solutions to ensure business continuity and product excellence.

What you bring

• 15+ years of professional experience in software development, AI, and architecture, with extensive hands-on experience in enterprise-scale solutions.
• Proven track record of leading and managing large, distributed teams of senior architects, engineers, and technical leaders across multiple regions.
• Expertise in multiple programming languages and environments such as Java, Javascript, Python, Go, and related modern technologies.
• Advanced knowledge of software architecture and cloud infrastructures (AWS, Azure, GCP) with a strong focus on scalability and performance optimization
• Deep proficiency in container technologies, Kubernetes (including Gardener), microservices, and network technology
• Exceptional strategic decision-making abilities with experience balancing business priorities with technical execution.
• Ability to drive executive communications, ensuring complex architectural decisions are clearly communicated across the organization, both internally and externally.
• Demonstrated ability to influence business outcomes, working alongside senior leaders to ensure that architecture directly supports business transformation goals.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills, with a history of driving cross-functional alignment and addressing complex challenges at an enterprise scale.
• Thought leadership in the technology community, with contributions to publications, conferences, and events that demonstrate authority in the field.

Meet the team

The CTO area’s mission is to future proof our customers and SAP. Together we evolve SAP’s technology strategy and North Star architecture, explore the impact of emerging technologies on SAP’s portfolio and leverage the insights for build/buy/partner decisions. We accelerate innovation across SAP’s portfolio, collaborating with engineering teams in SAP, partners, and start-ups across the globe. With Business AI and Sustainability, we accelerate SAP’s long-term growth and market leadership.

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 are ethical and compliant

Our leadership credo: Do what’s right. Make SAP better for generations to come. We believe that great leadership extends far beyond the mere pursuit of business goals. We value and foster leadership that is driven with purpose and integrity. Our leaders are role models who uphold SAP’s values and shape SAP’s culture of integrity, by demonstrating and championing ethical and compliant behavior towards all stakeholders.

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 and more equitable world.

SAP is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to the values of Equal Employment Opportunity and provide 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.

EOE AA M/F/Vet/Disability:

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.
Successful candidates might be required to undergo a background verification with an external vendor.

Requisition ID: 422674 | Work Area: Software-Design and Development | Expected Travel: 0 - 10% | Career Status: Management | Employment Type: Regular Full Time | Additional Locations: Munich, Berlin/Potsdam, Paris, U.S. #LI-Hybrid.