Principal Product Manager
SAP · Palo Alto, CA
- On site
- Full-time
- $420,000 / year
- Palo Alto, CA
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Principal Product Manager
SAP · Palo Alto, CA
Riley Chen
Hiring Manager · h•••••@jobs.sap.com
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Hi Riley — I came across the Principal Product Manager opening and wanted to reach out directly. I've spent the last few years doing exactly this kind of work, and SAP stood out because…
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Not recommended alone — most applicants never hear back.
Job highlights
- Own strategy and roadmap for BDC Connect.
- Drive AI-native data integration product.
- Engage deeply with customers and partners.
- Collaborate with multiple engineering teams.
- Shape the future of enterprise data fabric.
About the role
Role Summary
Enterprise AI is only as good as the data it can reach. Today, that data is fragmented across SAP, hyperscalers, lakehouses, and SaaS - locked behind connectors, copies, and brittle pipelines. We are building the opposite: a single, governed, zero-copy fabric that makes every customer's data wherever it lives usable for analytics, applications, and AI agents. You will own the product for BDC Connect: the strategic surface where SAP Business Data Cloud meets AWS, Databricks, Google Cloud, Microsoft Fabric, and Snowflake. Bi-directional, semantically rich, governed data sharing at performance and scale. This is one of the highest-leverage product roles at SAP. Get it right, and BDC becomes the gravity well for enterprise data. We are looking for a product leader with deep technical taste, strong opinions on what great looks like. You will set the strategy, drive the roadmap, and be accountable for execution and outcomes.What You'll Do
Own the Product
- Set and own the end-to-end strategy and roadmap for BDC Connect from raw customer signal to shipped and adopted product. You are driving this together with your engineering counterparts.
- Spend serious time with customers and partners. Be in the room for the hard escalations. Your roadmap should reflect what you have heard and seen, not only what you have read.
- Be the deepest product expert on the personas you serve: data engineers, platform owners, AI builders. Solve their actual pains and jobs-to-be-done.
- Treat every integration as leverage, not a one-off. The right architecture compounds as each new partner makes the next one easier and the platform more valuable.
- Operate with a product-led growth mindset. Instrument everything. Let usage and customer outcomes not opinion settle the product direction.
Build and Ship
- Hold a sharp, defensible point of view on what AI-native data integration looks like and then ship it. Pick a small set of metrics that matter. Move them. Be honest about what is working and what is not.
Drive Alignment
- Customers and partners come first. SAP leadership, the AI organization, LoBs, and the field come next and they get the same clarity, care, and pace you bring to customers.
- Communicate vision, strategy, and progress with precision. Set expectations early. Surface risk before it becomes news.
- Drive alignment across multiple engineering stakeholders that your roadmap and execution success depends on. Identify and resolve bottlenecks to get the product moving.
- Represent the product externally in customer meetings, industry events, executive briefings.
Raise the Bar
- Stay sharp on the data and AI landscape. Know what Snowflake, Databricks, and the hyperscalers are doing.
- Improve how the team works. Cut what does not create customer value. Build the muscle to ship faster without losing quality.
- Create the kind of team environment strong PMs want to join: high standards, real ownership, fast feedback, no politics.
What You Bring
- Extensive product management experience in data infrastructure, cloud platforms, or enterprise software with a track record of developing or shipping products customers love.
- Hands-on familiarity with the modern data stack and the major platform players: Snowflake, Databricks, BigQuery, Microsoft Fabric, AWS data services. You should have strong, informed opinions about the ecosystem.
- Deep understanding of data platforms: connectivity, sharing, governance, performance, security, scale, and where the industry is going next.
- Working knowledge of the SAP portfolio and BDC. Familiarity with SAP data integration is a plus- strong outside-in product judgment matters more.
- Real expertise with the technologies underneath the product: Apache Iceberg, Delta Lake, distributed systems, Kubernetes, Spark, and at least one systems language (Rust, Go, Java). You do not need to write it daily, but you need to reason about it.
- A clear track record of enabling AI and ML workloads through better data foundations - not slideware but shipped product.
- Proven ability to operate as the single product owner across multiple engineering teams and stakeholders, with the credibility to drive decisions.
- First-principles product thinking.
- Customer-facing scar tissue from real enterprise engagements - including the hard escalations - and a habit of turning that signal into product.
- Engineering or technical consulting background. You can read the code when you need to.
- Strategic clarity paired with a bias to ship. You are measured by adoption and outcomes, not roadmap slides.
- Strong communicator. You can hold the room with executives, customers, and engineers — and tell each of them the same true thing.
- Bachelor's degree in a relevant field; advanced degree a plus.
Key skills/competency
- Enterprise AI
- Data Fabric
- Product Management
- Cloud Platforms
- Data Infrastructure
- Roadmap Strategy
- Customer Engagement
- Technical Leadership
- Data Governance
- AI/ML Workloads
Skills & topics
- Product Management
- Enterprise AI
- Data Fabric
- Cloud Platforms
- Data Infrastructure
- Roadmap Strategy
- Customer Engagement
- Technical Leadership
- Data Governance
- AI/ML Workloads
- Snowflake
- Databricks
- AWS
- Microsoft Fabric
- Google Cloud
- Kubernetes
- Spark
- Apache Iceberg
- Delta Lake
- Distributed Systems
How to get hired
- Tailor your resume: Highlight experience in data infrastructure, cloud platforms, and enterprise software, showcasing your product management track record.
- Showcase technical depth: Emphasize your familiarity with the modern data stack (Snowflake, Databricks) and distributed systems (Kubernetes, Spark).
- Demonstrate customer focus: Provide examples of how you've translated customer needs and escalations into successful product features.
- Prepare for technical questions: Be ready to discuss your opinions on AI-native data integration and your understanding of data governance and performance.
- Articulate your vision: Clearly communicate your strategic thinking and bias for shipping impactful products with measurable outcomes.
Technical preparation
Study modern data stack players: Snowflake, Databricks.,Review distributed systems and data governance concepts.,Understand AI/ML data foundation enablement.,Prepare to discuss technical architecture decisions.
Behavioral questions
Describe a time you handled tough customer escalations.,How do you prioritize competing stakeholder needs?,Share an example of driving product adoption.,How do you foster a high-performance team culture?
Prefer to apply the usual way?
Not recommended alone — most applicants never hear back. Email the hiring manager first.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the compensation range for a Principal Product Manager at SAP?
- The targeted annual combined compensation range for this Principal Product Manager role at SAP is $198,200 to $420,000 USD. The final offer will depend on factors such as your education, skills, experience, the scope of the role, and location.
- What specific technical skills are most valued for this Principal Product Manager position at SAP?
- SAP highly values hands-on familiarity with the modern data stack (Snowflake, Databricks, BigQuery, Microsoft Fabric, AWS data services) and deep understanding of data platforms including connectivity, sharing, governance, performance, and scale. Expertise with technologies like Apache Iceberg, Delta Lake, distributed systems, Kubernetes, Spark, and systems languages (Rust, Go, Java) is also crucial.
- How important is customer interaction in this Principal Product Manager role at SAP?
- Customer interaction is paramount. You will spend significant time with customers and partners, be present for difficult escalations, and use this direct signal to shape the product roadmap. Your role involves being the deepest product expert for personas like data engineers and AI builders.
- What is the expected travel for the Principal Product Manager role at SAP?
- The expected travel for this Principal Product Manager position at SAP is between 0% and 10%.
- What is SAP's stance on AI usage in the recruitment process for this role?
- SAP utilizes AI in its recruitment process and provides guidelines for its ethical usage. Candidates are expected to adhere to these guidelines, as violations may lead to disqualification. More information can be found in SAP's Guidelines for Ethical Usage of AI in the Recruiting Process.
- What does SAP mean by 'data fabric' in the context of this Principal Product Manager role?
- In this context, a 'data fabric' refers to a unified, governed, zero-copy data architecture that makes a customer's data, regardless of its location (SAP, hyperscalers, lakes, SaaS), accessible for analytics, applications, and AI agents. It aims to eliminate fragmentation and brittle pipelines.
- Does SAP offer opportunities for continuous learning and skill growth for this Principal Product Manager role?
- Yes, SAP emphasizes constant learning and skill growth for its employees. The role description highlights finding a place where you can prioritize wellbeing, belong, and receive support for your professional development and success.