Executive Director, AI Architecture
Boblingen - Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany, Karlsbad - Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany, Garching - Bavaria, Germany - Parking 1-5 Business Campus
Full Time
1 day ago
H1B Sponsor
Key skills
PHPRAIArtificial IntelligenceMachine LearningAgenticLeadershipProject ManagementResource PlanningChange ManagementCommunicationPresentation Skills
About this role
General information
Location: Garching - Bavaria, Germany - Parking 1-5 Business Campus Additional Location: Boblingen - Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany, Karlsbad - Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany Job Family: Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning Worker Type Reference: Regular - Permanent Pay Rate Type: Salary Career Level: M5 Job ID: R-52120-2026 Apply
Description & Requirements
About the Role
HARMAN is building an enterprise AI platform that enables agentic AI systems to automate and augment internal business processes at scale. These systems are designed to create operational leverage across business functions such as Customer Service, HR, Finance, Engineering, and Supply Chain.
As the leader of the Enterprise AI Platform Architecture, you will define and own the long-term technical architecture for these systems. You will be in close contact with the divisional AI teams and business leaders.
You will be responsible for architectural decisions that affect multiple organizations, long-lived platforms, and a combination of custom-built and third-party AI solutions. You will be responsible for the required data flows and process changes to make such a system work for the divisions and functions.
This role requires deep technical expertise in distributed systems and applied AI, combined with the ability to guide teams through complex technical trade-offs in a rapidly evolving technology landscape.
Your Team
This pivotal role, reporting directly to the Vice President of Digital Enterprise, Cloud, and Security starts without direct reports initially. However, a team of internals and external consultants will be built over time as the demand grows.
What You Will Do
Define and own AI platform architecture supporting agentic AI workloads and internal process automation.
Make high-impact architectural decisions that balance operational leverage, reliability, security, cost, and speed.
Drive convergence across AI systems to enable reuse while supporting both custom-built capabilities and external AI platforms.
Review and approve architectures for AI solutions with broad organizational impact.
Establish architectural guardrails that allow teams to move fast without compromising long-term maintainability.
Guide the redesign of enterprise processes and data flows to make them AI- and automation-friendly.
Partner with engineering and business teams to translate process automation goals into robust technical architecture.
Identify architectural risks early and lead resolution of complex, cross-team technical issues.
Ensure the platform evolves as AI models, tools, and best practices change over time.
Enable teams across the organization to adopt new AI tools, skills, and architectural patterns through technical leadership and influence
Develop and implement a comprehensive AI Service strategy based on key business challenges.
Responsible for innovation & implementing new methods/tools to manage and modernize AI Services.
Practice financial strategy and rigor within the key functions of responsibility through careful budget planning/analysis, supplier cost negations and resource planning in support of HARMAN’s key business objectives.
Manage relationships with AI third-party vendors and service providers.
Participate in contract negotiations and vendor selection processes.
Keep abreast of emerging technologies and trends in AI services to recommend and implement innovations that can benefit the organization.
Ensure that AI services and support activities comply with relevant regulations and industry standards.
Collaborate and provide strategic guidance with enterprise-wide senior business leaders in understanding business priorities, with the divisional AI teams, building Digital strategies to meet such priorities, communication and influencing execution plans to meet business requirements and timelines.
Proactively engage with external stakeholders through networking, industry conferences, customer visits to build & evolve knowledge and influence positive outcomes for HARMAN
Promote a “continuously learning” and innovation mindset to the team. Evaluate and manage the performance of team members, providing feedback and facilitating professional development.
What You Need
Masters’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
10+ years of experience designing large-scale distributed systems or enterprise platforms.
Experience serving as a technical lead or architect for platforms used by multiple teams.
Experience designing or operating AI- or data-intensive platforms, including agentic or workflow-driven systems.
Experience integrating third-party platforms into large enterprise architectures.
Experience with systems focused on process automation, enterprise productivity, or operational leverage.
Demonstrated ability to influence architecture across organizational boundaries through technical leadership.
Dedicated experience managing complex, global projects that impact business performance.
Required skills include strong leadership, and the ability to prioritize several competing needs.
Strong experience in leading change management.
Solid oral and written communication and presentation skills at all levels.
Ability to effectively prioritize and execute tasks in a high-pressure, time-sensitive environment.
Strong oral and written communication skills.
What is Nice to Have
History of thriving in a globally diverse environment.
Strong project management experience or PMP certification.
Aspiration to create and maintain measurable and sustainable processes.
What Makes You Eligible
Be willing to travel up to 10% domestic or international travel .
Be willing to work in an office located in Garching, Karlsbad, or Boblingen Germany (hybrid)
Across automotive, lifestyle, and digital transformation solutions, we create innovative technologies that turn ordinary moments into extraordinary experiences. Our renowned automotive and lifestyle solutions can be found everywhere, from the music we play in our cars and homes to venues that feature today’s most sought-after performers, while our digital transformation solutions serve humanity by addressing the world’s ever-evolving needs and demands. Marketing our award-winning portfolio under 16 iconic brands, such as JBL, Mark Levinson, and Revel, we set ourselves apart by exceeding the highest engineering and design standards for our customers, our partners and each other.
If you’re ready to innovate and do work that makes a lasting impact, join our talent community today!
Important Notice: Recruitment Scams Please be aware that HARMAN recruiters will always communicate with you from an '@harman.com', ‘@careers.harman.com’ or ‘@harmanglobal.avature.net’ email address. We will never ask for payments, banking, credit card, personal financial information or access to your LinkedIn/email account during the screening, interview, or recruitment process. If you are asked for such information or receive communication from an email address not ending in one of the above email domains about a job with HARMAN, please cease communication immediately and report the incident to us through: harmancareers@harman.com.
HARMAN is proud to be an Equal Opportunity employer. HARMAN strives to hire the best qualified candidates and is committed to building a workforce representative of the diverse marketplaces and communities of our global colleagues and customers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. HARMAN attracts, hires, and develops employees based on merit, qualifications and job-related performance.(www.harman.com)
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