R&D AI Product Owner (m/f/d) – with salary information

Are you ready to shape the future of specialty chemicals R&D? Covestro is building an AI-native platform that will transform how we discover, design, and deliver breakthrough materials. As our R&D AI Product Owner, you'll be at the forefront of this transformation, translating decades of proprietary chemistry expertise into AI-powered software that accelerates innovation from lab to market. You'll own the product vision and roadmap for AI applications that embed intelligence directly into our R&D workflows—moving beyond generic chatbots to AI that ideates, recommends, and executes alongside our scientists. Working at the intersection of cutting-edge AI technology, materials science, and global R&D operations, you'll coordinate cross-functional teams spanning data scientists, software engineers, chemists, and external AI partners to deliver secure, high-impact solutions. This isn't just product management—it's pioneering a competitive advantage in an industry where AI adoption will separate leaders from followers. If you have deep R&D experience, AI/data science expertise, and the vision to turn complex technical challenges into transformative products, this is your opportunity to define how a Fortune 500 materials science company wins with AI.

In addition to our diverse benefits, a full-time position comes with an attractive starting salary between €111,300/ year and €139,100/ year, plus a variable component. The starting salary is based on your qualifications and professional experience.

Major Tasks & Responsibilities:

Strategy & Vision:

• Communicate the Digital R&D AI Strategy to stakeholders and maintain organizational buy-in

• Own the product roadmap and prioritization framework

• Prioritize opportunities based on user value, business impact, scientific relevance, data readiness, technical feasibility, risk, and adoption potential

• Balance near-term delivery of practical AI features with the long-term development of AI-native R&D capabilities

• Maintain a transparent roadmap that supports agile delivery while remaining understandable to R&D leadership and expert users

​Stakeholder and User Management:

• Build trusted relationships with relationships with R&D chemists, simulation experts, and other end users

• Run structured discovery through Jobs-to-be-Done interviews, workflow analysis, value-stream mapping, prototyping, pilot groups, user testing, and feedback loops.

• Manage leadership expectations and communications on product progress

• Coordinate with IT, security, and external vendor on product-level needs

• Define clear problem statements, target users, success metrics, and adoption assumptions before scaling a use case.

Business & Operations:

• Drive use case validation and ROI quantification with measurable value propositions and business cases for AI product initiatives.

• Manage budget priorities and resource allocation decisions

• Own vendor selection for non-technical product services

• Track and report on product metrics, adoption, and business outcomes.

AI product definition and delivery:

• Translate validated R&D problems into product requirements, epics, user stories, acceptance criteria, experiment plans, and release scopes

• Work closely with Lead AI Experts, data scientists, software engineers, UX designers, architects, and external partners to shape feasible product solutions

• Support agile delivery through backlog refinement, sprint planning, review sessions, release planning, and prioritization decisions

Basic Qualifications:

• 5+ years of experience in product management, product ownership, digital product development, AI product development, or comparable roles management in large global and cross-functional initiatives

• Proven ability to translate complex scientific, technical, or operational problems into clear product requirements and delivery priorities

• Strong product discovery skills, including user research, problem framing, prototyping, validation, prioritization, and impact measurement

• Practical understanding of AI, machine learning, generative AI, RAG, AI agents, data products, or algorithmic decision-support systems

• Experience working with technical teams such as data scientists, software engineers, AI engineers, architects, UX designers, or platform teams

• Strong stakeholder management skills across expert users, technical teams, middle management, and senior leadership

Preferred Qualifications:

• PhD in a science or engineering field with 5+ years’ experience conducting R&D or process optimization in an industrial setting; OR Master’s degree in a science or engineering field with 6+ years’ experience conducting R&D or process optimization in an industrial setting

• 5+ years of relevant experience in data science/ data analytics/ generative AI

• Experience building AI products for enterprise users, expert users, or internal knowledge workers

• Familiarity with scientific data, experimental workflows, lab systems, knowledge management, ELN/LIMS, simulation tools, patent/literature search, or technical documentation

• Experience defining AI product evaluation methods, model-quality metrics, human-in-the-loop workflows, and responsible AI guardrails

• Completed coursework and certifications in machine learning, deep learning, AI agents, software engineering using AI

For initial questions, Chris Rziha ([email protected]) is happy to help. Please do not use this email address to send your application or CV. To apply, please click the "Apply" button. Applications submitted by email will not be considered.