Global Product AI Technical Function Owner (TFO) and Head of China Tech Hub

Company Description

Position Purpose

From 2030 onwards, BSH has the ambition to shape the market of AI Services & Features at home. This position is the Global Product AI Technical Function Owner (TFO) and Head of China Tech Hub.

As Global Product AI TFO, the role provides central technical responsibility for AI Services & Features and supports the appropriate strategic and technical decisions through technical strategic guidance, technical partner due diligence, a suitable PoC approach and internal organizational readiness. As Head of China Tech Hub, the role acts as the regional anchor and operational orchestrator, bridging global technology steering and local execution and ensuring close alignment with regional Product Categories and Business Units.

As the China Tech Hub is currently being established, the role will contribute to shaping its capabilities, organization and ways of working in close alignment with global and China management.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities

A. Global Product AI Technical Function Owner (TFO)

• Strategic Leadership: Provide guidance and expertise for evaluating and selecting the optimal AI Services & Features partners for BSH. Lead the development of the technical AI Services & Features strategy and related architectures in alignment with the relevant governance.

• Technical Partner Due Diligence and PoC Approach: Lead high-level technical discussions and technical partner due diligence, including the set-up of a suitable PoC approach. Assess state-of-the-art technology developments, technical credibility, key risks and internal organizational readiness, and provide clear technical recommendations.

• Operational Leadership and Execution: Define technical requirements and build up and lead international experts across Infrastructure for Compute and Storage; Data Collection, Data Labeling Pipeline, Database and Warehouses; Algorithm for AI Model/Solution Development; MLOps & Orchestration; and AI Applications. Integrate related internal and external experts to support delivery in function, quality, time and cost.

• R&D Roadmap: Lead the development and steering of the long-term R&D roadmap for AI Services & Features solutions in home-appliance products and product features.

• Team, Lab and Executive Interface: Manage the relevant team, lab, budget and resources in accordance with the agreed organizational setup. Act as a key technical interface to senior management and translate complex technical findings into strategic recommendations, business cases and risk assessments.

B. Head of China Tech Hub

• Regional Anchor and Operational Orchestrator: Ensure the horizontal success of the China Tech Hub, bridge global technology steering and local execution, and support the implementation of solutions according to local needs.

• Organization and People Leadership: In alignment with relevant stakeholders, contribute to shaping the Hub's capability portfolio, organizational setup, staffing approach and ways of working. Build and maintain a high-performing, engaged and cohesive local team and provide line and people leadership, including 1-on-1s, team meetings, performance and development tracking and conflict resolution.

• Regional Stakeholder Management and Needs Consolidation: Act as the primary strategic interface and voice of the region by capturing and consolidating the market needs, strategic priorities and technology pain points of regional Product Categories and Business Units.

• Regional Ecosystem Development and Cross-Functional Implementation: Monitor regional technology trends, build relationships with universities, startups and technology communities, facilitate local execution of technology projects up to TRL 5, and orchestrate regional cross-functional initiatives across Technology Fields and local BSH functions.

• Local Resource and Operations Management: Coordinate the shared operational budget and common infrastructure, including lab facilities, workshops, IT, utilities and common test equipment, without interfering with TFO-specific project budgets and resources. Report on site performance, budget status, HR metrics and strategic alignment, and coordinate relevant administrative, legal, contract and finance processes.

Qualifications

Candidate Profile

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's or master's degree in Artificial Intelligence, Electronics Engineering, Engineering or a related science discipline; PhD is a plus.

• More than 10 years of successful experience in the R&D sector, including more than 5 years of relevant industry experience in AI Services & Features.

• Proven leadership of development teams and highly complex projects in an international and cross-functional context. Demonstrated people management and team-building experience is required.

• Experience in integrating members of other organizations into common tasks, partner management and working across different cultures. Experience in establishing, scaling or developing technical teams is an advantage.

Technical Expertise

Strong technical expertise in AI Services & Features, with the ability to assess, guide and integrate the following technology layers:

• Infrastructure for Compute and Storage, including Cloud Compute and Storage, Cloud Platform Services and Edge Hardware and Software (Appliance);

• Data Collection, Data Labeling Pipeline, Database and Warehouses, including data governance and secure downstream consumption;

• Algorithm for AI Model/Solution Development, including edge-deployed and cloud-deployed BSH-developed ML Models, AI Solutions Based on 3rd Party Hosted Models and Hybrid Models;

• MLOps & Orchestration, including Cloud Development & Serving, Feature & Inference Input Orchestration, Model Lifecycle, CI/CD and Workflow Orchestration;

• AI Applications, including Clouds, Edge, Security & Privacy, API & Backend Services and User-facing Applications.

Leadership and Communication

• Superior communication skills with the ability to engage credibly with top management as well as deep technical experts, and to communicate effectively with development, marketing, quality, purchasing, finance and external partners.

• High degree of ownership, structure and decision-making quality, combined with excellent analytical capabilities and a passion for solving complex strategic, technical and organizational challenges.

• Ability to lead team and international experts and to operate effectively in a global matrix environment.

• Fluent in English; German and Chinese are advantages.