Overview:
We are seeking a visionary and execution-driven leader to establish and run the AI Center of Excellence (CoE) within our Professional Services (PS) organization. With over decades of success delivering technology services across industries, we are now investing in AI to transform our offerings, elevate client value, and enable our teams.
This role will be responsible for developing and executing the AI strategy specifically for the PS organization, in collaboration with other business and technology leaders across the company. The ideal candidate will have a strong pulse on the latest in AI/ML, a bias for delivery and customer-centric value, and the leadership skills to drive transformation across portfolio development, solution delivery, enablement, and GTM execution.
This is a hands-on leadership role—focused equally on delivering early customer wins through high-impact AI use cases and on incubating the foundation for a scalable, IP-driven AI CoE. The candidate will also help shape our partner ecosystem and identify strategic M&A opportunities to accelerate capability build-out.
Key Responsibilities:
Strategic Leadership & Execution
- Develop and execute the AI strategy for the Professional Services organization, aligned to broader company priorities.
- Collaborate with peers across Product, Delivery, Sales, and Innovation to shape a cohesive AI direction.
- Lead the creation and scaling of an AI CoE, including talent, tools, assets, and delivery methodologies.
- Act as a visible thought leader internally and externally, championing our PS AI vision and capabilities.
Customer-Centric Use Case Development
- Identify and deliver high-impact, billable AI use cases in 1–2 priority verticals within the first 90–180 days.
- Engage 2–3 strategic customers to co-develop AI roadmaps and jointly deliver tangible business outcomes.
- Partner closely with Sales and Pre-Sales to establish a consultative, land-and-expand motion using AI as a differentiation lever.
Portfolio & Asset Creation
- Build a portfolio of proprietary and reusable AI agents, particularly around IT operations and industry workflows.
- Develop a platform or governance overlay to orchestrate and manage in-house and third-party AI tools.
- Package proprietary tools, frameworks, and accelerators with targeted consulting and implementation services.
Upskilling & PS Team Enablement
- Launch structured AI enablement and upskilling programs across PS roles to drive AI readiness across delivery teams.
- Integrate AI into existing delivery frameworks and methodologies to enable scalable, repeatable outcomes.
Operational Excellence & Scaling
- Build and lead a global AI CoE team, balancing onshore/offshore resources for capability, innovation and cost optimization.
- Drive accountability for CoE performance, including P&L ownership, utilization, delivery quality, and innovation velocity.
- Define KPIs to track the value of AI initiatives—from revenue to delivery efficiency to client success.
Ecosystem Engagement & Acceleration
- Engage the broader partner ecosystem—including cloud providers, model builders, and AI tool vendors.
- Identify and evaluate strategic M&A opportunities (particularly boutique AI firms) in collaboration with Corporate Development.
- Continuously assess market shifts to ensure our AI services and strategy remain differentiated and future-proof.
Qualifications:
- 12+ years in technology or professional services; 5+ years leading AI/ML or data-driven initiatives.
- Experience launching and scaling AI offerings or practices within a services-led environment.
- Knowledge across GenAI, ML, autonomous agents, AI orchestration, MLOps, and responsible AI.
- Strong understanding of how to apply AI to real-world business problems—particularly across verticals like healthcare, retail, manufacturing, or finance.
- Demonstrated success working in a matrixed, cross-functional environment.
- Exceptional communication, presentation, and executive influencing skills.
- Entrepreneurial, hands-on leadership style with an ability to thrive in ambiguity.
Success Metrics:
Immediate Impact (0–6 Months):
- Deliver at least one billable, vertical-specific AI use case tied to a measurable client outcome.
- Stand up the core AI CoE structure (talent, charter, tooling) with operating model defined.
- Achieve targeted billable utilization for early CoE team members.
Practice Development & Scaling (6–18 Months):
- Launch initial portfolio of AI agents, accelerators, and packaged solutions.
- Establish a repeatable sales and delivery motion with bundled AI offerings.
- Upskill at least 50% of the PS team on AI competencies through structured enablement programs.
- Build a profitable and scalable P&L for the AI CoE in line with annual operating plans.
Strategic Leverage:
- Identify at least one M&A or strategic partnership opportunity aligned to the CoE vision.
- Create 2–3 industry-targeted AI offerings backed by IP, delivery methodologies, and measurable results.
- Help position the company as an AI-driven PS provider, with visibility in external channels and analyst coverage.
Preferred Skills:
- Experience embedding AI in IT operations, enterprise workflows, or regulated verticals.
- Familiarity with cloud-native AI platforms (Azure, AWS, GCP) and AI model providers (e.g., OpenAI, Anthropic).
- Prior exposure to working with Corporate Strategy or M&A teams.
- Deep understanding of AI ethics, governance, and compliance in enterprise environments.
Due to U.S. Government requirements applicable to foreign-owned telecommunications providers, non-US citizens may be required to submit to an extensive government agency background check which will necessitate disclosure of sensitive Personally Identifiable Information.