Group AI Lead

The Group AI Lead will build strong relationships with senior stakeholders across the three publishing divisions to understand current initiatives and aspirations regards the use of AI within the divisional products and internal processes. You will act as trusted advisor as to the right opportunities to apply AI solutions and the art of the possible, in close collaboration with the Divisional Lead Enterprise Architects. You`ll also align across the central functions stakeholders to understand opportunities for AI to drive efficiencies and optimization of business process, triaging AI demand requests to ensure appropriate approaches are proposed. Working closely with senior business stakeholders and functions across Group Technology you will:

• Be accountable for the framework for AI initiatives to ensure Group Technology aligned approach to assessing opportunities, bringing partners on board and driving re-use of common capabilities.
• Maintain and publish internally a register of AI initiatives to both drive visibility and awareness across the Press and drive further innovation through sharing of ideas.
• Through global wide visibility highlight opportunities for collaboration across business areas to drive creation and re-use of common underlying capabilities
• Manage the breadth of AI services third party providers further seeking re-use opportunities and seeking partnerships opportunities with key suppliers to further drive innovation and capabilities.
• Support the drive for awareness and training in AI capabilities across the organisation, in collaboration with Learning and Development and Communications teams.
• Take ownership of the Group Technology policy for the use of AI, and ensure guidance is clearly articulated and communicated to the business.
• Take a pivotal role in creating alignment across Legal, Data Protection and Security regarding understand the risks associated with the use of the broad use of AI and AI Services, managing and mitigating the risks, ensuring a balance between innovation and protection of key data assets.
• Collaborate with the Data and Integration Services teams to drive the roadmap to enable secure accessibility of key data assets and data quality metrics to enable AI Services.
• Enable and drive innovation through AI to enhance our customer facing digital products, and monetisation of our data to drive revenue growth, and internal efficiencies in business processes to drive cost savings.
• Assess demand requests for the use of AI to ensure appropriate solutions proposed, including highlighting where AI might not be the right approach.
• Support End User Services team in the internal promotion and use of GenAI (Copilot), aligned to the GenAI in the Workplace Policy.
  
  Our ideal candidate will be someone with a technical background ideally working with AI solutions and services. Ideally you will have experience designing or architecting AI solutions (internal business facing and customer facing solutions). In addition, strong organisation skills and efficient stakeholder management will also make you a stand out for this role., Essential:
• Deep understanding of AI concepts, algorithms, and technologies. Knowledge of AI frameworks, platforms and key vendor offerings.
• Strategic Thinking: Ability to develop and communicate a strategic vision for AI initiatives. Skilled in identifying and prioritizing AI opportunities aligned with long-term business goals, considering innovation, regulation, scalability, security and cost-effectiveness whilst achieving business outcomes.
• Stakeholder Management: Strong relationship-building skills with senior stakeholders. Ability to act as a trusted advisor and communicate complex AI concepts effectively.
• Innovation and Problem-Solving: Ability to drive innovation through AI and identify creative solutions.
• Communication: Excellent communication skills in articulating AI policies and guidelines. Experience in supporting awareness and training initiatives in AI capabilities.
• Proven experience in leading AI initiatives within a large organization, from POC definition through to live services, both internal business optimisation and customer facing services.
• Risk management: ability to assess and articulate risks associated with architectural choices or business decisions, balance innovation with strategic direction and stability.
• Knowledge and understanding of innovative niche AI technology suppliers and how best to leverage them for competitive advantage, keeping awareness of developments and trends in AI.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Desirable:
• Conflict Management & Negotiation Skills.
• Skills in coordinating cross-functional teams and driving collaboration.
• Awareness of legal, ethical, and security issues related to AI use in an education publishing industry context.
  
  We care about work/life balance here at OUP. With this in mind we offer 25 days' holiday that rises with service, plus bank holidays and Christmas closure (3-days) and a 35-hour working week. We are open to discussing flexibility in respect to working patterns, dependent on role. We also have a great variety of active employee networks and societies.
We help make your money go further by contributing to your pension up to 12%, offering loans and savings schemes through our partnership with Salary Finance, in addition to travel to work schemes and access to a wide range of local discounts. This role comes with the added benefit of private medical insurance and management bonus.