Chief Analytical AI & Data Platform Leader

Remotedxb; Dubai; On-site; AED 900,000 - 1,400,000; Full time

Job summary

PayNearMe is seeking a Senior Director of Data & AI to lead predictive analytics and decisioning across the payments ecosystem in Dubai. You will execute a multi-year strategy for enterprise Analytical AI and the modern data platform, designing predictive models for fraud detection and revenue forecasting.

You will establish MLOps standards, govern models, and collaborate with Engineering, Cloud, and Security teams to ensure scalable, compliant fintech AI solutions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, or related field.
• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in Data, Analytics, AI/ML, or Data Platform organizations.
• 5+ years leading enterprise-scale analytics, data science, or AI engineering teams.
• Hands-on expertise in predictive analytics, machine learning, and decision intelligence.
• Deep experience with Snowflake, Dataiku, dbt, Fivetran, Apache Iceberg, and Looker/LookML.
• Technical proficiency in Python, SQL, and AWS.
• Proven success operationalizing AI capabilities at enterprise scale.
• Strong executive communication and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead the transformation of predictive intelligence and AI-enabled decisioning across the payment processing ecosystem.
• Execute a multi-year strategy for enterprise Analytical AI and the modern data platform.
• Design, deploy, and operationalize predictive and machine learning models for fraud detection, merchant segmentation, and revenue forecasting.
• Establish standards for MLOps, model governance, experimentation, and responsible AI.
• Lead the strategic evolution of the enterprise cloud data platform ecosystem.
• Partner with Engineering, Cloud, and Security teams to ensure platform scalability and reliability.
• Serve as a consultative thought partner to senior business stakeholders across Product, Risk, Finance, and Operations.
• Build, mentor, and scale high-performing multidisciplinary teams.
• Ensure AI solutions comply with regulatory, privacy, and security requirements in fintech environments.

Skills

AI/ML

Leadership

Executive communication

Stakeholder management

Data analytics

Strategic planning

Team building

MLOps

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, or related field

Tools

Snowflake

Dataiku

dbt

Fivetran

Apache Iceberg

Looker/LookML

Python

SQL

AWS

Job description

PayNearMe is seeking a Senior Director of Data & AI to lead predictive analytics and decisioning across the payments ecosystem in Dubai. You will execute a multi-year strategy for enterprise Analytical AI and the modern data platform, designing predictive models for fraud detection and revenue forecasting.

You will establish MLOps standards, govern models, and collaborate with Engineering, Cloud, and Security teams to ensure scalable, compliant fintech AI solutions.