Director - AI Transformation

The First Group; Dubai; On-site; AED 240,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading real estate and hospitality firm in Dubai is seeking a visionary Director – AI Transformation to define and lead their AI adoption strategy. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in digital transformation and demonstrated success in delivering AI solutions. This is an opportunity to shape the future of AI within the organization and drive measurable business outcomes.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Comprehensive benefits

Culture of innovation

Qualifications

• 8+ years in digital transformation, with at least 3–5 years driving enterprise AI/ML initiatives.
• Demonstrated success delivering AI solutions with measurable business outcomes.
• Proven ability to engage senior leadership and communicate complex concepts clearly.

Responsibilities

• Define and lead the company's AI strategy, aligned with business priorities.
• Identify high-value AI opportunities across various departments.
• Oversee end-to-end delivery of AI initiatives from planning to execution.

Skills

Digital transformation

Enterprise AI initiatives

GenAI

NLP

RPA

Education

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

Tools

OpenAI

Azure ML

Google Vertex AI

UiPath

Job description

Overview

The First Group is a dynamic and innovative real estate, hospitality, and lifestyle company dedicated to transforming customer experiences through technology and data-driven insights. As part of our continued commitment to digital excellence, we are seeking a visionary Director – AI Transformation to lead our enterprise-wide AI adoption strategy and embed artificial intelligence into our core business processes.

Job Description

We are looking for a hands-on leader who combines strategic vision with execution excellence. This role will be responsible for defining The First Group’s AI roadmap, identifying high-impact use cases, and driving successful implementation across multiple business units.

The ideal candidate is a leader-doer: someone who can set direction, evangelize AI adoption, and roll up their sleeves to implement solutions. Success will be measured not by launching pilots, but by delivering measurable business value through scalable, trusted AI solutions.

Key Responsibilities

• AI Strategy & Leadership - Define and lead TFG’s enterprise AI strategy, aligned with business priorities.
• AI Strategy & Leadership - Identify high-value AI opportunities across marketing, sales, finance, operations, and customer experience.
• AI Strategy & Leadership - Partner with senior leadership to integrate AI into decision-making and innovation planning.
• AI Strategy & Leadership - Build AI readiness, including data governance, tool selection, security, and business case development.
• Implementation & Adoption - Collaborate with department heads to translate workflows and challenges into actionable AI solutions.
• Implementation & Adoption - Deliver initiatives that improve efficiency, reduce costs, and optimize guest and customer experiences.
• Implementation & Adoption - Promote adoption by embedding AI into day-to-day processes and ensuring consistency across departments.
• Technology & Vendor Management - Oversee end-to-end delivery of AI initiatives: planning, budgeting, execution, and operationalization.
• Technology & Vendor Management - Ensure solutions meet TFG’s security, compliance, and performance standards.
• Technology & Vendor Management - Stay ahead of emerging technologies, vendors, and innovation opportunities.
• Performance & Continuous Improvement - Define, track, and report AI performance metrics to leadership.
• Performance & Continuous Improvement - Capture lessons learned and drive ongoing optimization.
• Performance & Continuous Improvement - Stay current on AI/ML trends and translate them into business opportunities.
• Change Management & Culture - Foster AI literacy across TFG through workshops, training, and mentoring.
• Change Management & Culture - Act as a bridge between technical teams and business stakeholders.
• Change Management & Culture - Build an internal network of AI champions to sustain momentum and adoption.

Desired Skill & Expertise

• 8+ years in digital transformation, with at least 3–5 years driving enterprise AI/ML initiatives.
• Demonstrated success delivering AI solutions with measurable business outcomes.
• Strong knowledge of GenAI, NLP, LLMs, RPA, and related technologies.
• Hands-on experience with leading AI platforms (e.g., OpenAI, Azure ML, Google Vertex AI, UiPath).
• Proven ability to engage senior leadership and communicate complex concepts clearly.
• Strong commercial and analytical mindset with a focus on impact.
• Ability to build and lead cross-functional AI teams.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Business, or related field.

What We Offer

• A unique opportunity to shape AI adoption at one of Dubai’s most innovative real estate and hospitality firms.
• Competitive salary and comprehensive benefits.
• A culture that values innovation, creativity, and collaboration.
• The chance to work on transformative projects with direct impact on customer and guest experiences.