Head of Artificial Intelligence

AI Futures; München; On-site; EUR 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

AI Futures seeks a Head of AI for a Munich-based portfolio company. The role leads the AI strategy, aligning it with the business plan and investor guidance, and directs AI initiatives toward measurable customer and business outcomes.

You will build and mentor a high-performing AI team, collaborating with product, engineering and data teams, while navigating regulatory and data-safety considerations in a fast-moving, investor-backed setting.

Qualifications

• Proven leadership of AI/ML initiatives in a software/tech company.
• Experience shipping AI products end-to-end with real customers.
• Strong commercial sense linking AI investments to revenue and growth.
• Experience building and leading cross-functional teams with product and engineering.

Responsibilities

• Set and own the company’s AI strategy in line with leadership and investors.
• Identify where AI adds value in product, customers, and operations; prioritise accordingly.
• Lead delivery of AI features from idea to launch; ensure reliability and security.

Skills

Leading AI/ML programs

AI product lifecycle

Commercial judgement

Team leadership

LLMs & modern AI

Data protection & EU AI

Communication

PE experience

Job description

Head of AI | Private Equity Portfolio Company | Munich

AI Futures are partnered with a Munich-based Private Equity firm. They are looking for a Head of AI to join one of their portfolio companies. The business is an established software company of around 1,000 employees. It has already made progress with AI and is now entering a new phase, with AI moving to the centre of its products and how it operates.

This is a senior role, with backing from both the company’s leadership and its investors. The Head of AI will shape the company’s AI direction and turn it into real results for customers and the business.

Role Responsibilities

• Set and own the company’s AI strategy, in line with the wider business plan agreed with the leadership team and investors.
• Identify where AI can add the most value, in the product, for customers and within internal operations, and decide what to prioritise.
• Lead the delivery of AI features and tools from idea to launch, making sure they are reliable, secure and used.
• Build, hire and develop a high-performing AI team, and work closely with product, engineering and data teams across the business.
• Decide when to build in-house and when to partner or buy, and manage key technology partners.
• Put sensible guardrails in place around data, privacy, security and responsible use of AI, including EU regulatory requirements.
• Track and report on the impact of AI work, with clear measures of commercial value.
• Act as the company’s go-to voice on AI, explaining progress and plans clearly to the board, investors, staff and customers.

Key Skills Required

• Proven experience leading AI or machine learning work in a software or technology company, ideally at scale.
• A track record of taking AI products from concept to live use with real customers.
• Strong commercial judgement, with the ability to link AI investment to revenue, efficiency and growth.
• Experience building and leading technical teams, and working well with product and engineering leaders.
• Good hands-on understanding of modern AI, including large language models, and of what it takes to run them reliably.
• Awareness of data protection, security and EU AI regulation.
• Clear, confident communicator who can explain complex topics simply to non-technical audiences.
• Comfortable in a fast-moving, investor-backed environment. Experience in a PE-backed business is a plus.