AI Transformation Lead

Santander; Madrid; Hybrid; EUR 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Career development programs

BeHealthy wellness program

Discounts and employee perks

Shuttle services in Madrid

Job summary

Santander is seeking an AI Transformation Lead to drive business transformation initiatives across strategy, operations, and AI-enabled solutions. You will design roadmaps, evaluate AI opportunities, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver measurable value.

The role requires navigating senior leadership and delivering practical outcomes. The position offers a hybrid working model with both remote and onsite collaboration in Madrid, with a focus on governance, risk management, and

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in strategy, business transformation, operating model transformation, process redesign, management consulting or cross-functional programmes.
• Experience solving complex problems and translating analysis into executive decisions and actionable roadmaps.
• Experience working with C-level executives and multidisciplinary stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Engage with senior business leaders to understand strategic priorities and transformation ambitions.
• Structure complex problems and identify root causes with highest transformation potential.
• Analyze processes, operating models and structures to identify simplification, automation or redesign opportunities.
• Determine where AI can provide differentiated value and what organizational changes are required.
• Develop and validate transformation roadmaps and measurable outcomes.

Skills

Structured problem-solving

Analytical thinking

Executive communication

Stakeholder management

Learning agility

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering/Business/CS

Master’s degree or MBA (preferred)

Fluent English

Fluent Spanish

Tools

None

Job description

IT STARTS HERE Santander (www.santander.com) is evolving from

Country: Spain

IT STARTS HERE Santander (www.santander.com) is evolving from a global, high-impact brand into a technology-driven organization, and our people are at the heart of this journey. Together, we are driving a customer-centric transformation that values bold thinking, innovation, and the courage to challenge what’s possible. This is more than a strategic shift. It’s a chance for driven professionals to grow, learn, and make a real difference. Our mission is to contribute to help more people and businesses prosper. We embrace a strong risk culture and all our professionals at all levels are expected to take a proactive and responsible approach toward risk management.

THE DIFFERENCE YOU MAKE

AI TRANSFORMATION LEAD, you will work across different levels of transformation, from redesigning strategic end-to-end processes, to transforming business functions and operating models, to supporting enterprise-wide transformation programmes. You will assess how work is performed today, determine what should be simplified, eliminated, automated, or redesigned, and define a practical transformation roadmap. This is primarily a business transformation and problem-solving role. You will need to understand AI capabilities, products, and solution ecosystem and determine how they can be applied to solve specific business challenges. This may include, among other possibilities, intelligent automation, virtual assistants, or agentic solutions. The role requires a highly structured thinker who can quickly understand unfamiliar business situations, analyse complex problems, develop clear recommendations, and communicate effectively with senior stakeholders.

Main Responsibilities

AI Strategy & Problem Solving

• Engage with senior business leaders to understand their strategic priorities, operational challenges, and transformation ambitions.
• Structure complex and sometimes ambiguous business problems, identifying their root causes and the areas with the greatest transformation potential.
• Analyse business processes, functions, operating models and organisational structures to identify opportunities to simplify, eliminate, optimise, automate or redesign existing activities.
• Determine where Artificial Intelligence can provide differentiated value and where broader changes to processes, organisation, governance or ways of working may also be required.
• Answer three fundamental transformation questions: Why does the organisation need to change? What needs to change? How should the transformation be delivered?

Transformation Design

• Design transformation strategies and roadmaps covering processes, capabilities, operating models, organisational implications, technology, data and AI.
• Develop transformation proposals at different levels of scope, including: Strategic end-to-end processes, business and support functions, business units and organisational areas and enterprise-wide or company-wide transformation programmes.
• Prioritise transformation initiatives based on expected business value, strategic relevance, feasibility and implementation complexity.
• Convert high-level strategies into coherent transformation frameworks that can subsequently be translated into detailed initiatives and execution plans.

AI-Enabled Business Transformation

• Develop a strong understanding of Santander’s AI products, platforms, capabilities and solution catalogue.
• Identify opportunities to apply AI solutions such as virtual assistants, intelligent automation, AI agents and agentic workflows.
• Collaborate with AI, data, technology, engineering, operations and business teams to validate the feasibility and expected impact of proposed solutions.
• Stay informed about relevant developments in AI and GenAI, rapidly building the technical knowledge required to support credible recommendations and decisions.

Business Case and Value Delivery

• Develop robust business cases articulating the strategic rationale, expected benefits, costs, dependencies, risks and implementation considerations of transformation initiatives.
• Define measurable outcomes and KPIs covering business impact, efficiency, customer experience, adoption, scalability and delivery progress.
• Ensure that recommendations are practical, value-driven and aligned with the organisation’s strategic priorities.

What You’ll Bring

Our people are our greatest strength. Every individual contributes unique perspectives that make us stronger as a team and as an organization. We’re enabling teams to go beyond by valuing who they are and empowering what they bring. The following requirements represent the knowledge, skills and abilities essential for success in this role. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Professional Experience

• 8+ years of experience in strategy, business transformation, operating model transformation, process redesign, management consulting or complex cross-functional programmes. (Required)
• Demonstrated experience solving complex and ambiguous business problems and translating analysis into executive decisions and actionable transformation roadmaps. (Required)
• Experience working directly with C-level executives, senior management teams and multidisciplinary stakeholders. (Required)
• Experience in banking, financial services, insurance, consulting or another highly regulated industry. (Preferred)
• Previous experience applying AI, GenAI, intelligent automation or advanced analytics to business transformation challenges. (Preferred)

Education & Languages

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business Administration, Economics, Computer Science, Data Science or a related field. (Required).
• Master’s degree, MBA or complementary qualifications in strategy, business transformation, technology or Artificial Intelligence. (Preferred).
• Fluent English. (Required).
• Fluent Spanish. (Required).

Hard Skills

• Exceptional structured problem-solving and analytical capabilities.
• Ability to rapidly understand unfamiliar businesses, functions, processes and operating models.
• Ability to distinguish symptoms from root causes and convert ambiguous challenges into clear workstreams and decisions.
• Strong business judgement and capacity to balance ambition, feasibility, value, risk and implementation complexity.
• Ability to translate business challenges into transformation opportunities and potential AI-enabled solutions.
• Working understanding of Artificial Intelligence, Generative AI, intelligent automation and agentic solutions, combined with a strong willingness and ability to learn quickly.

Soft Skills

• Excellent executive communication and storytelling skills.
• Strong influencing and stakeholder-management capability.
• Intellectual curiosity and a high learning agility.
• Ability to bring structure and clarity to complex or ambiguous situations.
• Pragmatic and outcome-oriented mindset.
• Confidence engaging with senior executives and constructively challenging established assumptions.

WE VALUE YOUR IMPACT

Your contribution matters, and it’s recognized. You can expect a fair, competitive reward package that reflects the impact you create and the value you deliver. But we know rewards go beyond numbers.

• We enable our teams to go beyond through global opportunities and broad career paths.
• Flexibility that works. Enjoy a hybrid working model, with some days remote and some days onsite with your team, along with flexible hours.
• Learning for life. Access hundreds of courses on our platforms, including exclusive access to our global learning space: Santander Open Academy (www.santanderopenacademy.com).
• Competitive rewards. Receive a highly competitive salary with performance-based bonuses, motivating you to keep growing with us.
• Financial advantages. Benefit from preferential banking terms and special interest rates on loans, life insurance, and more.
• Your health is our priority. Through BeHealthy, our global wellness programme, we promote holistic wellbeing.
• We know family is everything. That’s why we offer childcare support and family-friendly programmes tailored to each life stage.
• Always by your side. Get access to Santander Contigo, our programme for employees and their families, offering legal, emotional, and administrative advisory services.
• Extra benefits. Gym/WellHub membership, medical centres in some of our facilities, meal subsidy, parking, shuttle services from various points in Madrid, and exclusive discounts and offers for Santander employees. And that’s only the beginning. We’ll tell you more when you join!

We’re here to keep you motivated, help you reach your goals and celebrate your progress, every step of the way.

LOCAL COMPLIANCE

Santander is proud to be an organization where there are equal opportunities regardless of age, gender, disability, civil status, race, religion or sexual orientation. We are committed to providing an inclusive and accessible application process for all candidates.