AI Innovation Lab Manager

CPS Group (UK) Limited; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 120,000 - 138,000; Full time

Job summary

CPS Group (UK) Limited is seeking an AI Innovation Lab Manager in London on a six-month contract to accelerate high-impact AI and automation projects. The role combines strategic thinking with hands-on delivery, developing rapid prototypes and PoCs that demonstrate measurable business value.

You will collaborate with senior leaders to identify opportunities, build business cases, and ensure successful pilots scale across the enterprise while staying ahead of emerging AI technologies and market

Qualifications

• Experience delivering AI, automation or digital innovation initiatives.
• Strong understanding of generative AI, LLMs and emerging AI technologies.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Commercial awareness and the ability to assess business value.
• A proactive, curious and solutions-focused approach.
• The confidence to work independently in an evolving environment.

Responsibilities

• Identify high-value AI and automation opportunities across the business.
• Build business cases and define success measures for innovation initiatives.
• Lead rapid prototyping, proof-of-concepts and pilot programmes.
• Work closely with stakeholders to understand challenges and translate them into practical solutions.
• Present findings, recommendations and outcomes to senior leaders.
• Support the transition of successful pilots into scalable business solutions.
• Continuously monitor the AI and automation landscape for new tools, platforms and capabilities.
• Evaluate emerging technologies against real business challenges.
• Compare solutions across capability, cost, security and implementation effort.

Skills

AI strategy

Generative AI

LLMs

Automation

Innovation management

Prototyping

PoC delivery

Digital transformation

Product innovation

Process optimisation

Technology adoption

Commercial analysis

Change management

Data & analytics

Cross-functional leadership

Technology scouting

Job description

AI Innovation Lab Manager

Role: AI Innovation Lab Manager

Domain: Global Financial Services

Type: Contract, Daily Rate

Duration: 6 Months (Initial Duration)

Start: ASAP

Location: London (Hybrid)

Pay Rate: £650 - £750 per day

Specialism(s): AI Strategy, Artificial Intelligence, Generative AI, Large Language Models (LLM's), AI Agents, Automation, Innovation Management, Emerging Technology Evaluation, Rapid Prototyping, Proof of Concept (PoC) Delivery, Digital Transformation, Product Innovation, Process Optimisation, Technology Adoption, Commercial Analysis, Change Management, Data & Analytics, Enterprise Innovation, Experimentation & Pilot Management, Cross-Functional Leadership, Technology Scouting

CPS Group UK are partnering with an established, global Financial Services organisation to appoint an ambitious and hands-on AI Innovation Lab Manager to lead a newly established innovation function focused on identifying, testing and accelerating high-impact AI and automation solutions across a large enterprise FS environment.

This is a unique opportunity to sit at the forefront of AI adoption, working directly with business leaders to uncover opportunities, rapidly build prototypes, evaluate emerging technologies and demonstrate tangible business value.

You'll combine strategic thinking with practical delivery, helping turn ambitious ideas into working solutions and ensuring investment in AI translates into measurable outcomes.

What Makes This Role Different?

• Direct exposure to cutting-edge AI technologies and emerging market solutions.
• High levels of autonomy and ownership.
• Opportunity to influence enterprise-wide AI strategy and adoption.
• Small, agile innovation team focused on rapid experimentation and measurable impact.
• A chance to shape how a large organisation identifies, validates and scales AI opportunities

Key Responsibilities

• Identify high-value AI and automation opportunities across the business.
• Build business cases and define success measures for innovation initiatives.
• Lead rapid prototyping, proof-of-concepts and pilot programmes.
• Work closely with stakeholders to understand challenges and translate them into practical solutions.
• Present findings, recommendations and outcomes to senior leaders.
• Support the transition of successful pilots into scalable business solutions.
• Continuously monitor the AI and automation landscape for new tools, platforms and capabilities.
• valuate emerging technologies against real business challenges.
• Compare solutions across capability, cost, security and implementation effort.,

Required Skills & Experience

• Experience delivering AI, automation or digital innovation initiatives.
• Strong understanding of generative AI, LLMs and emerging AI technologies.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Commercial awareness and the ability to assess business value.
• A proactive, curious and solutions-focused approach.
• The confidence to work independently in an evolving environment.

Desirable Experience

• Innovation, consulting, transformation or technology backgrounds.
• Experience within regulated industries (ideally Financial Services or FinTech) or complex, matrix organisations.
• Knowledge of AI development platforms, automation tools or cloud technologies.
• Experience driving technology adoption and change.