AI Transformation Programme Lead

Aviva; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 98,000 - 132,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus 25% of annual salary

Generous pension scheme

29 days holiday + bank holidays

Product discounts

Matching Share Plan

Save As You Earn scheme

Parental and carer’s leave

Flexible benefits

Volunteering days

Wellbeing tools

Cycle to work

Job summary

Aviva is seeking an AI Transformation Programme Lead to drive a broad, enterprise-wide AI initiative across key domains. The role reports to the Chief AI Officer and requires directing the integrated delivery of strategic AI programmes, ensuring measurable value and improved customer outcomes.

You will translate strategy into a concrete roadmap, govern multiple workstreams and balance risks, benefits and dependencies while engaging senior stakeholders across the business.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience leading enterprise-wide transformation programmes in a large matrix organisation.
• Strong track record turning strategy into integrated plans delivering measurable outcomes across multiple business areas.
• Deep expertise in governance, planning, risk management and dependency handling.
• Experience defining, tracking and realising financial and non-financial benefits.
• Executive-level influencing skills to surface trade-offs and challenge constructively.

Responsibilities

• Translate AI strategy into an integrated roadmap, delivery plan and programme outcomes.
• Lead delivery across multiple workstreams and intervene when progress is at risk.
• Establish governance, decision rights, reporting and escalation routes at the executive level.
• Manage cross-programme risks, issues, dependencies and resource constraints.
• Create a robust benefits realisation approach with clear ownership and evidence.
• Align senior stakeholders across business, technology, Finance, People, Risk and Compliance.

Skills

Enterprise transformation

Programme governance

Risk and dependency management

Benefits realisation

Executive influence

Job description

AI Transformation Programme Lead

Location: Birmingham, Bristol, Eastleigh, Glasgow, Leatherhead, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Norwich, Perth, Sheffield, Worthing, York

Salary from £115,000 + bonus + excellent benefits

Lead Aviva’s enterprise AI transformation

Aviva's Chief AI Office sits at the centre of an enterprise-wide transformation spanning markets, functions and customer journeys. It connects strategy with delivery, adoption and governance, helping the business apply AI faster, more safely and with clearer evidence of value. You'll join while the function is taking shape, helping establish how Aviva moves from individual AI opportunities to responsible, measurable change at scale.

Aviva's AI ambition spans customer journeys, claims, operations, technology and strategic partnerships. You'll lead the integrated business transformation that connects those priorities and turns strategy into measurable, sustainable outcomes.

A bit about the job

At the helm of one of Aviva’s most significant transformation programmes, you'll lead the integrated delivery of our enterprise-wide AI initiative through a pivotal period of change. Reporting directly to the Chief AI Officer, you'll drive deep, material transformation across five core transversal domains: Claims, Outsourcing & Offshoring, Group & Local IT, Customer, and Agentic Operations.

Your work will lay the foundational capabilities for greater AI adoption across the business while directly elevating the end-customer experience and driving operational efficiencies. Acting as the central integration point across business, technology, data, process, risk and change, your highly visible deliverables will showcase the impact of your leadership, turning strategic ambition into a coherent, executable roadmap that delivers measurable value for customers, colleagues and shareholders.

You’ll be responsible for:

• translating AI strategy into an integrated roadmap, delivery plan and clear programme outcomes
• leading delivery across several workstreams, challenging plans and intervening where progress is at risk
• establishing effective governance, decision rights, executive reporting and escalation routes
• managing cross-programme risks, issues, dependencies, investment and resource constraints
• creating a robust approach to benefits and value realisation, with clear ownership and evidence
• aligning senior stakeholders across business, technology, Finance, People, Risk and Compliance.

Skills and experience we're looking for

You'll bring experience in many of these areas:

• significant experience leading complex enterprise-wide transformation programmes in a large, matrixed organisation
• a strong track record of converting strategy into integrated plans and delivering material outcomes across several business areas
• deep expertise in programme governance, planning, delivery assurance and risk and dependency management
• experience defining, tracking and realising financial and non-financial benefits
• executive-level influencing skills, with the judgement to surface trade-offs and provide constructive challenge
• experience delivering enterprise AI transformation programmes.
• measured on: Timely benefit realization, cost discipline, as well as contribution to team goals such as speed of AI deployment (from idea to production), enterprise AI portfolio compliance level with risk standards, enterprise AI adoption

Why Aviva?

AI is already making a difference across Aviva through areas such as claims summarisation, medical underwriting, customer service and fraud detection. The Chief AI Office is creating a reliable enterprise view of the investment, delivery, benefits, dependencies and risk behind that activity.

Across a business serving more than 25 million customers globally, your analysis will help leaders prioritise attention, test confidence in benefits and intervene where delivery, dependencies or evidence are off track.

What you’ll get for this role:

Our purpose - with you today, for a better tomorrow – is a promise we make to our colleagues too.And one of the ways we live up to that promise is by investing in you.We have so much to offer when it comes to being an Aviva colleague.

• National Salary from £115,000 + bonus + excellent benefits (depending on location, skills, experience, and qualifications)
• Bonus opportunity 25% of annual salary - Actual amount depends on your performance and Aviva’s
• Generous pension scheme eg if you put in 8%, Aviva adds 14%
• 29 days holiday plus bank holidays, and you can choose to buy or sell up to 5 days
• Make your money go further - Up to 40% discount on Aviva products, and other retailer discounts
• Up to £1,200 of free Aviva shares per year through our Matching Share Plan and share in the success of Aviva with our Save As You Earn scheme
• Brilliantly supportive policies including parental and carer’s leave
• Flexible benefits to suit you, including sustainability options such as cycle to work
• Make a difference, be part of our Aviva Communities and use your 3 paid volunteering days to help others
• We take your wellbeing seriously with lots of support and tools

Aviva is for everyone:

We’re inclusive and welcome everyone – we want applications from all backgrounds and experiences. Excited but not sure you tick every box? Even if you don’t, we would still encourage you to apply. We also consider all forms of flexible working, including part time and job shares.

We flex locations, hours and working patterns to suit our customers, business, and you. Most of our people are smart working – spending around 50% of their time in our offices every week - combining the benefits of flexibility, with time together with colleagues.

To find out more about working at Aviva take a look here

We interview every disabled applicant who meets the minimum criteria for the job. Once you’ve applied, please send us an email stating that you have a disclosed disability, and we’ll interview you.

We’d love it if you could submit your application online. If you require an alternative method of applying, please give Harjot Kaur a call on [phone] or send an email [e-mail]