Director of AI

The Portfolio Group; Manchester; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading SaaS company in Manchester seeks a Director of AI to define and implement the enterprise AI strategy. The role involves leading cross-functional teams and driving product innovation through advanced AI technologies. Candidates should have proven leadership experience in high-growth technology environments and strong expertise in ML and Generative AI. Offering excellent salary, bonuses, and benefits.

Benefits

Excellent base salary

Generous performance-based bonus

Private healthcare

Pension scheme

Premium benefits

Qualifications

• Proven leadership in AI strategies for high-growth SaaS.
• Demonstrated hands-on expertise in deploying ML and Generative AI models.
• Experience creating AI governance frameworks for ethical compliance.

Responsibilities

• Define and drive enterprise AI strategy for innovation.
• Own the lifecycle of AI initiatives from vision to delivery.
• Build and lead cross-functional AI teams.

Skills

Leadership in AI strategy

Advanced ML and Generative AI expertise

Technical proficiency with LLMs and NLP

Understanding of DevOps and MLOps

Building AI governance frameworks

Education

Background in AI, ML, Data Science or related field

Tools

Python

SQL

PyTorch

TensorFlow

Job description

Overview

Director of AI | Manchester (Office Based) | Excellent Salary + Bonus + Benefits

Are you a visionary AI leader ready to shape the future of enterprise AI; from strategic roadmap to hands-on implementation? Join a fast-scaling, international SaaS company that's transforming its industry through relentless innovation, advanced product development and investment in next-generation AI solutions. This is a rare, high-impact opportunity to define and drive the end-to-end AI agenda of a multi-award-winning business backed by a world-class leadership team.

As Director of AI, you will own the company's AI vision - leading strategy development, technical execution, and operational scaling across Machine Learning, Generative AI, Large language Models and beyond. Your leadership will directly influence product innovation, operational excellence, and commercial success.

Role Overview

• Define and drive the enterprise AI strategy - identifying opportunities for innovation, automation, and market differentiation using advanced AI/ML technologies.
• Own the full lifecycle of AI initiatives, from vision and roadmap to technical architecture, delivery, optimisation, and governance.
• Build and lead cross-functional AI teams, ensuring alignment between technical execution and strategic business goals.
• Evaluate emerging technologies (e.g. LLMs, RAG, vector search, knowledge graphs) and make evidence-based recommendations to stakeholders.
• Establish best practices for responsible AI development, including risk management, compliance, and explainability.
• Partner with senior leadership to integrate AI into core business functions and customer-facing products at speed and scale.

What You Bring

• Proven leadership in delivering enterprise-scale AI strategies, ideally in a high-growth SaaS or technology-led environment.
• Strong academic or practical background in AI, ML, Data Science, Computer Science or a related STEM field.
• Demonstrated hands-on expertise in building and deploying advanced ML and Generative AI models in production (including RAG Architecture).
• Deep technical proficiency with LLMs, NLP, Python, SQL, and major AI/ML frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow).
• Strong understanding of AI engineering fundamentals including DevOps, CI/CD, MLOps, and DevSecOps.
• Experience building AI governance frameworks to address ethical risk, model accuracy, and regulatory compliance.

Why Join?

This is a career-defining opportunity to shape the AI strategy of a high-growth, global and entrepreneurial organisation. You'll work alongside a visionary leadership team and have the autonomy to innovate, influence, and scale AI solutions that have real-world commercial impact.

• Excellent base salary
• Generous performance-based bonus
• Private healthcare, pension scheme, and premium benefits
• A dynamic, innovation-first culture with real career progression

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