Enterprise AI Strategy & Platform Lead

SSE plc; United Kingdom; Hybrid; GBP 101,000 - 151,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Car allowance

Performance bonus

Flexible working

Private healthcare

Pension / saving scheme

Job summary

SSE plc is seeking its first Group Head of AI to establish and lead the enterprise AI capability, shaping how AI is adopted safely, securely and effectively across the organisation. You will drive strategy, platforms, governance and partnerships to scale AI from opportunity to production use.

Reporting across business units, you will build secure, cost-efficient AI platforms, implement lifecycle governance, and guide responsible innovation while collaborating with data, architecture, legal, and

Qualifications

• A relevant degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Engineering, Mathematics or a related discipline, or equivalent professional experience.
• Significant senior technology leadership experience in a large, complex and regulated organisation, including building or materially reshaping an AI, software engineering, platform or equivalent enterprise technology function.
• Extensive practical experience designing, engineering, deploying and operating AI-enabled software and platforms in production across cloud and hybrid environments, rather than experience centred primarily on data science, research or prototypes.

Responsibilities

• Own and execute SSE’s group-wide AI strategy, investment roadmap and enterprise operating model, translating business ambition and emerging technology into clear priorities, practical choices and measurable outcomes.
• Establish secure, resilient and cost-effective enterprise AI platforms, reference architectures, engineering standards and reusable services, enabling and supporting Business Unit and Corporate Function teams to build and operate production-grade AI solutions more quickly and consistently.
• Create and operate SSE’s AI control plane, governance and lifecycle framework, with proportionate evaluation, assurance, monitoring and human oversight for models, agents and AI-enabled solutions.
• Provide clear and supportive pathways from use-case discovery and experimentation through to supported production use, leading common enterprise capabilities and cross-SSE solutions while enabling business areas to retain ownership of their products, adoption and realised value.
• Work collaboratively with the Group Head of Data and Group Head of Architecture to connect trusted, permission-aware data and information with enterprise architecture, cloud, cyber, operational technology and resilience direction.
• Shape SSE’s future AI choices across emerging models, agentic systems, infrastructure, compute, sovereignty and resilience, leading responsible innovation, strategic partnerships, research and co-development.
• Build a high-performing multidisciplinary enterprise AI function and profession, developing the skills, inclusive role-based pathways, communities and practical support needed to make safe and effective AI adoption part of how SSE works.

Skills

AI leadership

Enterprise architecture

MLOps

Cloud & hybrid environments

Risk & governance

Stakeholder management

Regulatory compliance

Education

BSc/BA or equivalent in Computer Science, AI, Engineering

Tools

Cloud platforms (AWS/Azure/GCP)

MLOps tooling

Data governance tools

Job description

SSE plc is seeking its first Group Head of AI to establish and lead the enterprise AI capability, shaping how AI is adopted safely, securely and effectively across the organisation. You will drive strategy, platforms, governance and partnerships to scale AI from opportunity to production use.

Reporting across business units, you will build secure, cost-efficient AI platforms, implement lifecycle governance, and guide responsible innovation while collaborating with data, architecture, legal, and