Head of AI Enablement and Programme Management

bp; Sunbury-on-Thames; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A global energy company is seeking a Head of AI Enablement & Program Management in Sunbury-on-Thames. This role involves leading a portfolio of high-value AI programs and orchestrating AI delivery across business lines. Candidates should have a strong background in product management and data analytics, along with leadership experience. The position offers a hybrid work model, competitive pay, and various benefits tailored to support employee well-being and development.

Benefits

Competitive pay

Bonuses and share options

Flexible benefits including healthcare and retirement plans

Qualifications

• 5+ years in product management, data & analytics.
• Experience in managing teams and cross-functional leadership.
• Understanding of ML infrastructure and data governance.

Responsibilities

• Lead a unified portfolio of AI programs across business lines.
• Manage vendor and investment risk to prevent duplication.
• Develop and maintain the AI Delivery Playbook.

Skills

Agility core practices

API and platform design

Data Analysis

Digital Product Management

Long Term Planning

Education

Bachelor’s degree in computer science or equivalent

Master’s degree or MBA in relevant fields

Job description

Job Description:

Reporting to VP digital disciplines, Data and AI. This role preserves autonomy within the business lines while creating the cross-enterprise visibility, standards, and acceleration needed to scale AI responsibly and profitably. It evolves AI from pilots to a sustained repeatable value‑realizing enterprise capability.

Why this role exists: AI experimentation is accelerating across our business lines – from predictive analytics in Production & Operations to optimization and automation in Refining, to automated deal entries in Trading, and Mobility. Each BU has its own digital priorities and delivery rhythm.

As these initiatives multiply, it’s important to see and drive a fuller picture: Which efforts matter most? Where is there risk of duplicating? How do we drive reuse and knowledge sharing? How do we accelerate scale‑up safely and efficiently? We’re reaching an inflection point where AI delivery needs orchestration. The Head of AI Enablement & Program Management exists to connect and amplify the work happening across our business lines – preserving business autonomy while ensuring alignment, transparency, and acceleration!

Establish enterprise visibility into the most important AI initiatives, enabling clear prioritization, progress tracking, and value realization. Enable speed and consistency by promulgating a shared AI fabric, enablement playbook and lightweight readiness standards created by the AI and engineering teams.

• Bring together and reuse learning – ensuring that tools, evaluations, and model patterns from one BU can benefit another.
• Proactively manage vendor and investment risk before duplication or lock‑in emerge.
• Provide the Digital LT with data‑driven insight into AI maturity, dependencies, and business impact across the company. In essence, this role enables autonomy with coordination – enabling federated ability to innovate while ensuring the enterprise learns, scales, and governs with shared purpose.

Accountabilities

• Lead and maintain a unified portfolio of high‑value AI programs across all business lines.
• Act as the primary liaison to BU VPs of Digital, aligning priorities, budgets, and resources for top AI opportunities.
• Chair the AI Program Review cadence, producing standardized reporting and executive dashboards for progress, risk, and impact.

Enablement & Standards

• Develop and maintain the AI Delivery Playbook defining readiness criteria, governance checkpoints, and evaluation standards.
• Embed enterprise standards for safety, ethics, and lifecycle management across all AI engagements.
• Build enablement assets and toolkits that help business teams deploy AI responsibly and repeatably.

Cross‑Functional Orchestration

• For the highest priority AI initiatives, help connect AI specialists, engineers, data scientists, UX researchers, product managers, and others as needed into one cohesive delivery rhythm.
• Translate field feedback into prioritized updates for the AI Platform and Digital Delivery roadmaps.

Measurement & Continuous Improvement

• Design and maintain an AI Delivery Dashboard, integrating data from project trackers, model registries, and performance logs.
• Establish feedback loops to capture lessons learned, share success stories, and refine delivery methods.
• Drive measurable improvements in deployment cycle time, model adoption, and cross‑BU reuse.

Skills & Experience

Bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, mathematics, physics, data science, business or equivalent work experience.

• Master’s degree or MBA in computer science, engineering, mathematics, physics, data science, business or equivalent work experience.
• Combined deep experience in product management, data & analytics, software engineering and/or program management.
• Managing teams and cross‑functional leadership experience.

Differential/Desirable

• Specialization in AI/ML – understanding of ML infrastructure, data governance and ethics.
• Accomplished experience and certified in Program Management: (PMP, PMI‑ACP, PSPO, SAFe).
• Customer‑centric and agile.
• Commercial with deep focus on unlocking customer and business value through digital technology.
• Growth‑minded with thirst to learn and apply emerging technologies for business value.
• Digitally enabled and data driven.
• Passionate about growth and development of commercially feasible customer‑focused offers.
• Master’s backlog management and prioritisation across complex global portfolios.
• Master’s Programme Management (Agile, Waterfall, hybrid) across complex global portfolios.
• Strong collaboration across matrix organization.
• Creates strategic partnerships, manages risks, unblocks and manages escalation paths for effective implementation.
• Develops capabilities across big‑scale organization – unlocks AI learning, development and knowledge management at scale across global organisations.
• Creates innovation and change; is comfortable with uncertainty and constantly evolving environment.

Why Join Us?

We’re committed to supporting leaders who want to make an impact. At bp, you’ll have the chance to shape and influence outcomes across businesses. You’ll be part of an inclusive environment where diverse perspectives are valued, and where your contribution to performance and integration matters.

We invest in the growth and wellbeing of our people, providing the resources, networks, and development opportunities needed to thrive. Our total rewards package includes competitive pay, bonuses, share options, and a range of flexible benefits designed to meet your needs – from healthcare and retirement plans to paid time off and agile working. We recognise that people have multifaceted lives, and we strive to offer a career experience that reflects that.

Travel Requirement

Up to 25% travel should be expected with this role.

Relocation Assistance

This role is not eligible for relocation.

Remote Type

This position is a hybrid of office/remote working.

Skills

• Agility core practices, API and platform design, Benefits Management, Business Analysis, Business modelling, Client Counseling, Cloud Platforms, Configuration management and release, Data Analysis, Data design, Data Management, Demand Management, Design Thinking, Dialogue enablement, Digital Innovation, Digital Product Management, Employee Experience, Empowering Others, Facilitation, Influencing, Long Term Planning, Managing change, Marketing strategy, Measurement and metrics.

Legal Disclaimer

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, socioeconomic status, neurodiversity/neurocognitive functioning, veteran status or disability status. Individuals with an accessibility need may request an adjustment/accommodation related to bp’s recruiting process (e.g., accessing the job application, completing required assessments, participating in telephone screenings or interviews, etc.). If you would like to request an adjustment/accommodation related to the recruitment process, please contact us.

If you are selected for a position and depending on your role, your employment may be contingent upon adherence to local policy. This may include pre-placement drug screening, medical review of physical fitness for the role, and background checks.