Head of AI Validation

Faculty; Greater London; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Unlimited Annual Leave Policy

Private healthcare and dental

Enhanced parental leave

Family-Friendly Flexibility & Flexible

Sanctus Coaching

Hybrid Working

Job summary

Faculty is seeking a Head of AI Validation for our Professional and Financial Services unit to define a compelling assurance proposition. You will shape risk and control frameworks, build second-line workflows, and design reusable guardrails for technical teams.

This leadership role involves engaging senior stakeholders, expanding the client base in financial services, and contributing thought leadership for regulators and auditors to advance safe AI adoption.

Qualifications

• Strong technical background in model risk management for AI/ML in financial services.
• Deep understanding of financial risks and how AI affects them.
• Proven commercial acumen with entrepreneurial drive to craft new propositions.
• Excellent grasp of financial regulations and experience engaging with regulators and auditors.
• Belief in AI to automate and improve second-line risk processes and audit workflows.
• Compelling communicator who builds trust with senior stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Formulate a multifaceted AI validation proposition leveraging Faculty’s credentials.
• Generate incremental revenue by acquiring new clients and nurturing relationships in financial services.
• Execute a commercial strategy targeting firms with high AI validation needs.
• Elevate Faculty’s market profile through impactful thought leadership.
• Oversee delivery of high-quality client outcomes via reusable assets and delivery approaches.
• Foster enduring relationships with regulatory, audit, and compliance leaders.

Skills

Model risk management

AI/ML validation

Financial risk understanding

Commercial acumen

Regulatory engagement

Stakeholder communication

Job description

Why Faculty?

We established Faculty in 2014 because we thought that AI would be the most important technology of our time. Since then, we’ve worked with over 350 global customers to transform their performance through human-centric AI. You can read about our real-world impact here.

We don’t chase hype cycles. We innovate, build and deploy responsible AI which moves the needle - and we know a thing or two about doing it well. We bring an unparalleled depth of technical, product and delivery expertise to our clients who span government, finance, retail, energy, life sciences and defence.

Our business, and reputation, is growing fast and we’re always on the lookout for individuals who share our intellectual curiosity and desire to build a positive legacy through technology.

AI is an epoch-defining technology, join a company where you’ll be empowered to envision its most powerful applications, and to make them happen.

About the role

AI is advancing fast, with agentic applications holding the promise of helping organisations make decisions faster and more effectively. In financial services, however, adoption is slowed by concerns about AI safety. Ensuring AI systems are auditable, interpretable, and aligned to regulatory expectations will be key.

Faculty has long been a leader in AI safety and assurance. We're employed by the world's most elite AI labs, like OpenAI and Anthropic, to red-team their models prior to release. We've delivered pioneering work for the UK's AI Safety Institute and helped ensure the success of the Bletchley Summit - and we've been trusted by the FCA to help shape its AI Live Testing Initiative to accelerate safe AI adoption across the financial services sector.

We're now looking for a Head of AI Validation for our Professional and Financial Services unit to build on those credentials and develop a compelling assurance proposition for that sector. The Head will define the specifics of the proposition - it could include everything from redesigning risk and control frameworks; building software to streamline work in second-lines; assisting post-mortem third-line audits; and developing reusable agentic evaluations and guardrails for technical teams. Faculty is making substantial financial investments in this area in the coming years, so this is a unique opportunity to define a best-in-class AI safety proposition inside a company that cares about it deeply.

What you'll be doing

• Formulating a multifaceted AI validation proposition that leverages Faculty’s world-leading credentials in AI safety
• Generating incremental revenue by acquiring new clients and nurturing existing relationships across the financial and professional services sectors
• Executing a commercial strategy that targets firms with the highest need for AI validation, audit, and risk management reform
• Elevating Faculty’s market profile by producing impactful thought leadership for risk professionals, regulators, and legal circles
• Overseeing the successful delivery of high-quality client outcomes through the development of reusable assets and robust delivery approaches
• Fostering enduring, trust-based relationships with senior stakeholders in regulatory, audit, and compliance functions

Who we're looking for

• You bring a strong technical background in model risk management, specifically in validating AI and machine learning applications within financial services
• You possess a deep understanding of financial risks and can articulate how AI impacts and mitigates these challenges
• You have proven commercial acumen and an entrepreneurial drive to craft new propositions in the growing AI governance market
• You have an excellent grasp of financial regulations and can credibly engage with auditors, law firms, and regulators regarding global legislation
• You are convinced of the value proposition for AI to automate and improve second-line risk processes, audit workflows, and legal services
• You are a compelling communicator who thrives on building trust with senior stakeholders and navigating complex technical conversations with clarity

Our Interview Process

1. Talent Team Screen (40 mins)
2. Introduction Interview (40 mins)
3. Case Study Interview (60 mins)
4. Leadership and Principles Interview (60 mins)

Our Recruitment Ethos

We aim to grow the best team - not the most similar one. We know that diversity of individuals fosters diversity of thought, and that strengthens our principle of seeking truth. And we know from experience that diverse teams deliver better work, relevant to the world in which we live. We’re united by a deep intellectual curiosity and desire to use our abilities for measurable positive impact. We strongly encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, ethnicities, genders, religions and sexual orientations.

Some of our standout benefits:

• Unlimited Annual Leave Policy
• Private healthcare and dental
• Enhanced parental leave
• Family-Friendly Flexibility & Flexible working
• Sanctus Coaching
• Hybrid Working

A note on AI: we're happy for you to use it for research and interview prep, but please don't use it to generate answers during live interviews. We also use an AI note-taker (Metaview) in interviews so interviewers can stay present (which you can opt out of just let us know,) and every application is reviewed by a human, never decided by AI.