Senior Vice President - Data Science

Citigroup Inc.; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 6,000,000 - 10,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Citigroup Inc. in Bengaluru seeks a Principal AI Engineer/SVP to lead the organization’s AI architecture and strategy. You will architect scalable AI platforms, set standards for AI governance, and mentor senior engineers while aligning AI initiatives with business goals.

The role emphasizes innovation, risk-aware design, and collaboration with executive leadership to drive transformative outcomes across the enterprise.

Qualifications

• 14+ years of software architecture and AI/ML engineering experience.
• Proven track record delivering large-scale, distributed systems.
• Deep knowledge of Generative AI and production-grade Agentic solutions.
• Ability to define architectural options and strategies for complex problems.
• Recognized AI thought leader with influence across a large enterprise.
• Leadership and mentoring of senior technical teams.
• For Manager Track: senior people management and strategic planning experience.
• Understanding of financial services regulatory, compliance, and security challenges.
• Mastery of cloud-native technologies and full AI/ML lifecycle.

Responsibilities

• Define and own the long-term architectural vision and strategy for Generative AI and Agentic systems across the enterprise.
• Lead research, design, and prototyping of next-generation AI platforms and capabilities.
• Act as the lead architect for the most complex AI initiatives at planetary scale with reliability, security, and performance.
• Set technical standards for AI development, including frameworks, tools, MLOps, and governance.
• Mentor and develop senior engineers, acting as a force multiplier for the department.
• Lead and scale a multi-tier AI organization, managing budget and executive communications.
• Serve as primary technical advisor to senior leadership on AI opportunities, risks, and competitive landscape.
• Drive a culture of innovation, experimentation, and technical excellence.

Skills

AI/ML architecture

Software architecture

Generative AI

Leadership

MLOps

Cloud-native

System design

Budget & planning

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Engineering

Master’s degree or PhD preferred in CS/AI

Tools

MLOps tooling

Cloud platforms (AWS/GCP/Azure)

Security/governance tools

Job description

Job Description

The Principal AI Engineer / SVP is a senior leader responsible for defining and driving the overall AI technical strategy and architecture for the organization. The overall objective of this role is to act as the organization’s foremost technical authority on AI, leading the charge on innovation, setting long‑term architectural vision, and ensuring the delivery of robust, scalable, and transformative AI platforms. This role represents the pinnacle of the dual‑track career path, for either a top‑tier technical expert (Principal) or a strategic people leader (SVP).

Responsibilities:

• Define and own the long‑term architectural vision and strategy for Generative AI and Agentic systems across the enterprise, ensuring alignment with business goals and future growth.
• Lead the research, design, and prototyping of next‑generation AI platforms and "first‑of‑a‑kind" capabilities, establishing new patterns for the organization.
• Act as the lead architect for the most complex and critical AI initiatives, ensuring solutions are built for planetary scale, with the highest standards of reliability, security, and performance.
• Set the technical standards for AI development, including frameworks, tools, MLOps, and Model Governance, influencing teams across the organization.
• Mentor and develop senior technical talent (Lead and Senior Engineers), acting as a "force multiplier" to elevate the technical capabilities of the entire department.
• Lead and scale a multi‑tiered organization of AI professionals, setting the vision, managing budget, and representing the AI function at the senior executive level.
• Serve as the primary technical advisor to senior leadership on all matters related to AI, including opportunities, risks, and competitive landscape.
• Drive a culture of innovation, experimentation, and technical excellence.

Qualifications:

• 14+ years of extensive software architecture and engineering experience, with a significant focus on AI/ML.
• World‑class expertise in software architecture, with a proven track record of designing and delivering large‑scale, distributed, and highly available systems.
• Deep and authoritative knowledge of Generative AI, including LLMs, and extensive experience architecting and building complex, production‑grade Agentic solutions.
• Ability to define and articulate new architectural options and strategies to solve complex business and technical problems.
• Recognized thought leader in AI, with experience in influencing and driving technical direction across a large enterprise.
• Exceptional leadership and mentoring capabilities, with experience developing senior‑level technical talent.
• (For Manager Track): Proven experience in senior people management, organizational design, and strategic planning.
• Deep understanding of the financial services domain, including regulatory, compliance, and security challenges.
• Mastery of cloud‑native technologies, MLOps, and the entire AI/ML lifecycle.

Education:

• Bachelor's/University degree; Master’s degree or PhD preferred in Computer Science, AI, Engineering, or a related quantitative field.

This job description provides a high‑level review of the types of work performed. Other job‑related duties may be assigned as required.

Citi is an equal opportunity employer, and qualified candidates will receive consideration without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you are a person with a disability and need a reasonable accommodation to use our search tools and/or apply for a career opportunity, access the Accessibility at Citi. View Citi’s EEO Policy Statement and the Know Your Rights poster.