AI Governance & Framework Lead

C5i; Riyadh; On-site; SAR 350,000 - 700,000; Full time

Job summary

C5i is recruiting an AI Governance & Framework Lead to build and operationalize the bank's AI governance ecosystem in Saudi Arabia. You will design the comprehensive governance framework and drive cross-functional alignment to ensure regulatory compliance.

You will map out a clear RACI, define responsibilities across AI lifecycles, and establish risk-based controls for PDPL, SAMA, and SDAIA compliance, while embedding ethics and safety in model management.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a relevant field.
• 6+ years in Data/Gov/IT Digital Governance or Risk/Compliance with 2–3 years in AI Governance.
• Experience with Saudi Banks/Financial Institutions.
• Strong understanding of KSA regulatory ecosystem (SAMA, SDAIA, PDPL).

Responsibilities

• Design and operationalize the bank's Enterprise AI Governance Framework with policies and risk-tiering.
• Lead cross-functional stakeholder alignment meetings across Risk, Compliance, Legal, Cybersecurity, IT, and Business Units.
• Map and finalize a RACI matrix for AI lifecycles (ideation to decommissioning).
• Ensure framework designs align with Saudi regulatory directives (SAMA, SDAIA, PDPL).
• Build a centralized AI tool inventory with risk-tiering rules.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Cross-functional collaboration

Facilitation skills

Regulatory knowledge

English fluency

Arabic proficiency

AI governance understanding

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree

Job description

The AI Governance & Framework Lead will be a foundational hire responsible for building the bank’s AI governance ecosystem from the ground up. This role is highly strategic, requiring an expert who can step into an existing but inactive unit and transform it into an operational, regulatory-compliant department. The successful candidate will design the comprehensive AI Governance Framework, facilitate intense cross-functional stakeholder alignment meetings, and map out a strict RACI matrix to permanently define roles and responsibilities across the bank.

Key Responsibilities

• Framework Design & Strategy: Architect, develop, and operationalize the bank's comprehensive Enterprise AI Governance Framework. This includes creating policies, guidelines, and risk-tiering standards specifically tailored for financial AI workloads (e.g., credit scoring, fraud detection, LLMs).
• Stakeholder Management & Alignment: Act as the primary bridge between highly diverse departments—including Risk Management, Compliance, Legal, Cybersecurity, Data/IT, Business Units and the Digital & Data Governance teams.
• RACI Mapping & Process Definition: Conduct extensive workshops to map and finalize the RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) Matrix for all AI lifecycles (ideation, development, testing, deployment, and decommissioning). Clear out gray areas regarding who "owns" model drift, bias mitigation, and regulatory data leaks.
• Regulatory Compliance Execution: Ensure all framework designs align seamlessly with Saudi financial regulations and directives, explicitly incorporating SAMA (Saudi Central Bank) circulars, SDAIA AI Ethics Principles, and the Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL).
• AI Model Inventory & Risk Tiering: Build a centralized registry to catalogue all active and pipeline AI tools across the bank, implementing risk-tiering rules (Critical, High, Limited, Low risk) based on Saudi national draft policies.

Required Qualifications & Skills

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree
• 6+ years of experience within Data Governance, IT/Digital Governance, or Risk/Compliance—with at least 2–3 years of focused experience in AI Governance or Algorithmic Risk Management.
• Strong background working in or consulting for Saudi Banks or Financial Institutions, with a deep grasp of banking-specific controls.

Regulatory & Technical Knowledge

• Advanced understanding of KSA's regulatory ecosystem, specifically SAMA digital regulations and SDAIA national frameworks.
• Solid understanding of the Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL) and how it impacts AI data training pipelines.
• Conceptual understanding of AI/ML concepts (e.g., Explainable AI, bias, prompt engineering safety, and model drift) to effectively challenge technical teams.

Soft Skills

• Elite Facilitation & Persuasion Skills: Proven track record of hosting workshops, managing conflicting department agendas (e.g., Innovation vs. Risk), and driving consensus to finalize organizational responsibilities.
• Fluency in English is mandatory; strong proficiency in Arabic is highly preferred for navigating regulatory texts and local stakeholder communications.

Additional preferred qualification and skills

• Professional certifications such as CIPP/E or CIPT (Privacy), CISM, or dedicated AI Governance/Ethics Certifications.
• Prior experience working on an AI implementation project inside a SAMA-regulated sandbox environment.
• Experience working within a major management consulting firm handling financial services governance frameworks.