Director, Industrial Artificial Intelligence

Maaden; Riyadh; On-site; SAR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

Maaden is seeking a Director of Industrial Artificial Intelligence in Riyadh to lead strategy, portfolio management and governance for scalable AI across exploration, mining, and processing operations.

You will drive high-impact AI initiatives, collaborate with OT/IT teams and external partners, and build a high-performing Industrial AI function, delivering measurable safety, productivity, and sustainability improvements.

Qualifications

• Master's degree or higher in a quantitative field with AI focus.
• PhD is preferred for this leadership role.
• Experience in mining/metals or asset-intensive industry is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Shape and evolve Maaden's Industrial AI strategy and investment portfolio.
• Translate operational priorities into a balanced AI portfolio with clear value and adoption criteria.
• Establish operating model, standards, and governance for scalable Industrial AI.
• Drive measurable improvements in safety, productivity, reliability, energy efficiency and sustainability via AI.
• Advance AI-enabled decision making across exploration, mining, processing, and asset performance.
• Lead development and deployment of production-grade AI capabilities at scale.
• Ensure AI initiatives meet governance, cybersecurity, and responsible AI requirements.
• Build an integrated AI function across exploration, mining and operations with strong partnerships.

Skills

Industrial AI strategy

Executive stakeholder influence

GenAI, NLP, LLMs

MLOps & lifecycle

Data governance & cybersecurity

Operational technology integration

Change leadership

Talent development

Education

Master's degree in AI/Data Science/CS

PhD preferred

Job description

Job Description

Job Title: Director, Industrial Artificial Intelligence

Reporting To: Vice President, Artificial Intelligence

Business Unit / Function: Technology & Innovation - Artificial Intelligence

Department: Industrial Artificial Intelligence

Why This Role Matters

Industrial Artificial Intelligence enables Maaden to turn operational data and emerging AI capabilities into safer, more productive, reliable, and efficient operations across exploration, mining, mineral processing, and industrial assets. The Director, Industrial Artificial Intelligence shapes the strategy and portfolio that convert high-value operational challenges into scalable AI solutions. The role connects deep operational priorities with AI, data, digital, OT, and engineering capabilities to improve safety, productivity, recovery, reliability, process stability, energy efficiency, and sustainability. The role creates lasting value by moving Industrial AI beyond experimentation into production and sustained operational adoption, while building the capabilities, governance, partnerships, and responsible AI practices required to scale impact across Ma'aden.

What You Will Deliver

Industrial AI Strategy & Portfolio

• Shape and evolve Maaden's Industrial AI strategy and investment portfolio, directing resources toward opportunities with the strongest strategic, operational, and economic value.
• Translate exploration, mining, processing, and asset performance priorities into a balanced portfolio of scalable AI opportunities with clear value, feasibility, risk, and adoption criteria.
• Establish the operating model, standards, and governance required to scale Industrial AI responsibly and consistently across operations.

Operational Performance & Value

• Drive measurable improvements across safety, productivity, recovery, reliability, process stability, cost, energy efficiency, and sustainability through targeted Industrial AI solutions.
• Advance AI-enabled decision-making across exploration, geology, mine planning and operations, mineral processing, process control, maintenance, and asset performance.
• Move high-value AI initiatives from experimentation through production and adoption to sustained operational ownership and measurable benefits realization.

Scalable AI & Technology Integration

• Lead the development and deployment of production-grade AI capabilities that address complex industrial and operational challenges at scale.
• Enable effective integration of AI with operational technology, control systems, historians, fleet systems, digital twins, laboratory platforms, and relevant enterprise technology.
• Leverage enterprise AI platforms, reusable capabilities, architecture standards, and lifecycle controls to accelerate deployment while reducing duplication and technology risk.

Governance & Operational Assurance

• Govern Industrial AI solutions across model performance, reliability, cybersecurity, data governance, explainability, operational safety, and responsible AI requirements.
• Establish transparent portfolio performance, value tracking, and risk oversight to enable informed investment and scaling decisions.
• Ensure Industrial AI initiatives meet approved quality, financial, technical, risk, and performance expectations throughout their lifecycle.

People, Partnerships & Enterprise Adoption

• Build and lead an integrated Industrial AI function spanning exploration, mining, mineral processing, and industrial operations, strengthening both AI capability and operational domain expertise.
• Build senior partnerships across operations, engineering, Digital, OT, IT, Enterprise AI, and business functions to embed AI into operational decisions and workflows.
• Develop strategic relationships with technology providers, OEMs, universities, research institutions, and specialist organizations to accelerate innovation, capability development, and access to emerging technologies.

What Success Looks Like

• A prioritized Industrial AI portfolio delivers demonstrable operational and financial value aligned with Ma'aden's strategic priorities.
• AI solutions contribute measurable improvements in safety, productivity, recovery, reliability, process stability, energy efficiency, cost, and sustainability.
• High-value AI use cases progress successfully from experimentation into production, sustained adoption, and operational ownership.
• Industrial AI solutions demonstrate reliable performance with effective governance, cybersecurity, responsible AI, and operational assurance.
• Enterprise AI, Digital, OT, IT, and operational teams operate through clear interfaces that accelerate delivery and reduce duplication.
• A high-performing Industrial AI function develops strong technical and domain capability, with effective leadership succession, knowledge transfer, and external partnerships.

Minimum Qualifications

• Master's degree in Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Computer Science, Mining Engineering, Mineral Processing, Engineering, or a related quantitative discipline.
• PhD in a relevant discipline is preferred.

Experience

• 15+ years of relevant experience, including at least 7 years in AI, advanced analytics, optimization, automation, or digital transformation.
• Experience within mining, metals, energy, manufacturing, or another asset-intensive industrial environment is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience leading multidisciplinary teams and delivering scalable, production-grade AI solutions with measurable operational impact.
• Experience leading complex initiatives from strategy and use-case prioritization through deployment, operational adoption, stakeholder alignment, and benefits realization.

Skills That Matter

• Industrial AI strategy and portfolio management
• Artificial intelligence, machine learning, GenAI, NLP, LLMs, and Agentic AI
• Optimization, computer vision, and predictive and prescriptive analytics
• Mining, mineral processing, and industrial operations
• Operational technology, control systems, historians, and digital twins
• MLOps and AI model lifecycle management
• Responsible AI, cybersecurity, data governance, and operational risk
• Business case development and benefits realization
• Executive stakeholder influence and change leadership
• Talent development and strategic partnership management