Information Technology Director - Data & AI

HCL Technologies Limited; Singapore; On-site; SGD 250,000 - 350,000; Full time

Job summary

HCL Technologies Limited seeks a Director - Data & AI to own and scale the Data & AI practice across APAC/Southeast Asia. This leader will blend business strategy with deep technical credibility in Generative AI, Agentic AI, and modern data architectures, advising CIOs/CDOs and driving growth and delivery excellence with a multi-disciplinary team.

The role demands extensive experience in AI strategy, cloud-native architectures, and cross-border delivery, with a track record of leading

Qualifications

• 15+ years in Technology Architecture, Data & Analytics, or AI consulting.
• 8+ years in practice management or P&L leadership roles.
• Hands-on experience delivering Generative AI and Agentic AI use cases, incl. RAG architectures.
• Proven track record advising CIO/CDO-level stakeholders on enterprise data & AI strategy.
• Experience leading regional or multi-country delivery teams across APAC and/or Southeast Asia.
• Cross-industry delivery across Financial Services, Public Sector, Energy & Utilities, Manufacturing, Media & Entertainment, or Retail.
• Strong background in modern data architectures (data lake house, cloud migration, streaming pipelines) and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP).
• Experience mentoring technical talent within a practice or delivery org.

Responsibilities

• Define regional AI/data strategy, roadmap, and GTM for enterprise adoption.
• Own P&L and financial performance of the Data & AI practice.
• Advise CIOs/CDOs, translating data/AI concepts into business value.
• Oversee AI/data modernization programs including cloud migrations and production-grade lifecycles.
• Partner with sales during enterprise deal cycles and sign off on SOWs.
• Recruit, mentor, and upskill AI engineers and architects.
• Publish POVs on emerging AI and data trends.

Skills

Generative AI

Agentic AI

P&L leadership

Executive advisory

Cloud architectures

Kubernetes

Vector databases

Stakeholder management

Delivery leadership

Education

Bachelor’s / Master’s in Business Administration / Information Technology / Computer Science

Tools

AWS

Azure

GCP

Kubernetes

Vector databases

Job description

We are seeking an accomplished Director -Data & AI to own and scale our Data & AI practice across the APAC/Southeast Asia region. This individual will combine strategic business leadership with deep technical credibility in Generative AI, Agentic AI, and modern Data Architectures — acting as the Senior-most advisor to client CIOs and CDOs while driving practice growth, P&L performance, and delivery excellence across a multi-disciplinary team of Architects and Engineers.

Responsibilities

• AI & Data Strategy Leadership: Define and drive the regional vision, roadmap, and go-to-market strategy for enterprise AI adoption, including Generative AI, Agentic AI, predictive analytics, and modern data/Lakehouse architectures.
• P&L and Practice Ownership: Own the financial performance of the Data & AI practice, including revenue growth, margins, bookings, and billable utilization, with full accountability for business outcomes.
• Executive Client Advisory: Serve as the trusted strategic advisor to client C-suite executives (CIOs, CDOs), translating complex data and AI concepts into actionable business value and guiding executive decision-making through rigorous scenario analysis.
• Delivery & Risk Oversight: Oversee complex, high-stakes AI and data modernization programs — including cloud migrations, RAG implementations, and production-grade AI/ML engineering lifecycles — ensuring on-time, in-budget delivery without business disruption.
• Sales & Value Engineering Support: Partner with sales and pre-sales teams during enterprise deal cycles, reviewing and signing off on Statements of Work (SOWs), and building accelerators and tools to speed up solution delivery.
• Talent Development & Capability Building: Recruit, mentor, and upskill technical teams in AI engineering, cloud-native architectures (AWS, Azure, GCP, Kubernetes), and vector database technologies to maintain a high-performing, future-ready practice.
• Thought Leadership: Generate and publish points of view on emerging AI and data trends, positioning the organization as a recognized leader across target industry verticals.

Skills Requirement

• Bachelors /Master's degree in Business Administration/Information Technology/Computer Science.
• 15+ years of progressive experience in Technology Architecture, Data & Analytics, or AI consulting, including 8+ years in practice management or P&L leadership roles.
• Demonstrated hands-on experience delivering Generative AI and Agentic AI use cases, including RAG architectures, for enterprise clients.
• Proven track record advising C-suite stakeholders (CIO/CDO level) on enterprise data and AI strategy.
• Experience managing regional or multi-country delivery teams across APAC and/or Southeast Asia.
• Cross-industry delivery experience across sectors such as Financial Services, Public Sector, Energy & Utilities, Manufacturing, Media & Entertainment, or Retail.
• Strong background in modern data architectures (data lake house, cloud migration, streaming pipelines) and familiarity with major cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP).
• Experience building and mentoring technical talent, including coaching career development within a practice or delivery organization.

Preferred Skills

• Exposure/Experience as a Practice Director/ Practice Lead/ Principal in a Global systems integrator/Consulting firm or Enterprise software/Data platform company.
• Alliance or partner management experience with major technology vendors.
• Experience with containerization (Kubernetes) and advanced vector database technologies.
• Exposure to regulated industries and complex, multi-stakeholder delivery environments.