Director, AI Programs & Enablement

Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc; Culver City (CA); On-site; USD 171,000 - 214,000; Full time

Job summary

Sony Pictures Entertainment, Culver City, CA, seeks a Director of AI Programs and Enablement to drive the enterprise AI portfolio, translating strategy into measurable outcomes and leading cross-functional transformation across SPE's business and operations.

The role partners with business, technology, legal, privacy, and risk leads to scale AI-enabled solutions that boost productivity, accelerate workflows, and realize value while upholding responsible AI standards.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in strategy, operations, transformation, or related leadership roles.
• Proven success leading large-scale cross-functional transformation in complex environments.
• Strong understanding of AI, generative AI, automation, and emerging tech trends.
• Experience aligning AI initiatives with governance, privacy, and risk requirements.

Responsibilities

• Lead SPE's enterprise AI portfolio alignment with strategic priorities and business objectives.
• Direct AI initiatives from opportunity identification through adoption and scaling.
• Partner with business leaders to identify AI-enabled process improvements and growth opportunities.
• Ensure initiatives meet legal, privacy, security, IP, and responsible AI requirements.
• Establish measurement of AI adoption, outcomes, productivity, and value realization.

Skills

Executive communication

Stakeholder management

AI / Generative AI

Strategy & operations

Change management

Cross-functional leadership

Facilitation

Education

Bachelor's degree in a relevant field

Job description

The Director, AI Programs and Enablement is responsible for driving execution, adoption, and value realization across Sony Pictures Entertainment's enterprise AI portfolio. Reporting to the Vice President, AI Strategy & Operations, this role serves as a key leader responsible for translating enterprise AI strategy into measurable business outcomes. The Director partners with business, technology, legal, privacy, security, and operational leaders to identify, prioritize, implement, and scale AI-enabled solutions that improve productivity, accelerate workflows, enhance decision-making, and support business transformation across SPE. This role serves as the primary operational leader for SPE's AI transformation portfolio, balancing strategic thinking with hands-on execution. The Director will lead high-priority initiatives, facilitate cross-functional collaboration, support operating model evolution, and ensure AI investments generate measurable value while aligning with operations and risk management requirements.

Enterprise AI Portfolio Leadership

• Lead execution of SPE's enterprise AI portfolio, ensuring initiatives align with strategic priorities and business objectives.
• Drive coordination across AI workstreams, maintaining clear objectives, milestones, accountability structures, and success measures.
• Facilitate portfolio prioritization and resource allocation discussions to focus investment on the highest-value opportunities.
• Identify, manage, and resolve risks, dependencies, and barriers impacting successful delivery.
• Support development of enterprise AI roadmaps and transformation plans.

AI Transformation & Initiative Delivery

• Directly lead strategic AI initiatives, pilots, and transformation efforts from opportunity identification through implementation, adoption, and scaling.
• Partner with business leaders to identify opportunities for AI-enabled process improvement, workflow transformation, innovation, and business growth.
• Facilitate discovery workshops, opportunity assessments, business case development, solution evaluation, and implementation planning.
• Support development of future-state operating models, workflows, and organizational capabilities required for AI adoption.
• Accelerate scaling of successful pilots into sustainable enterprise capabilities.

Business Engagement & Advisory

• Serve as a trusted advisor to business leaders on AI-enabled transformation opportunities.
• Collaborate with stakeholders across creative, production, post-production, distribution, marketing, and corporate functions.
• Support executive decision-making through structured analysis, recommendations, and strategic guidance.
• Foster alignment among diverse stakeholder groups to advance enterprise priorities.

Operations & Responsible AI Enablement

• Partner with stakeholders to ensure AI initiatives align with legal, privacy, security, intellectual property, and responsible AI requirements.
• Support operations forums by providing portfolio insights, recommendations, and escalation of strategic decisions.
• Contribute to the development of governance frameworks, standards, policies, and operating procedures.

Adoption & Value Realization

• Establish and maintain approaches for measuring AI adoption, business outcomes, productivity improvements, and value realization.
• Monitor initiative performance and ensure expected benefits are achieved.
• Identify opportunities to replicate and scale successful use cases across the enterprise.
• Support enterprise AI communications, change management, and enablement activities.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in strategy, operations, transformation, consulting, program leadership, technology leadership, or related disciplines.
• Demonstrated success leading large-scale cross-functional transformation initiatives in complex enterprise environments.
• Strong understanding of artificial intelligence, generative AI, automation, and emerging technology trends.
• Experience driving organizational change, business transformation, and operating model evolution.
• Strong executive communication, facilitation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to influence across organizations without direct authority.

Preferred Experience

• Experience within media, entertainment, content production, distribution, or technology-enabled creative industries.
• Experience supporting enterprise AI, digital transformation, automation, or innovation initiatives.
• Experience working within governance-intensive environments.

Leadership Characteristics

• Strategic thinker with strong business and operational acumen.
• Comfortable leading through ambiguity and helping define emerging operating models.
• Skilled facilitator capable of aligning diverse stakeholders around complex decisions.
• Strong consultative mindset with the ability to influence without authority.
• Results-oriented leader who balances innovation, governance, and execution.
• Demonstrated ability to drive organizational change and business transformation.

Salary and Benefits

The anticipated base salary for this position is $171,200-$214,000. This role may also qualify for annual incentive and/or comprehensive benefits. The actual base salary offered will depend on a variety of factors, including without limitation, the qualifications of the individual applicant for the position, years of relevant experience, level of education attained, certifications or other professional licenses held, and if applicable, the location of the position.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Sony Pictures Entertainment is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other protected characteristics. SPE will consider qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records in accordance with applicable law.

Recording Policy

Sony Pictures does not allow audio recording, video recording or use of AI note-taking tools during interviews. Please be aware these tools may be enabled as a default and can be difficult to disable once the interview has started, so we recommend you check your device and disable these tools prior to the start of your interview. If recording or the use of the tools occurs during the interview and cannot be promptly turned off or disabled, the interviewer may end the interview.

Accommodation

To request an accommodation for purposes of participating in the hiring process, you may contact us at [e-mail].

Culture and Company Overview

Hi, we’re Sony Pictures Entertainment. We are in the business of creativity … making some of the most beloved film and television of all time for every platform in the world. As the most creative and proudly independent studio, our future is boundless. Sony Pictures Entertainment is a division of Sony Corporation, a creative entertainment company built on a foundation of technology. Along with our sister companies, we make movies, television, music and games that engage billions of people, connecting creators and audiences around the globe. We are looking for innovators to join us as we forge the future of entertainment!