Senior Vice President - Data Science

Citi; New York (NY); On-site; USD 62,340 - 124,680; Full time

Job summary

Citi is seeking a Senior Vice President - Data Science in Bengaluru to define and drive the organization's AI strategy and architecture. You will lead next-generation AI platforms, set governance standards, and mentor senior engineers to deliver scalable, secure solutions.

The role requires 14+ years in software/AI, deep expertise in Generative AI, LLMs, and cloud-native architectures, with a track record of influencing enterprise-wide technical direction.

Qualifications

• Extensive AI/ML architecture experience with large-scale systems.
• Proven leadership and mentoring of senior engineers.
• Strong knowledge of Generative AI, LLMs, and governance practices.

Responsibilities

• Define long-term AI strategy and architectural roadmap.
• Lead research and prototyping of next-gen AI platforms.
• Architect complex AI initiatives for reliability, security, and scale.
• Set standards for AI development, MLOps, and governance.
• Mentor senior technical talent and lead a multi-tier AI org.
• Represent AI function at executive level and manage budgets.

Skills

AI/ML architecture

Leadership

Cloud-native

MLOps

Generative AI

LLMs

Systems design

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master’s or PhD preferred

Tools

Cloud platforms (AWS/Azure/GCP)

Model governance tools

Job description

Senior Vice President - Data Science

Job Req Id: 26977988

Location(s): Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Job Type: On-Site/Resident

Posted: Jul. 13, 2026

Working at Citi

Working at Citi is far more than just a job. A career with us means joining a team of more than 230,000 dedicated people from around the globe. At Citi, you’ll have the opportunity to grow your career, give back to your community and make a real impact.

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.

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