Director jobs in South Africa

We are seeking individuals with deep domain technical expertise to accelerate the deployment of AI/ML models across the organization while providing robust assurance on quality, compliance, and operational efficiency. This role serves as a key enabler, bridging policy guidelines with practical implementation to address emerging needs in a dynamic banking environment. By fostering collaboration with existing teams in Governance, Risk, AI/ML Ops, Audit and Model Development, the role will help unlock AI's full potential, ensuring deployments are swift, secure, and aligned with enterprise standards. This position emphasizes partnership and innovation, contributing to the bank's AI maturity without disrupting established functions, in a fast‑paced, start‑up‑like setting.

• Strategic Planning and Innovation: Advise on AI operational trends, tools, and best practices, leveraging hands‑on domain expertise; contribute to broader AI strategy by identifying opportunities for efficiency gains and ROI, while adhering strictly to governance protocols to protect enterprise interests.

• Collaborate with the AI Group teams to integrate cutting‑edge AI solutions into FFG initiatives.

• Change Management and Stakeholder Alignment: Lead initiatives with a focus on agile adaptation, stakeholder buy‑in, and positive organizational impact; employ diplomatic approaches to navigate complexities and ensure smooth adoption of acceleration practices in an intense, evolving environment.

• Team Development: Build and guide a dedicated team focused on deployment enablement, prioritizing a culture of inclusivity, continuous improvement, and alignment with bank‑wide priorities.
• Global Market Engagement: Engage multiple parties across the markets, including in‑country teams, regulators, and business units, to understand and incorporate local implications into AI deployment strategies, ensuring culturally and regulatory sensitive accelerations.

• Performance Tracking and Reporting: Define KPIs for deployment speed, assurance effectiveness, and business outcomes; provide transparent reports to senior leadership, emphasizing value added through collaboration.

• Cross-Functional Bridging: Act as a collaborative liaison between policy teams, technical developers, MLOps specialists, and stakeholders to facilitate knowledge exchange, resolve implementation hurdles, and promote integrated AI solutions that complement current organizational structures.
• Deployment Acceleration: Design and implement strategies to expedite AI model deployments, including hands‑on recommendations for model validation, development workflows, and ML/AI Ops enhancements, while collaborating closely with development, operations, and risk teams to streamline processes.
• Assurance and Quality Integration: Apply direct technical know‑how to conduct risk measurement and assessment; work in tandem with second‑line functions and existing pillars to identify deployment risks, develop mitigation controls, and assure compliance with regulatory and internal frameworks, enabling faster yet safer rollouts.

• Display exemplary conduct and live by the Group’s Values and Code of Conduct.
• Take personal responsibility for embedding the highest standards of ethics, including regulatory and business conduct, across Standard Chartered Bank. This includes understanding and ensuring compliance with, in letter and spirit, all applicable laws, regulations, guidelines and the Group Code of Conduct.
• Effectively and collaboratively identify, mitigate, resolve risk, conduct and compliance matters.

• Business Analysts, Business Partners, COO Business, ITO, CDO, internal staff, clients and 3rd parties.

• Education: Advanced degree (Master's or PhD preferred) in Computer Science, Data Science, AI/ML, Engineering, Finance, or a related field.
• Professional Experience: 10+ years in AI/ML, technology, or operations roles within financial services or regulated sectors; demonstrated success in accelerating deployments and assuring quality in complex environments. At least 5 years in executive or senior leadership, with direct, hands‑on experience in risk measurement and assessment (e.g., quantitative model risk evaluation, scenario analysis). Proven track record in domain‑specific technical implementations, such as AI model lifecycle management in banking contexts.
• Technical Expertise: Deep, hands‑on knowledge of AI/ML lifecycle management (e.g., validation, deployment tools like CI/CD, cloud platforms), ML/AI Ops, and assurance frameworks (e.g., model risk management); expertise in risk assessment methodologies, including quantitative techniques for measuring AI‑related risks in financial markets. Familiarity with banking regulations (e.g., Basel, GDPR) and in‑country variations.
• Leadership Skills: Proven ability to foster collaboration in matrixed organizations, manage change diplomatically, and influence diverse stakeholders while maintaining neutrality and focus on shared goals.
• LANGUAGES: English

Summary

We are seeking a highly skilled and dynamic professional to champion the adoption and scaling of AI across the bank. In this role, you will build organizational momentum, strengthen enterprise‑wide capability, and embed AI into core business lines—ensuring generative AI and advanced technologies deliver tangible business value.

Reporting to the Executive Director - AI Deployment Acceleration and Assurance, you will be tasked with translating strategic priorities into scalable adoption programs that maintain oversight while accelerating impact.

• Shape enterprise adoption strategies and frameworks to drive consistent scaling of AI across business lines.
• Work with the wider team to develop reusable assets, and operating models to streamline adoption and reduce duplication.
• Partner with leaders across the bank to prioritize adoption opportunities and create adoption roadmaps.

• Support AI literacy and training initiatives for both technical and non‑technical staff.
• Contribute to the AI community of practice across geographies and functions, showcasing AI solutions and sharing best practices.

• Define and track adoption KPIs and business impact metrics (e.g., adoption coverage, time‑to‑value, employee capability uplift, customer feedback etc.).
• Analyse outcomes to identify patterns, lessons learned, and opportunities for improved adoption.
• Share insights and adoption progress with executives, governance committees, and regulators.

• Partner with the Director of AI Deployment Assurance and AI Safety teams to embed assurance checkpoints into adoption roadmaps.
• Act as a connector between business units and Group AI leadership.

• Business & Regional Leaders – align adoption roadmaps with strategic priorities.
• Technology & Data Leaders – ensure platforms and data are ready for scaled deployment.
• Employees Across Units – uplift skills and AI literacy, drive adoption of AI and safety.
• AI Assurance & Safety Teams – integrate checkpoints into AI design and development processes.

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Business Administration, Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, or related discipline.
• 12+ years in AI, digital transformation, or enterprise adoption in multinational organizations.
• Deep knowledge and proven track record of ML and generative AI full lifecycle development and deployment.
• Proven track record shaping adoption strategies and scaling initiatives in federated environments.
• Experience in regulated financial services institutions as in‑house professionals or professional services firms (Big 4 and/or other leading consulting companies).
• Proven capability in change management, stakeholder engagement, and knowledge‑sharing.
• Strong communication, story‑telling, and facilitation skills across business and technical audiences.

We're an international bank, nimble enough to act, big enough for impact. For more than 170 years, we've worked to make a positive difference for our clients, communities, and each other. We question the status quo, love a challenge and enjoy finding new opportunities to grow and do better than before. If you're looking for a career with purpose and you want to work for a bank making a difference, we want to hear from you. You can count on us to celebrate your unique talents and we can't wait to see the talents you can bring us.

Our purpose, to drive commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity, together with our brand promise, to be here for good are achieved by how we each live our valued behaviours. When you work with us, you'll see how we value difference and advocate inclusion.

Together we:

• Do the right thing and are assertive, challenge one another, and live with integrity, while putting the client at the heart of what we do
• Never settle, continuously striving to improve and innovate, keeping things simple and learning from doing well, and not so well
• Are better together, we can be ourselves, be inclusive, see more good in others, and work collectively to build for the long term

In line with our Fair Pay Charter, we offer a competitive salary and benefits to support your mental, physical, financial and social wellbeing.

• Core bank funding for retirement savings, medical and life insurance, with flexible and voluntary benefits available in some locations.
• Time‑off including annual leave, parental/maternity (20 weeks), sabbatical (12 months maximum) and volunteering leave (3 days), along with minimum global standards for annual and public holiday, which is combined to 30 days minimum.
• Flexible working options based around home and office locations, with flexible working patterns.
• Proactive wellbeing support through Unmind, a market‑leading digital wellbeing platform, development courses for resilience and other human skills, global Employee Assistance Programme, sick leave, mental health first‑aiders and all sorts of self‑help toolkits
• A continuous learning culture to support your growth, with opportunities to reskill and upskill and access to physical, virtual and digital learning.
• Being part of an inclusive and values driven organisation, one that embraces and celebrates our unique diversity, across our teams, business functions and geographies – everyone feels respected and can realise their full potential.