Head of AI – Data & Digital Competence Centre

Experience of working within the Defence sector required combined with the potential to achieve higher level clearance.

We are seeking an AI Expert with proven experience of delivering AI solutions to market. This person will drive the technical leadership for AI in Thales UKs newly formed cortAIx Factory and be an evangelist for Thales AI. The Thales UK cortAIx Factory aims to bring robust engineering discipline to the development and execution of Thales’ AI research and procurements into our products.

In this pivotal role, you will maintain a profile and network as an AI thought leader both within Thales UK and externally. You will support the strategic development and delivery of AI solutions applied into Thales’ portfolio of complex mission systems, ensuring robust processes for assurance, integrity and in-service support are developed and followed.

You will provide functional leadership for all AI practice resources within the Data & Digital Competence Centre and across Thales UK and will work alongside the leaders of our ‘cortAIx Lab’ (R&D) and our product leaders in our businesses ‘cortAIx Sensors’ to ensure the smooth transition of Thales AI capability from R&D through to product. This will include assessing both technical feasibility and business / market viability as well as navigating the resultant products through their maturation.

Key responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership:

• Be the face of AI for Thales UK
• Oversee the implementation of the cortAIx Factory AI and MLOPS strategy
• Practice leadership across the data & AI job family in Thales UK
• Design & Governance
• Serve as the principal authority on AI design, providing expert guidance on best practices and industry standards.
• Ensure the design of AI models, algorithms, and data architectures meets business, technical, and regulatory requirements.
• Establish and enforce governance frameworks for AI algorithms and implementation to production.
• Promote best practices in AI ethics, robustness, transparency, and governance.
• Market Engagement
• Monitor industry trends, competitive landscapes, and benchmarks to maintain a technical edge.
• Identify and engage third-party collaborators to enhance the capabilities of the AI Factory team as needed
• AI delivery
• Work with Head of cortAIx Factory Engineering Delivery and Head of cortAIx Factory Product to enact the cortAIx mission
• Work with the Engineering leadership team in the UK to derive and deliver capability improvement plans for AI
• Team Leadership
• Line management responsibility for Data Science and AI resources in the Data and Digital Competence Centre
• Work across the Data and Digital Competence Centre to support the planning and execution of our data and digital transformation

Required Skills:

• Strong profile in the UK Defence AI sector
• A degree in computer science, artificial intelligence, or a related field. And / or appropriate hands on experience of practical AI engineering
• Strong knowledge of data science and AI solutions, along with experience in data product management
• Demonstrable knowledge and experience of MLOps practices.
• Familiarity with data analytics, technology, and governance.
• Excellent stakeholder and project management skills, with experience in client-facing roles.
• Strategic mindset with the ability to balance innovation with business needs.
• Experience in user interface design and user experience considerations.
• Understanding of the software development lifecycle, including requirements analysis, quality assurance, design, scheduling, implementation, issue tracking, version control, and deployment.