Head of AI & Automation

Profectus Recruitment is proud to be supporting a highly regulated financial services organisation to recruit an Head of AI & Automation. This is a pivotal role focused on building and scaling the organisation’s AI & Automation capability in a safe, structured and commercially meaningful way. You will establish and lead an AI & Automation Hub (Centre of Excellence), shaping how AI-enabled solutions are identified, governed and delivered across the business. The emphasis is not on experimental AI for the sake of it, this role is about pragmatic, responsible adoption. You will define guardrails, shape solution patterns and ensure automation and AI use cases are designed with the right controls, integrations and long-term scalability in mind. In the initial phase, the focus will be on establishing the operating model, governance framework and delivery standards, while driving early, high-impact use cases (including M365 Copilot and Power Platform automation) to build credibility and momentum. Over time, you will scale the capability across the organisation in alignment with Data Governance, Information Security and Technology Risk. You’ll be joining a collaborative, stakeholder-led environment where influence, credibility and balanced risk-based decision making matter as much as technical knowledge. This is a role for someone who enjoys shaping capability from the ground up and wants to embed AI in a way that is sustainable, controlled and genuinely valuable. Hybrid working: 2 days per week on-site. What they’re looking for 

• Proven experience leading or building an AI, Automation or Innovation capability within financial services or another regulated environment
• Strong understanding of AI solution design principles, governance guardrails and responsible adoption frameworks
• Experience shaping and delivering automation use cases into production (Power Automate, Power Apps, Copilot Studio or equivalent)
• Working knowledge of Microsoft 365 and modern workplace technologies
• Experience defining product roadmaps, prioritisation models and capability backlogs
• Strong stakeholder engagement skills, with experience aligning Information Security, Risk and Architecture teams
• Ability to establish clear standards across design, build, test and BAU transition
• Comfortable operating at both strategic and hands-on solution design level

 Desirable: 

• Experience setting up or running a Centre of Excellence / Hub model
• Financial services platform experience
• Power Platform or M365 related certifications

 This is an opportunity to define how AI & Automation is adopted in a regulated environment, building credibility through early delivery and creating the foundations for scalable, secure innovation. Please apply for immediate consideration.