Head of AI & Automation

Role purposeBuild and lead the brokerage’s AI and automation function, turning strategic priorities into reliable capabilities with measurable business value. Own the portfolio across operational automation, generative AI, trading intelligence and enabling data and platform capabilities. Establish the team, delivery model, investment discipline and governance needed to scale adoption across the organisation.Key responsibilitiesStrategy and investmentDefine an AI and automation strategy aligned with the brokerage’s business plan, operating challenges, client needs and technology maturity.Prioritise opportunities across onboarding, client support, payments, compliance operations, marketing, internal productivity and trading or risk intelligence.Own investment proposals, budget allocation, build-versus-buy decisions and vendor performance, with realistic delivery assumptions and whole-life operating costs.Establish a portfolio roadmap that sequences foundational data and platform work alongside visible business improvements and avoids disconnected pilots.Team and delivery leadershipRecruit, structure and lead product, architecture, AI engineering, automation, data, quantitative, evaluation and platform capabilities, with clear responsibilities and career development.Set delivery standards and decision rights from use-case discovery through validation, controlled launch, ongoing monitoring and retirement.Work with functional leaders to assign business sponsors, operational owners, benefit measures and adoption plans for every approved initiative.Resolve cross-functional dependencies, assess delivery performance and intervene when initiatives lack usable data, ownership, adoption or demonstrated value.Governance and business adoptionEstablish an AI inventory and risk-based governance covering approved use, data access, vendors, evaluation, human oversight, incident escalation and model change control.Ensure material trading, payment and client-facing applications receive the relevant technical, business, Risk and Compliance approvals before launch.Provide executive reporting on portfolio value, costs, adoption, service performance, model limitations and material incidents; maintain clear accountability for remediation.Build organisational AI capability through practical training, approved tools and process redesign; review changing technology and retire solutions that become ineffective or unsupported.Essential experience and qualifications12+ years in technology, data, AI, product or transformation leadership, including 5+ years leading teams and significant delivery programmes.Proven responsibility for delivering production AI/ML and automation capabilities with measurable outcomes, including recent generative AI adoption.Strong understanding of FX/CFD brokerage operations or closely related electronic trading businesses, including client onboarding, trading, payments, risk and support.Technical fluency sufficient to challenge architecture, model evaluation, data quality, security, operating costs and vendor claims.Experience owning budgets, hiring specialist teams, managing vendors and working directly with executive leadership.Strong governance and change leadership, with evidence of scaling adoption beyond isolated technical pilots.Bachelor’s degree in a relevant business, quantitative or technology discipline, or equivalent experience; postgraduate qualifications are advantageous.Preferred experiencePrevious leadership of an AI or automation function in a multi-entity financial services group.Experience across both enterprise AI applications and quantitative trading or risk analytics.Experience establishing model oversight, platform capabilities and business benefits validation from an early stage.