Director of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Hippo is seeking a highly motivated specialist to champion and grow our capabilities in Artificial Intelligence (AI). We seek someone with director level experience, technical expertise, and exceptional leadership and communication skills to lead and influence our growth in AI.

Reporting to the Chief Digital Officer, within a team of specialists in their chosen field, the role blends both internal capability development and operational improvement with outward-facing market and client engagement, playing a pivotal role in shaping our future and extending our reach.

This position offers the chance to define excellence, support delivery quality, and foster client confidence. As an expert in your field, you will champion and grow our capabilities in AI by blending a hands-on approach to projects with active contribution to business development, directly with clients and alongside with industry connections and technology partners.

At Hippo we have embraced AI through a strategy built on four pillars: Operational Improvement, AI Supported Consultants, Service Development, and client AI Enablement Programmes.

We’ve made foundational investments in the adoption of AI across the business, including forming an AI Stewardship and appointing AI Champions in professions, hosting events like AI Week/Day(s), and providing AI licenses and access to learning programmes for all staff.

You will work alongside other Service Line Directors in Cyber, Data, and Identity, as well as our Technology and Delivery Directors in our sectors; Government (inc. Education), Healthcare, and Private Sector.

Required Skills & Experience

• Demonstrable director-level experience within professional services or similar environments.
• Technical expertise and practical experience with relevant technologies, platforms, and methodologies (Machine Learning, Deep Learning, NLP, Computer Vision, MLOps, Cloud AI Services).
• Proven ability to design and deliver technical training and mentorship programs.
• Exceptional public speaking, presentation, and communication skills, with a track record of engaging audiences.
• Strong business acumen and understanding of how technology drives commercial outcomes.
• Experience in developing and managing technology partnerships.

Internal Capability Development

• Strategy and roadmap: Collaborate with our profession leaders to develop and execute a comprehensive strategy for building and enhancing cross-profession expertise in your specialism.
• Continuous improvement: Identify and implement operational improvements through the use of your specialism.
• Training and mentorship: Design, deliver, and facilitate internal training programs, workshops, and knowledge-sharing sessions to upskill existing staff.
• Best practices and standards: Establish and champion best practices, patterns, and quality standards related to your specialism.
• Resource development: Create and collaborate on internal resources, documentation, and playbooks.
• Talent growth: Identify and mentor rising talent within the organisation, fostering a culture of continuous learning and innovation in your specialism.

External Engagement and Business Development

• Proposition Development: Develop and execute proposition strategy, aligned to customer needs, that positions Hippo as a leader in this field.
• Revenue Growth: Owns growth model for the specialism. Collaborate with sectors to achieve growth of service line.
• Thought Leadership: Act as a public face and thought leader for Hippo in your specialism.
• Marketing and Events: Proactively seek out and participate in industry events, conferences, webinars, and meetups as a speaker, panellist, or attendee to build brand awareness and generate leads.
• Content Creation: Contribute to marketing efforts by creating compelling content such as blog posts, whitepapers, case studies, and presentations showcasing our expertise.
• Partner Development: Identify, evaluate, and grow strategic alliances with key technology partners relevant to the specialism. This includes joint solution development, client engagement, co-marketing, and sales enablement.
• Market Intelligence: Stay abreast of emerging trends, technologies, and competitive landscapes in your specialism to inform internal strategy and external positioning.
• Pre-sales Support: Provide expert-level technical and strategic support during the pre-sales process, developing solutions and proposals, articulate value, and win new business.