Department Manager, Operating Model & Strategy - Data & AI Function

The Director, Operating Model & Strategy owns and drives the Enterprise Data & AI roadmap and the operating model that executes it. Reporting to the Managing Director, Data & AI, this leader ensures business engagement, engineering and AI delivery, portfolio execution, governance, capacity, and performance work as one cohesive function. The Department Manager is accountable for tracking and reporting portfolio value, delivery, and P&L impact, and for turning strategy into a disciplined, measure able execution system.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy & Roadmap

· Own and continuously evolve the Enterprise Data & AI Strategy and 1–3 year roadmap, aligned to business priorities and the Business Enablement strategy.

· Translate strategy into annual operating priorities, OKRs, KPIs, initiatives, investment requirements, and accountable owners.

Operating Model & Execution

· Own and run the Data & AI operating model and its cadences, ensuring clear communication, coordination, decision-making, escalation, and execution across teams.

· Lead the Business Analysis, Scrum/Agile, and Program/Portfolio Management capabilities and deploy them to priority work.

· Drive continuous improvement so operating mechanisms become simpler, faster, more transparent, and scalable as the function matures.

· Hire, develop, and retain top talent across Business Analysis, Scrum/Agile, and Program/Portfolio Management, build enduring capability, and lead teams across multiple locations.

Portfolio, Value & Performance

· Own the Shared Business Backlog and portfolio process\: prioritization, sequencing, dependencies, milestones, risk, and an integrated capacity view.

· Accountable for tracking portfolio value, delivery, and P&L impact; establish a consistent performance system covering value, delivery, adoption, capacity, risk, and operating health.

· Own Data & AI executive reporting, including value validation in partnership with Finance.

Governance

· Operate the Data & AI Operating Committee (DOC) and Data Executive Operating Committee (DEOC) routines so forums receive decision-quality information and resolve trade-offs at the right level.

· Orchestrate AI governance across Business Enablement Strategy, Data & AI, IT, Architecture, Security, Legal, Risk, and business stakeholders, maintaining clear decision rights, workflows, and control visibility.

Partnerships & Resources

· Partner with the Director, Business Data Engagement so qualified demand, sponsor commitments, and adoption requirements are reflected in portfolio decisions.

· Partner with the Director, Data Engineering & AI so priorities are technically feasible, capacity-backed, sequenced, and delivered to common standards.

· Coordinate workforce, vendor/SI, budget, and capacity planning with the Managing Director and enterprise partners; surface friction, constraints, unclear ownership, and delivery risks early and drive resolution.

Stakeholder Influence

· Influence executives and governance forums to make timely, evidence-based trade-off and investment decisions.

· Align the three Data & AI leadership pillars and enterprise partners (IT, Security, Legal, Risk, Finance) through influence rather than positional authority.

· Hold the function accountable to its commitments (priorities, milestones, value) and make delivery performance visible to leadership.

· Build a high-trust culture where escalation, constructive challenge, and course correction are routine.

What Success Looks Like (First 12 Months)

· Roadmap\: Enterprise Data & AI Strategy and 1–3 year roadmap approved by the Managing Director and executive sponsors, with annual OKRs and KPIs cascaded to named owners.

· Portfolio\: A single Shared Business Backlog and integrated capacity view in use, with prioritization decisions made through the portfolio process.

· Reporting\: A baseline performance dashboard reviewed monthly with the Managing Director, covering value, delivery, adoption, capacity, risk, and operating health.

· Value\: Value and P&L impact tracked for priority initiatives and validated with Finance, with a clear line from investment to realized benefit.

· Governance\: DOC/DEOC operating on a predictable cadence; decisions and escalations resolved on time with documented decision rights.

· Delivery\: On-time delivery against committed milestones, with cross-team risks and capacity conflicts identified early. Targets to be set with the Managing Director at the start of the role.