AI Lead - UAE National

About This Role

We have partnered with a globally recognised technology organisation operating at the forefront of AI innovation to hire an AI Lead for their Centre of Excellence in the UAE. This is a senior hire that will help define the technical direction of the COE and play a leading role across a diverse portfolio of high-impact AI projects. For the right person, this is a chance to build something lasting inside an organisation with the resources, ambition and talent to do it properly.

This role suits a technically deep, people-oriented leader who is as comfortable setting architectural direction as they are developing the engineers around them. You will have a direct hand in shaping how the COE operates, the standards it works to and the calibre of work it produces.

About the role:

• Lead the technical delivery of AI initiatives across the COE's project portfolio, taking ownership of architecture, quality and outcomes
• Define and embed AI engineering standards, frameworks and best practices across the Centre of Excellence
• Mentor and develop a team of AI engineers, creating an environment where people grow quickly and perform at a high level
• Act as the senior technical voice on AI across cross-functional project teams, partnering with engineering, data and product stakeholders
• Drive the evaluation and adoption of emerging AI techniques, tools and research relevant to the organisation's areas of focus
• Contribute to the strategic development of the COE, including capability planning, tooling decisions and technical roadmap
• Represent the AI function in senior stakeholder conversations, translating complex technical concepts into clear business language

About you:

• 8 or more years of experience in AI engineering or applied machine learning, with a clear progression into technical leadership
• Strong hands-on capability across the AI stack, including model development, deployment and production.
• Proven experience leading and mentoring engineering teams, with a track record of raising the technical bar around you
• Deep proficiency in Python and modern AI frameworks including TensorFlow, PyTorch or Hugging Face
• Broad exposure across applied AI domains such as NLP, computer vision or generative AI, with production experience in at least one
• Experience designing and implementing AI systems at scale within complex, multi-workstream environments
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to operate credibly at a senior level
• Prior experience building or contributing to a Centre of Excellence or similar innovation function is a strong advantage
• UAE National status is required for this position