Director, AI Specialists

Responsibilities

• Reporting to the GM, Delivery, the Director, AI Specialists, is responsible for consistent and effective governance and delivery of the AI Specialists portfolio of business and change projects. In conjunction with other business leaders, the Director ensures that investments in internal and operational projects deliver the best possible organizational and customer outcomes. This includes working with other business units and project teams to align standards, methods and governance to the portfolio approach and actively positioning projects for success.
• The Director is a source of guidance on industry best practice within the area of specialization, drawing on industry and academic sources of knowledge as required to support the practice.
• The Director, AI Specialists, with the support of the Managers, AI Specialists, has oversight of all project tasks executed by the AI Specialists. The Director, AI Specialists will provide expert direction and advice as required to ensure that projects in the portfolio are positioned to meet or exceed required SLAs.
• Ensure the smooth day-to-day running of the AI Specialists;
• Maintain oversight of key portfolio financials and project/task performance metrics;
• Liaise with Sales, Marketing, Recruitment and execution and delivery teams to highlight strategic risks and opportunities, enabling the AI Specialists to respond to both in a timely manner;
• Support the PMO and Resource Managers, AI Specialists in the prioritization, resourcing and scheduling of specialist tasks, as required to ensure alignment with business strategy and key internal and customer stakeholders;
• Identify and monitor portfolio level risks, issues, and dependencies, and support appropriate risk mitigation and management methods;
• Be a key sponsor for work tool and other technical developments required for the efficient and effective execution of specialized tasks;
• In consultation with Managers, AI Specialists, identify and organize training and professional development activities for team members as required to optimize performance;
• In consultation with Managers, AI Specialists, support career development and succession planning within the team;
• Ensure AI Specialists methods, practices, techniques, processes, etc. are regularly maintained and updated, in line with best practice;
• Maintain a strong resourcing pipeline to ensure appropriate staffing levels at all times, including providing internship opportunities as relevant;
• Provide timely, expert advice to the GM, Delivery, and Executive, Senior Managers and Managers as required.

Required Experience

• 10+ years of Management, Project Management or equivalent experience;
• Knowledge of, and engagement with, industry, academic and research developments relevant to Appen’s current and strategic directions;
• Postgraduate qualifications in a relevant area of specialization, or equivalent experience;
• Demonstrated experience in leading a high-performing team of Specialists and their Managers with openness and transparency;
• Extensive experience with, and oversight of, Specialist projects executed in a commercial setting to rigorous time, budget and quality requirements;
• Strong personal accountability, persistence and resilience;
• Ability to effectively prioritize and execute tasks in a high-pressure and constantly changing environment;
• Strategic, agile and professional communicator, with a ‘win-win’ orientation and an ability to positively influence outcomes;
• Ability to work with a variety of personality types and bring together the right people to produce results in both internal and external stakeholder settings.
• We at Appen look for individuals who embody our core values: performance, honesty, humility, and grit. At Appen, we embrace and strive purposefully with our core values in mind throughout every aspect of our work and expect our employees to meet and exceed these standards. If this resonates with your work ethic and style, we encourage you to apply for this Appen position.