Director of Ai

Description:

Barden is delighted to be partnering with the Chief Operating Officer of a fast-growing investment business in Dublin to appoint a Director of AI, Automation and Systems. This person will lead their systems architecture, design & integration initiatives. The business is lean and flat, with a strong platform in place and ambitious plans to keep growing.

You will own the roadmap, setting direction within the business’s Microsoft environment and leading partner delivery from prioritisation to adoption. You will be a visible, trusted partner to senior leadership and the executive team and the various functions across the business, and you will build solutions securely within the business’s own Microsoft environment.

“The groundwork is done. We have mapped a long pipeline of AI and automation ideas across finance, operations, and the investment team, and our partners are in place. What we need now is a dedicated leader to own that pipeline, deliver it inside our Microsoft environment, and keep it moving.” Chief Operating Officer

Key Responsibilities:

• Oversee day-to-day IT through a well-established managed service provider, keeping support in balance with transformation delivery.
• Own the AI and automation roadmap, from prioritising use cases to adoption and value.
• Lead AI enablement across Microsoft 365, Copilot, Power Platform, and Azure.
• Direct the AI strategy and implementation partners on scope, quality, and delivery.
• Set the AI governance, security, and data standards the business relies on.
• Bring reporting together across Oracle Fusion, Salesforce, and other platforms.

ABOUT THE PERSON:

This is a strategic role that also needs a hands-on mentality. Transformation and delivery carry the heavier weighting, so we are looking for a senior leader who is as comfortable in the detail as they are in the boardroom.

• +10 years years in technology leadership, with senior experience in AI, platforms, or transformation.
• Deep Microsoft experience, ideally including Copilot, Power Platform, and Azure.
• Strong data mining, data governance, and data architecture experience, including consolidating reporting across multiple systems.
• A track record of taking enterprise AI or automation from roadmap to real adoption.
• Experience leading delivery through partners and vendors, including commercial scope.
• Credibility with executive stakeholders, and happy to get close to the detail in a lean team.
• Experience in any complex environment; financial services, private equity or investment is a plus.