Head of AI

About the role

A pan-African financial services group, with hubs in Nigeria and the UK and interests in banking, asset management, consumer finance and technology, is building its AI capability to support scaling, innovation and geographic expansion. It is looking for a Head of AI to lead the AI agenda across customer engagement, risk management, fraud detection, lending, compliance and operational efficiency. The role suits a visionary leader with hands-on experience in AI, data science and machine learning who can build and scale an AI capability in a regulated financial services environment.

Key responsibilities

• Define and own the AI strategy and roadmap aligned with digital transformation goals, and champion ethical and responsible use of AI in financial services
• Identify and prioritize high-impact AI use cases across retail, commercial, risk and back-office functions
• Lead the design, development and deployment of AI solutions such as credit scoring, customer personalization, chatbots, fraud detection, AML monitoring and document automation
• Partner with product, technology and business leaders to integrate AI into core banking platforms, mobile apps and customer channels
• Ensure scalability, robustness and regulatory compliance of AI models, and build AI risk management practices for model bias, explainability and auditability
• Build and lead a multidisciplinary AI team (data scientists, ML engineers, AI researchers, data engineers) and establish AI governance frameworks
• Upskill internal teams through AI education and explore emerging technologies such as generative AI, NLP, computer vision and federated learning
• Build partnerships with AI research institutions, fintechs and technology providers, and represent the organization at AI and fintech forums
• Ensure compliance with local and global financial regulations (data privacy, AML, CBN guidelines, GDPR where relevant)

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Business or a related field
• 12+ years of professional experience, with at least 5+ years in AI/ML leadership roles
• Proven track record of delivering AI solutions in banking, fintech or large-scale regulated environments
• Experience delivering AI solutions that drive revenue growth, cost efficiency or risk reduction
• Strong knowledge of financial services processes, risk models and regulatory frameworks
• Based in Nigeria, able to work hybrid from Lagos Island; fluent English
• Nice to have: advanced degree, understanding of African and global financial ecosystems, exposure to AI governance and model risk frameworks, experience in complex, high-growth environments

Required skills

• Machine learning, deep learning, NLP, generative AI and cloud-based AI platforms
• Proficiency in Python, TensorFlow, PyTorch or similar ML frameworks
• Building and leading multidisciplinary teams

What we offer

• Hybrid setup, 3-5 days a week on-site (flexible), with a BYOD arrangement
• Time zone: UTC+0, with 8 hours of overlap required
• Contract of 12 months, renewable, full-time 40 hours per week