Job Specifications
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, AI SOLUTIONS
Location: London (hybrid — 2 days in office)
Salary: £110,000 – £120,000 + benefits (possibly some movement for exceptional candidates)
Contract: Permanent
Travel: International travel required (approx. 6-8 weeks per year — Middle East, US, Europe)
Eligibility: must be able to work in the UK without sponsorship
About the Client
Our client is a privately owned, highly successful, globally operating IT services and consulting business. Their AI & Data Practice is scaling rapidly, delivering enterprise AI solutions across finance, banking, telecoms, insurance, hospitality, and government.
They've built a proprietary AI framework using Anthropic's MCP protocol and deliver real-world solutions across contact centres, IT operations, and business automation for major household-name clients. This is AI in production, at enterprise scale, not proof-of-concept work that never ships.
The Role
This isn't an architect who draws diagrams and hands them off. This is someone who builds, leads, and delivers, with their sleeves rolled up.
The AI & Data Practice is looking for a deputy to the AI Solutions Director, someone on the trajectory to become a director themselves, who can take ownership of delivery whilst driving the technical strategy forward.
This role is part of a deliberate succession plan. The business wants multiple people capable of stepping up to director level within 12-18 months. It's a genuine career accelerator for the right person.
What You'll Actually Do
Own and drive the delivery side of the AI & Data Practice
Lead the delivery of enterprise AI solutions across contact centres, IT operations, and business automation
Work directly with external clients from telecoms companies to major banks in the Middle East, advising on AI strategy and then making it happen
Lead teams building AI solutions on major vendor platforms using a proprietary MCP framework
Design and implement AIOps, event-driven automation, and orchestration solutions
Build prototypes, prove concepts, and drive delivery through to production
Manage and develop a team of 3-4 direct reports
Contribute to the succession pipeline for director-level leadership
Travel to European hubs, Middle East, and US
The hiring director put it simply: "Producing a document that says this is what you've got to build is no longer good enough." This team uses AI to build AI. Solutions architects produce working prototypes, BAs contribute to builds, and everyone understands the power of modern AI-assisted development.
The practice operates as a continuous improvement and every small change that leads to a bigger outcome matters.
Technical Landscape
AIOps · ITSM / ITOM · ITIL · Agentic AI · MCP Framework · Conversational AI · Airflow · Argo · Prefect · Kafka · RabbitMQ · Ansible · Salt · Puppet · ServiceNow Flow Designer
Who You Are
You've likely come from a larger organisation MSP, systems integrator, or enterprise consultancy
You have genuine client-facing experience with external customers, not just internal teams
You understand Agile principles, and continuous improvement is second nature
You're hands-on and technically credible, not a pure people manager
You understand where AI is heading and how it changes solution design and delivery
You have gravitas, you can walk into a boardroom with a bank or telecoms client and hold your own
You're willing and able to travel internationally, including the Middle East and US
Straight Talk
They don't expect to find someone who ticks every box. The non-negotiables are client-facing experience, hands-on technical credibility, and the right trajectory. If you haven't worked in AI before but you understand IT operations and have the aptitude to learn fast, they want to hear from you.