AI Lead

We are

At Synechron, we believe in the power of digital to transform businesses for the better. Our global consulting firm combines creativity and innovative technology to deliver industry-leading digital solutions. Synechron’s progressive technologies and optimization strategies span end-to-end Artificial Intelligence, Consulting, Digital, Cloud & DevOps, Data, and Software Engineering, servicing an array of noteworthy financial services and technology firms. Through research and development initiatives in our FinLabs we develop solutions for modernization, from Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain to Data Science models, Digital Underwriting, mobile-first applications and more. Over the last 20+ years, our company has been honored with multiple employer awards, recognizing our commitment to our talented teams. With top clients to boast about, Synechron has a global workforce of 17,000+, and has 58 offices in 22 countries within key global markets.

Our challenge

The AI Lead will help establish and operate the governance, planning, financial management, delivery coordination, and executive reporting capabilities required to scale AI across the enterprise. This role will translate the organization’s multi-year AI strategy into an integrated portfolio of initiatives, establish consistent delivery standards, manage dependencies and risks, and provide leadership with clear visibility into progress, investment, value realization, adoption, and control readiness.

Additional Information*

The base salary for this position will vary based on geography and other factors. In accordance with law, the base salary for this role if filled within New York, NY is $140k - $160k/year & benefits (see below).

The Role

Responsibilities:

• Enterprise AI Program Management
• Establish and operate the Enterprise AI PMO, including program governance, reporting cadence, delivery standards, dependency tracking, escalation paths, and decision forums.
• Translate the multi-year AI strategy into an integrated program plan with workstreams, accountable owners, milestones, dependencies, required inputs, and measurable outcomes.
• Maintain a single enterprise view of roadmap progress, risks, issues, actions, decisions, dependencies, resource constraints, and executive follow-ups across the AI program.
• Use Case Intake, Planning & Prioritization
• Manage the AI use-case intake process and ensure proposals are captured consistently with business objective, sponsor, expected value, feasibility, delivery approach, control considerations, and required funding.
• Coordinate prioritization discussions so leadership can evaluate use cases against strategic value, readiness, complexity, cost, delivery capacity, risk, and expected adoption.
• Partner with business transformation leads and workstream owners to convert approved use cases into clear project plans, milestones, acceptance criteria, and success metrics.
• Funding Governance, ROI & Value Realization
• Support milestone-based funding governance across approval, proof-of-value, scale-up, and transition to business-as-usual, in partnership with Finance and accountable initiative owners.
• Partner with the CFO organization and Controllers to validate assumptions, baselines, savings, realized outcomes, and ongoing investment performance.
• Produce portfolio-level views of investment, forecast, value at risk, realized benefits, adoption, and expected returns for senior leadership.
• Delivery Coordination & RAID Management
• Coordinate delivery across cross-functional AI workstreams and pods by aligning accountable technical, business, and control-function owners around shared plans, milestones, and outcomes.
• Maintain integrated project plans, timelines, milestone trackers, RAID logs, dependency maps, action registers, and escalation items across the Enterprise AI Program.
• Facilitate structured delivery cadences, identify blockers early, drive follow-ups to resolution, and help ensure workstream owners have the inputs and decisions needed to maintain execution momentum.
• Financial Management, FinOps & Cost Transparency
• Track program-level budget, forecast, resource assumptions, funding approvals, and financial reporting inputs for the Enterprise AI Program in partnership with Technology Finance and workstream owners.
• Partner with FinOps and Technology Finance to establish transparency over compute, token consumption, infrastructure, licenses, vendor, and consulting costs.
• Provide clear views of committed spend, utilization, run rate, forecast variance, cost risks, and linkage to approved use cases and business outcomes.
• Controls, Risk & Regulatory Readiness
• Coordinate with security, data governance, privacy, legal, compliance, model risk, architecture, and audit partners to embed required controls into the program lifecycle.
• Help ensure initiatives progress through defined control gates with appropriate documentation, approvals, evidence, and traceability.
• Maintain program-level risk reporting and support timely escalation of material control issues, decisions, and remediation actions through the appropriate forums.
• Executive Reporting & Stakeholder Management
• Prepare concise, decision-oriented status reporting for the CIO, CFO, Enterprise AI leadership, steering forums, QBRs, and other senior governance venues.
• Facilitate working sessions and leadership forums, capture decisions, document actions, confirm owners, track deadlines, and support timely escalation where needed.
• Act as a central coordination point for program status, priorities, risks, dependencies, escalations, and accountability across business, technology, and corporate functions.
• Change, Adoption & Organizational Readiness
• Partner with Change and Training leadership to embed communications, role-based enablement, safe-use guidance, feedback loops, and adoption measures into funded initiatives.
• Support divisional champion models and strengthen local ownership of outcomes, utilization, workflow change, and sustained business impact.
• Coordinate launch- and scale-readiness reviews to ensure capabilities can be adopted safely and sustainably.

Requirements:

• Significant experience supporting or managing large-scale technology, AI, digital transformation, or strategic programs within financial services or another complex, regulated environment.
• Proven ability to bring structure to complex or evolving programs through integrated project plans, governance routines, RAID management, stakeholder forums, milestone tracking, and executive reporting.
• Strong understanding of program delivery, portfolio management, business-case development, prioritization, financial governance, benefits realization, risk management, and organizational change.
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior business, technology, finance, and control-function leaders without relying on direct authority.
• Exceptional written, verbal, financial, commercial, and executive communication skills, including the ability to create concise decision-ready materials.
• Experience managing AI, automation, digital transformation, data, platform, infrastructure, or innovation delivery programs within investment banking, capital markets, or broader financial services.
• Familiarity with enterprise AI operating models, responsible AI, model and data controls, FinOps, consumption-based technology economics, and regulated technology environments.
• Working familiarity with AI delivery concepts such as use-case lifecycle management, model/data dependencies, production readiness, responsible AI controls, evaluation, adoption tracking, and post-implementation monitoring.
• Experience with scaled product delivery, cross-functional pods, use-case lifecycle governance, and transition from pilot to production.

We offer:

• A highly competitive compensation and benefits package.
• A multinational organization with 58 offices in 22 countries and the possibility to work abroad.
• 10 days of paid annual leave (plus sick leave and national holidays).
• Maternity & paternity leave plans.
• A comprehensive insurance plan including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and long-/short-term disability (plans vary by region).
• Retirement savings plans.
• A higher education certification policy.
• Commuter benefits (varies by region).
• Extensive training opportunities, focused on skills, substantive knowledge, and personal development.
• On-demand Udemy for Business for all Synechron employees with free access to more than 5000 curated courses.
• Coaching opportunities with experienced colleagues from our Financial Innovation Labs (FinLabs) and Center of Excellences (CoE) groups.
• Cutting edge projects at the world’s leading tier-one banks, financial institutions and insurance firms.
• A flat and approachable organization.
• A truly diverse, fun-loving, and global work culture.

S​YNECHRON’S DIVERSITY & INCLUSION STATEMENT
 

Diversity & Inclusion are fundamental to our culture, and Synechron is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. Our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiative ‘Same Difference’ is committed to fostering an inclusive culture – promoting equality, diversity and an environment that is respectful to all. We strongly believe that a diverse workforce helps build stronger, successful businesses as a global company. We encourage applicants from across diverse backgrounds, race, ethnicities, religion, age, marital status, gender, sexual orientations, or disabilities to apply. We empower our global workforce by offering flexible workplace arrangements, mentoring, internal mobility, learning and development programs, and more.

All employment decisions at Synechron are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to the applicant’s gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, disabled or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

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