Associate Director - Data & AI Operations

Key Deliverables in this role

Financial Outcomes

• Ensure operational reliability and cost efficiency of enterprise-grade data, ML, and AI platforms by managing demand pipelines and optimizing resource allocation.
• Deliver projects within agreed timelines and budgets, driving measurable ROI through automation, process standardization, and vendor performance governance.

Customer Service

• Partner with business functions (Sales, Marketing, Supply Chain, Finance, HR) to ensure timely delivery of data and AI services that meet evolving business needs.
• Collaborate with analytics and AI teams to maintain seamless access to data and ensure production models are monitored, retrained, and deployed effectively.

Internal Processes

• Establish and enforce operational frameworks for DataOps and AIOps, including monitoring, incident management, and SLA adherence.
• Lead and manage vendor relationships to ensure accountability, quality delivery, and cost optimization across all operational engagements.

Innovation and Learning

• Embed automation and predictive monitoring into operational workflows to enhance efficiency and resilience.
• Continuously evaluate emerging technologies (e.g., AI observability tools, cloud-native orchestration) and integrate best practices to future-proof operations.

Critical success factors for the Role

• Educational Foundation: Bachelors or Masters degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Information Systems, or related discipline from a Tier 1/2 institute.
• Operational Expertise: Deep understanding of DataOps and AIOps practices, including orchestration, monitoring, and lifecycle management of data pipelines and AI models in production.
• Cloud & Platform Knowledge: Strong experience with cloud-native operations across AWS, Azure, and GCP, including automation frameworks and observability tools.
• Demand &Budget Management: Proven ability to manage demand pipelines, prioritize workloads, and deliver projects within agreed timelines and budgets while maintaining quality and compliance.
• Vendor Leadership: Demonstrated success in managing large-scale vendor engagementscontracting, performance governance, and cost optimizationensuring accountability and value delivery.
• Execution Excellence: Track record of driving operational reliability, SLA adherence, and incident resolution for enterprise data and AI platforms.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Exceptional communication and influencing skills to align operations with business priorities and manage expectations across senior leadership.
• Innovation Mindset: Ability to embed automation, predictive monitoring, and continuous improvement practices to enhance operational efficiency and resilience.
• Governance & Compliance: Familiarity with global data privacy regulations (GDPR, CCPA) and ability to enforce compliance in operational workflows.
• Cultural Fit: Embody organization's growth behaviorsConsumer First, Ownership, Agility, Integrity, and Continuous Innovation while fostering a high-performance operations culture.

Desirable success factors for the Role

• Experience in FMCG or consumer products industry is big plus.
• Familiarity with data architecture and compliance frameworks.