Head of Data Science

Job description / Role

Employment: Full Time

Job Requisition ID: 167447

Established in the 1930s as a trading business, Al-Futtaim Group today is one of the most diversified and progressive, privately held regional businesses headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Structured into five operating divisions: automotive, financial services, real estate, retail, and healthcare; employing more than 35,000 employees across more than 20 countries in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, Al-Futtaim Group partners with over 200 of the world's most admired and innovative brands. Al-Futtaim Group's entrepreneurship and relentless customer focus enable the organization to continue to grow and expand, responding to the changing needs of our customers within the societies in which we operate.

By upholding our values of respect, excellence, collaboration, and integrity, Al-Futtaim Group continues to enrich the lives and aspirations of our customers each and every day.

Overview of the role:

We are seeking a dynamic and highly technical Head of Data Science & AI Products to lead our Data Science team while spearheading the creation, development, and commercialization of data and AI-driven products. This role will blend leadership in data science with an entrepreneurial mindset to drive AI product innovation from ideation to monetization. The ideal candidate will have a strong technical background in data science, a deep understanding of AI technologies, and experience in managing product development to create business value.

What you will do:

Leadership and Team Management:

- Lead and mentor a high-performing team of data scientists, machine learning engineers, and AI specialists.
- Foster a collaborative environment, empowering team members to push the boundaries of AI and data science innovation.
- Oversee the end-to-end delivery of AI/ML projects and products, ensuring high standards of quality and timely execution.
- Develop and nurture a culture of continuous learning and development within the team, keeping up with industry trends and emerging technologies.

AI Product Strategy & Development:

- Drive the vision and roadmap for AI and data science products, ensuring alignment with the company's strategic goals and market needs.
- Identify opportunities for new AI/ML products or features based on customer feedback, market trends, and emerging technologies.
- Own the product lifecycle from concept through design, development, and deployment, ensuring effective prioritization and execution.
- Work cross-functionally with product managers, engineering, sales, and marketing teams to ensure seamless product development and go-to-market strategies.

Business Case & Monetization:

- Lead the creation of compelling business cases for data and AI products, demonstrating their value proposition, potential for revenue generation, and scalability.
- Define key performance indicators (KPIs) and revenue targets for AI products and ensure they meet or exceed the established business goals.
- Establish clear pricing strategies and revenue models for AI products, working closely with the finance and sales teams.
- Manage the backlog of AI product initiatives, ensuring features are delivered in alignment with customer needs and market demand.

Go-to-Market & Sales Enablement:

- Collaborate with the sales and marketing teams to create go-to-market plans that effectively position and sell AI products.
- Support sales teams by providing technical expertise, product training, and marketing collateral to drive product adoption.
- Engage directly with key customers to gather feedback, understand their needs, and tailor AI solutions that drive customer success.
- Lead AI product demonstrations and technical sales support to showcase product capabilities and drive sales conversions.

Revenue & Metrics Ownership:

- Own the revenue performance and overall success of AI products in the market, consistently tracking product performance against revenue goals and KPIs.
- Analyze market data and user feedback to iterate and enhance AI products, ensuring they continuously meet market demand and generate business value.
- Develop strategic initiatives to expand the product portfolio and increase the monetization potential of data and AI assets.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Communication:

- Serve as the key point of contact for all data science and AI product-related activities within the organization.
- Regularly report to senior leadership on product development, revenue performance, and strategic initiatives.
- Collaborate with other leaders in technology, sales, and marketing to ensure seamless execution of product strategies.

Technical Expertise:

- Extensive experience in data science, AI, and machine learning, with a solid understanding of algorithms, predictive models, deep learning, and natural language processing (NLP).
- Strong technical proficiency in programming languages and tools (Python, R, TensorFlow, PyTorch, etc.).
- Proven experience in developing AI-powered products and systems that scale.

Product Management & Business Acumen:

- Proven track record in leading the development of successful AI products from concept to commercialization.
- Strong understanding of business strategy, product monetization, and market dynamics.
- Experience with product lifecycle management, including defining product roadmaps, feature prioritization, and managing backlogs.
- Experience in driving revenue growth and managing business metrics for AI-based products.

Leadership & Collaboration:

- Demonstrated leadership and team management experience, with the ability to lead a team of technical professionals and foster a culture of innovation.
- Excellent communication skills, with the ability to effectively collaborate with cross-functional teams and engage with customers and stakeholders at all levels.
- Strong decision-making and problem-solving abilities with the capacity to make data-driven decisions.

Required Skills to be Successful:

- Experience in data science and machine learning.
- Startup environment experience.
- Business acumen in retail.

About the Team:

You will be reporting to GM Technology & Data - Blue.

What Equips You for the Role:

- Master's or PhD in data science, artificial intelligence, computer science, engineering, or a related field.
years of experience in data science and AI, with at least 3+ years in a leadership or product management role.
- Experience in creating and managing AI/ML products that have been successfully brought to market.

We're here to provide excellent service, but a little help from you can ensure a five-star candidate experience from start to finish.

Before you click "apply": Please read the job description carefully to ensure you can confidently demonstrate why this opportunity is right for you and take the time to put together a well-crafted and personalized CV to further boost your visibility. Our global talent acquisition team members are all assigned to specific businesses to ensure that we make the best matches between talent and opportunities. We not only consider the requisite compatibility of skills and behaviors, but also how candidates align with our values of respect, integrity, collaboration, and excellence.

As part of our candidate experience promise, we also want to make ourselves available to you throughout the application process. We make every effort to review and respond to every application.

About the Company

Established in the 1930's, the Al-Futtaim Group initially operated as a trading enterprise. Rapid development throughout the 1940's and 50's saw it establish itself regionally as an integrated commercial, industrial and services organisation, positioning itself one of the leading business houses in the lower Gulf region. Today, it operates collectively over 40 companies bearing the Al-Futtaim name, dominates many market segments in the UAE, and has expanded its sphere of operation to include Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Egypt.

The Group comprises a diverse range of strategically positioned operating subsidiaries and associate companies, structured to give the Al-Futtaim Group the flexibility and versatility to keep ahead of local competition while keeping pace with the ever-evolving global business scenario. The Groups continued investment in world-class systems technology is clear evidence of its commitment to maintain leading edge performance and service delivery.

The success of the Al-Futtaim Group can be attributed to a business approach that combines the ability to change with the traditional values of integrity, service and social responsibility that define its core business philosophy. This, linked with the Groups belief in decentralisation, gives the heads of the operating companies a high degree of functional autonomy and authority, providing the Group with essential flexibility, and individual employees a clearly defined work culture and sense of responsibility.

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