Head of AI Innovation Lab

This is an exciting opportunity to be part of the leadership team at the AI Innovation Lab in Wexford, Ireland. The Head of AI Innovation Lab supervises and administers the centre of excellence in Wexford, Ireland, driving the development and implementation of AI solutions that support the UK&I AI strategy. Develops and executes the UK&I AI strategy to realise the future, translating the Equifax vision into concrete plans and actions within the AI Innovation Lab. Passion for AI and a proven ability to lead and inspire teams. Track record of delivering impactful AI solutions. Strong project management and organisational skills. Oversees the day-to-day operations of the AI Innovation Lab. Manage and mentor a team of AI professionals. Drives the development and delivery of AI projects. Collaborates with other departments to identify AI opportunities. Ensures the lab's projects are aligned with the overall AI strategy. What You'll Do

• Supervise and administer the AI Innovation Lab, aligning with the AI UK&I Director on strategy for Equifax UK&I.
• Promote the lab as a centre of excellence for generative and predictive AI, neural networks, and natural language processing.
• Oversee the development and implementation of AI models and proofs of concept, such as those using Vertex AI, Gemini Models, and BQML.
• Provide strategic oversight of the AI Innovation Lab's resources, ensuring alignment with organisational objectives. Maintain a detailed log of all AI ventures, including both achievements and challenges, to foster a culture of continuous improvement.
• Collaborate closely with the AI UK&I Director, product managers, analysts, and other stakeholders to identify and develop AI-driven solutions.
• Ensure compliance with Equifax's AI governance and risk mitigation policies.
• Provide team mentorship and hands-on project leadership within the AI Innovation Lab.
• Report to the AI UK&I Director and fulfil governance requirements.
• Utilise subject matter expertise of data structures, analytics, algorithms/models, and strong computer science fundamentals to lead data preparation, analytics, and development of deployable solutions across multiple projects.
• Collect, analyse and interpret large data assets to define and build multiple innovative solution components leveraging business and technical expertise. Lead the analytical strategy on critical technical capabilities.
• Evaluate new data sources, provide recommendations on the value of data sources, and design code to improve the productivity of Equifax, enhance and update code where needed. Ensure quality of the code is intact.
• Manage teams that lead multiple programmes of solutions that generate significant Equifax revenue. Facilitates stakeholder collaboration to support the development of predictive models, risk assessments, fraud detection, recommendation engines, etc. influencing decisions on the solution and enabling teams to execute, escalating and removing obstacles as appropriate.
• Conduct resource assignment and weigh multiple priorities to drive the right business decisions.
• Partner across multiple functional units to execute goals.
• Package, summarise, visualise and perform storytelling on analytical findings and results for management and senior business users.
• Communicate results to senior management and external stakeholders, able to communicate the strategic impact of the work.
• Architect multiple innovative solution components leveraging business and technical expertise.
• Perform as lead technical data scientist for multiple technical and business domains.
• Evaluate the technical work of experienced data scientists guiding them on deliverable quality and accuracy.

What Experience You Need

• Bachelor's degree (2:1 or above) in a numerical subject (Computer Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Physics, Engineering). Master’s Degree strongly preferred, or equivilant experience.
• Extensive related experience with experience demonstrating leadership capabilities and/or functioning as a team lead/supervisor.
• Cloud certification is strongly desired.
• Additional role-based certifications may be required depending upon region/BU requirements.
• Experience with SQL and Python (commercial or academic).
• Extensive experience in development and deployment of AI/machine learning techniques and data science.
• Proven track record of leading and managing AI projects and teams.
• Strong understanding of cloud-based AI platforms, such as Google Cloud's Vertex AI.
• Experience with generative AI models and technologies.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and leadership skills.
• Familiarity with regulatory and compliance requirements related to AI.

What Could Set You Apart

• A Master's or Ph.D. in computer science, artificial intelligence, or a related field.
• Experience in the financial services or credit reporting industry.
• Publications or presentations on AI-related topics.
• Track record of implementing impactful AI projects.

Location Details: This role is based in Wexford , with a flexible hybrid option for Dublin-based employees. The current schedule allows for working from the Dublin office on Mondays and Wednesdays , the Wexford office on Tuesdays , and the option to work from home on Thursdays and Fridays . (Note: This working pattern is subject to change at anytime).