Head of AI Transformation

About the Role

Echelon is seeking a Head of AI Transformation to lead its AI transformation business. This full-time position is based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and reports directly to the Managing Director. The role involves overseeing the AI transformation pipeline, managing outcomes, and building the organizational structure required for delivery. The Head of AI Transformation will collaborate with the Head of Applied AI on engagements and work with the CRO to define growth strategies for client accounts.

Key Responsibilities

• Define Echelon's customer transformation approach, including service offerings, engagement models, target sectors, and the transformation agenda presented to clients.
• Develop the pipeline for AI transformation programs by engaging with chief executives, government leaders, and the CRO's account teams, while leading significant pursuits.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to customer chief executives and their boards, facilitating executive sessions, framing business cases, and managing multi-year roadmaps.
• Manage the scope and ensure the successful outcomes of all programs within the portfolio.
• Drive adoption, manage change, and measure value post-implementation, acting as a long-term partner to ensure sustained and growing impact.
• Expand initial use cases into multi-year programs, focusing on program expansion in collaboration with the CRO.
• Recruit and lead deployment strategists and Engagement Managers, design operating models, develop playbooks, define career paths, and identify partners to enhance capacity.
• Integrate field insights into company strategy, collaborating with the Head of Applied AI on product development, investment areas, and selection of delivery partners.

Qualifications and Requirements

• Over 10 years of professional experience, with at least 6 years in transformation or deployment leadership. This includes building and leading a deployment, transformation, or customer-facing technical organization as an executive in an AI company, a forward-deployed business, or as a founder.
• Demonstrated ability to advise chief executives, boards, and government leaders on AI capabilities and limitations.
• Deep technical understanding of LLM systems, agents, data, and evaluation to effectively challenge architectures, assess production readiness, and lead technical teams.
• Proven commercial acumen in managing large programs and their economics, including business cases, deal structures, Scopes of Work, and the ability to decline non-value-adding work.
• Record of driving programs beyond go-live to measured adoption and demonstrating delivered value.
• Experience in attracting senior talent, developing leaders, and scaling organizations while maintaining high standards.

Preferred Qualifications

• In-depth experience in sectors where Echelon operates, such as government, energy, financial services, or healthcare.
• Experience delivering programs in Saudi Arabia or the GCC, particularly with government entities or regulated industries.
• Background as a deployment strategist or engagement lead at a forward-deployed AI company.

Work Environment and Compensation

This role involves regular travel to customer sites across the region and with partners abroad. The compensation package includes a base salary, housing, transport, and education allowances, a performance bonus, medical cover, and equity through the employee equity program. Specific terms will be shared at the offer stage.

Working Principles

Echelon prioritizes a problem-first approach, addressing unclear briefs or challenging environments with energy and a structured plan. Key principles include curiosity, speed in achieving initial results, rigor in testing claims and verifying deliverables, a balance of confidence and humility, autonomy in decision-making, resourcefulness in overcoming obstacles, situational leadership, and a focus on multiplying team effectiveness through playbooks and coaching. Candidates should demonstrate AI-native depth, integrating AI tools into research, writing, and decision-making processes, and have experience leading the delivery of real-world LLM-based solutions.