Overview
AI Activation & Enablement Lead - 6-month FTC at JD Sports Fashion
Established in 1981 with a single store in the Northwest of England, JD Sports Fashion Plc is a leading omni-channel retailer of Sports Fashion, Outdoors and Gyms operating across multiple markets. The role reports to the Group Director of Data & AI and focuses on spearheading the conception, rollout, and scaling of AI initiatives across the JD Group, turning AI proofs of concepts into scalable solutions with measurable business impact.
Responsibilities
* AI Strategy & Enablement: Partner with Business & Technology teams to identify, prioritise, and activate AI use cases aligned with strategic goals; develop and maintain a global AI enablement framework for rollout, adoption and scaling; maintain expertise in AI evolution and guide stakeholders on implications and opportunities; define and track success metrics for AI initiatives to ensure business value.
* Solution Management & Deployment: Lead intake and prioritisation of AI requests; develop build/buy/hybrid delivery models; oversee lifecycle from ideation to deployment; build and maintain a global AI Library of initiatives and outcomes; collaborate with product and technology teams to ensure successful integration of AI solutions into operational systems.
* Stakeholder Engagement: Act as central contact for AI initiatives across regions; build strong relationships with market leads, functional heads, and external partners to accelerate AI adoption; define hypotheses, business cases and benefits with stakeholders; prepare decision-ready proposals for AI Exec Forums.
* Governance & Best Practices: Establish and promote best practices for AI development, testing, and deployment; ensure compliance with data governance, ethical AI standards, and regulatory requirements; monitor performance and drive continuous improvement.
Skills and Experience
* Essential: Proven experience in AI program management, enablement, or transformation roles within a global organisation; strong understanding of AI technologies, lifecycle, and deployment challenges; experience with large language models (LLMs), generative AI, and their enterprise applications; excellent stakeholder management and communication skills; experience defining and tracking success metrics including ROI and model performance; ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive alignment across business and technology teams; strong program management skills including roadmap development, resource planning, and risk management; ability to collaborate in cross-functional teams with AI and Product teams and diverse stakeholders; experience in retail, consumer goods, or similar fast-paced industries.
* Desirable: Familiarity with MLOps, cloud platforms (AWS and GCP), data and AI governance frameworks; familiarity with data architecture, data pipelines, and feature engineering concepts; experience leading change initiatives and fostering adoption of emerging technologies across diverse teams; ability to work across time zones and cultures in a matrixed organisation.
What We Offer
* Opportunity to shape the future of AI in a leading global retail brand
* Collaborative and innovative work environment
* Competitive salary and benefits package
* Global exposure and career development opportunities
* Staff discounts on JD Group and other brands within the organisation and personal development opportunities
Job Details
* Seniority level: Mid-Senior level
* Employment type: Full-time
* Job function: Other
* Industries: Retail
Wellington, England, United Kingdom
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