Head of AI & Automation

Head of AI & Automation is sought by a high growth e-commerce brand based near Leeds

This rapidly scaling, multi‑brand e‑commerce group has achieved significant year‑on‑year growth and has ambitious plans to continue expanding across new markets.

As such the business has laid solid automation & AI foundations after an extensive discovery and value creation program of work but are now looking for a dedicated AI & Automation leader to take complete ownership of the roadmap and accelerate their journey.

This is not a traditional IT leadership role. This is a hands‑on AI and automation position where you will work directly with the board to identify opportunities, build solutions and embed technology‑driven ways of working across the entire organisation.

As Head of AI & Automation you will own the AI roadmap, leading initiatives across automation, systems integration, data, workflow optimisation and emerging technology adoption.

You will:

• Define and deliver the company‑wide AI and automation strategy, prioritising initiatives based on commercial value and ROI.
• Design, build and implement practical AI solutions using LLMs such as OpenAI, Claude/Anthropic and other emerging technologies.
• Identify opportunities to automate manual processes across sales, customer service, operations, finance and reporting.
• Build connected workflows between SaaS platforms using APIs and automation tooling.
• Improve business intelligence, reporting and data accessibility across the organisation.
• Evaluate emerging AI technologies and make recommendations around tooling, vendors and internal capability.
• Champion AI adoption across the business, helping teams understand how technology can improve their day‑to‑day roles.

We are looking for a commercially minded AI and automation specialist who loves solving business problems through technology.

You will ideally have:

• Proven experience delivering AI, automation or digital transformation initiatives that have created measurable business impact.
• Hands‑on experience building solutions using LLMs, APIs and automation platforms.
• Experience working with tools such as OpenAI, Anthropic/Claude, Zapier, Make or similar.
• Strong understanding of SaaS platforms, integrations and data flows.
• Experience with in e‑commerce, retail, marketplace or another fast‑growth digital environment.
• Ability to translate business challenges into practical technology solutions.
• Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence at senior leadership level.
• A builder mentality — someone who enjoys experimenting, shipping solutions and delivering outcomes.
• Exposure to platforms such as Magento, Shopify, GA4, CRM, ERP, customer service platforms or marketplace technology would be advantageous.

This is a rare opportunity to join an organisation where AI is not just a future concept — it is already becoming central to how the business operates.

You will have:

• Direct access to the board.
• Full ownership of the AI and automation roadmap.
• Freedom to experiment, build and deploy new solutions quickly.
• The opportunity to influence how a growing organisation uses emerging technology to scale.

This role offers a six figure package, hybrid/ flexible working with equity.