AI Center of Excellence Director

Ranked among the largest accounting and consulting firms in the country and consistently recognized as a Great Place to Work, Cherry Bekaert delivers innovative advisory, assurance and tax services to our clients. We are proud to foster a collaborative environment focused on enabling your career growth and continuous professional development.

• Provides leadership to the AI CoE team including coaching, mentoring and professional development. Responsible for providing performance feedback on a regular basis.
• Stands up the AI Center of Excellence from inception: defines the organizational structure, recruits the team, establishes the operating model and delivers the first wave of production AI workflows within the initial six months.
• Owns the Firm’s AI production strategy end to end, prioritizing investments across Tax, Assurance, Advisory and Wealth Management based on use case value, technical feasibility and adoption readiness.
• Directs the Production Track — the Workflow Architect and Prompt + Skills Engineers — in shipping reusable prompt libraries, Claude skills, workflow templates and integration patterns that service line professionals adopt without CoE hand-holding.
• Activates and sustains the Coordination Track, partnering with the AI Training Lead and Use Case + ROI Lead to onboard Ambassadors, track adoption metrics and build the business case for continued investment.
• Builds and manages the AI Ambassador network of 12 to 20 professionals across service lines and shared services, providing them with production-ready tools, structured training and a monthly communication cadence.
• Establishes AI governance policies in partnership with the AI Governance Council, including use case tiering, risk classification and escalation protocols for complex or high‑risk deployments.
• Translates AI production outcomes into executive‑ready business cases, demonstrating measurable ROI, competitive positioning and realized value to the C‑suite and the Firm’s investors.
• Monitors the competitive landscape — including peer firms deploying agentic AI workflows, proprietary compliance tools and billion‑dollar technology investments — and identifies opportunities to accelerate Cherry Bekaert’s AI maturity.
• Collaborates with Information Security, Legal and Compliance teams to maintain responsible AI use, data privacy and regulatory alignment across all deployed workflows.
• Manages the CoE budget, vendor relationships and platform licensing to maximize production output within a lean, high‑impact staffing model.
• Represents the Firm’s AI capabilities externally at industry events, recruiting channels and peer forums, positioning Cherry Bekaert as a destination for AI talent in professional services.

• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, Information Systems or a related field. Master’s degree preferred.
• 12+ years of progressive technology and AI experience, with five or more years in leadership roles directing AI strategy, production or adoption programs. Prior experience building an AI function at a professional services, consulting or knowledge‑work firm is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated track record of standing up and scaling an AI program within a professional services, consulting or knowledge‑work environment — not just managing an inherited capability, but building teams, governance models and production workflows from a blank slate.
• Working knowledge of AI governance frameworks including risk tiering, use case classification, responsible AI principles and regulatory compliance in a professional services context.
• Collaboration instincts suited to a matrixed environment, with the ability to work productively across Technology, Tax, Assurance, Advisory, Wealth Management and corporate functions without positional authority.

• Our shared values that foster inclusion and belonging including uncompromising integrity, collaboration, trust, and mutual respect.
• The opportunity to innovate and do work that motivates and engages you.
• A collaborative environment focused on enabling you to further your career growth and continuous…