Director – AI Execution Office at Barclays · Canary…

Director – AI Execution Office
Location: Canary Wharf, 1 Churchill Place
Job Description
Purpose of the role
The Director, AI Execution Office, is responsible for coordinating the delivery, governance and reporting of Group-wide AI initiatives. The role translates the Bank’s AI strategy into clear execution plans, measurable outcomes and senior leadership visibility across Group ExCo, Technology ExCo and COO ExCo. Acting as the central coordination point for enterprise AI delivery, the role brings structure, pace and accountability across workstreams, teams and governance forums.
Accountabilities
AI Programme Orchestration & Delivery Tracking
• Maintain a consolidated view of bank-wide AI technology initiatives, including delivery plans, milestones, dependencies, risks and issues.
• Track demand, active programmes, enablement squad activity and platform delivery progress across the AI portfolio.
• Provide transparent reporting on progress, outcomes and value delivered across AI workstreams.
• Own programme-level RAID management, ensuring material risks, issues and dependencies are escalated and resolved promptly.

Operating Rhythm & Forum Coordination
• Run the AI Execution Office cadence, including agendas, action tracking, decision logs and outcomes for AI-related forums such as AI STC, Technology ExCo AI sessions and the Group AI Governance Council.
• Prepare executive-ready materials, status dashboards and briefing packs for the Group CIO and senior leadership.
• Maintain forward plans that align governance milestones, delivery priorities and resourcing needs.

Governance & Risk Execution
• Support Technology’s representation across AI governance forums, ensuring obligations are met on time and to the required standard.
• Partner with Second Line Functions to ensure governance processes remain effective as AI adoption scales.

Value Realisation & Performance Reporting
• Operationalise the enterprise AI value and ROI measurement framework, including collection, validation and reporting of realised benefits.
• Maintain executive dashboards and scorecards covering programme health, investment efficiency and delivery velocity.

AI Enablement & Change Coordination
• Track rollout of the enterprise AI training and capability strategy across Business and Technology populations.
• Coordinate with HR and Learning teams to deliver AI literacy programmes at pace and scale.
• Monitor adoption metrics and capability maturity to inform priorities and interventions.
Director Expectations
To manage a business function, providing significant input to function wide strategic initiatives. Contribute to and influence policy and procedures for the function and plan, manage and consult on multiple complex and critical strategic projects, which may be business wide..
They manage the direction of a large team or sub-function, leading other people managers and embedding a performance culture aligned to the values of the business. Or for an individual contributor, they lead organisation wide projects and act as deep technical expert and thought leader, identifying new ways of working and collaborating cross functionally. They will train, guide and coach less experienced specialists and provide information affecting long term profits, organisational risks and strategic decisions..
Provide expert advice to senior functional management and committees to influence decisions made outside of own function, offering significant input to function wide strategic initiatives.
Manage, coordinate and enable resourcing, budgeting and policy creation for a significant sub-function.
Escalates breaches of policies / procedure appropriately.
Foster and guide compliance, ensure regulations are observed that relevant processes in place to facilitate adherence.
Focus on the external environment, regulators, or advocacy groups to both monitor and influence on behalf of Barclays, when appropriate.
Demonstrate extensive knowledge of how the function integrates with the business division / Group to achieve the overall business objectives.
Maintain broad and comprehensive knowledge of industry theories and practices within own discipline alongside up-to-date relevant sector / functional knowledge, and insight into external market developments / initiatives.
Use interpretative thinking and advanced analytical skills to solve problems and design solutions in often complex/ sensitive situations.
Exercise management authority to make significant decisions and certain strategic decisions or recommendations within own area.
Negotiate with and influence stakeholders at a senior level both internally and externally.
Act as principal contact point for key clients and counterparts in other functions/ businesses divisions.
Mandated as a spokesperson for the function and business division.
All Senior Leaders are expected to demonstrate a clear set of leadership behaviours to create an environment for colleagues to thrive and deliver to a consistently excellent standard. The four LEAD behaviours are: L – Listen and be authentic, E – Energise and inspire, A – Align across the enterprise, D – Develop others.
All colleagues will be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Values of Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence and Stewardship – our moral compass, helping us do what we believe is right. They will also be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Mindset – to Empower, Challenge and Drive – the operating manual for how we behave.
Stakeholder Management and Leadership
The role holder will engage senior stakeholders across Technology, Business, Risk and Control to support delivery of enterprise AI priorities, including:
Senior Executive Engagement
• Act as a trusted execution partner to the AI Office Lead, providing clear visibility of programme health, risks, issues and decisions requiring attention.
• Engage confidently with senior leadership across Technology and Business on AI delivery, governance and escalations.
• Provide a single, reliable view of AI progress so leaders can make timely, informed decisions.

Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Work closely with the CTO organisation on platform delivery timelines, engineering capacity and technical dependencies.
• Partner with Business Unit CIOs to understand demand, align priorities and report on value realisation.
• Maintain an active stakeholder map to ensure key relationships are managed effectively.

Leadership & Influence
• Influence across a complex matrix of Technology, Business, Risk and Control stakeholders without direct authority.
• Promote transparency, pace and outcome orientation, ensuring the AI Execution Office is seen as an enabler of delivery.
• Establish delivery standards, templates and ways of working that drive consistency and professionalism.

Decision-making and Problem Solving
The role holder will balance competing demand and constrained capacity, ensuring delivery decisions support both immediate execution needs and the long-term enterprise AI strategy. They will be required to:
Decision-Making Scope
• Make operational decisions on programme sequencing, enablement squad allocation and escalation routes within the strategic framework set by the Group CIO.
• Determine appropriate governance routes for AI initiatives, balancing speed, risk and compliance requirements.
• Shape reporting cadence, content and format to support senior stakeholder engagement and decision quality.
• Apply judgement on when to resolve issues directly and when material items require senior escalation.

Analytical & Strategic Thinking
• Assess AI portfolio health, investment efficiency and value realisation trends using structured analysis.
• Translate adoption, ROI, cost and usage data into actionable insights for executive audiences.
• Balance near-term delivery pressure with the long-term enterprise AI roadmap.
• Identify where processes, governance or operating model elements need to evolve to support scale.
• Use data-driven insight to inform prioritisation, resourcing and performance improvement.
Risk and Control Objective
Ensure that all activities and duties are carried out in full compliance with regulatory requirements, Enterprise-Wide Risk Management Framework and internal Barclays Policies and Policy Standards.
Person Specification
The role holder will need to be a proven technical and execution leader who can demonstrate some or all of the following experience and attributes:
Essential skills
Executive-level written communication, briefing preparation and presentation skills.
Strong planning, governance, delivery tracking and prioritisation capability.
Ability to manage complex stakeholder relationships across business, technology and control functions.
Strong analytical capability, with ability to synthesise complex inputs into clear insights and action plans.
Experience managing dependencies, risks, issues, actions and decisions across multiple workstreams.
Commercial awareness and ability to support value, benefits and investment transparency.
Understanding of responsible technology delivery, risk and control considerations in a regulated environment.
High proficiency in creating senior management materials, dashboards and narrative updates.
Basic qualifications
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.
Significant experience in enterprise transformation, technology strategy, delivery management, chief of staff, business management or strategic execution roles.
Demonstrable experience engaging with senior executives and cross-functional leadership teams.
Proven ability to operate across global teams and manage multiple priorities concurrently.
Strong understanding of AI, data, digital or technology transformation trends, with willingness to deepen subject matter knowledge quickly.
Preferred qualifications
Financial services or other regulated industry experience.
Experience supporting AI, data, cloud, digital or enterprise technology transformation initiatives.
Experience setting up or running senior governance routines, executive forums or enterprise delivery frameworks.
Relevant change, transformation, agile or delivery certifications would be beneficial.