Head of AI

Ninth Wave, Inc.Head of AILocation: New York, NY5 days in the office Role OverviewThe Head of AI is a senior cross-functional leader and hands-on technical leader responsible for defining and executing Ninth Wave’s AI vision, roadmap, and delivery across the platform. This role combines deep individual contribution with executive-level leadership, ensuring AI initiatives are designed, built, and deployed to drive measurable business impact while meeting the highest standards of security, compliance, and responsible AI. This role will report to Chief Product Officer.This role will partner closely with Engineering, Product, Operations, Security, and Go-To-Market teams to deliver production-grade AI capabilities to enhance internal workflows, power customer-facing features, and strengthen Ninth Wave’s competitive position in regulated financial services.This is a hands-on senior role that is expected to remain deeply technical and to directly contribute to architecture, prototyping, design reviews, and critical implementation decisions.ResponsibilitiesStrategy & LeadershipDefine and own Ninth Wave’s company-wide AI strategy and long-term roadmap, aligned with business objectives and regulatory requirementsEstablish and lead the AI Center of Excellence as an enablement and governance function that accelerates safe, scalable AI adoptionIdentify and prioritize high-impact AI initiatives across product, platform, and operations.Communicate AI strategy, progress, and insights to executives, clients, partners, and investors.Hands-On Technical LeadershipServe as a principal individual contributor for AI architecture and system design across the platformArchitect, prototype, and guide development of AI/ML systems, including LLM-based applications, RAG pipelines, agent frameworks, and ML workflowsEvaluate, select, and integrate enterprise-grade AI tools, models, and platforms aligned with Ninth Wave’s security and compliance standardsLead rapid experimentation and prototyping to validate new AI-driven capabilities and de-risk production deploymentDefine and implement foundations for scalable AI delivery, including model evaluation, monitoring, observability, and lifecycle managementConduct deep technical reviews and hands-on problem solving during critical design, performance, and reliability phasesCompliance, Security & Responsible AIDefine and enforce responsible AI practices, including bias detection, privacy protection, transparency, explainability, and auditabilityPartner closely with Security, Risk, and Compliance teams to ensure adherence to financial and regulatory frameworks (FFIEC, OCC, GLBA, and related standards)Oversee the development and governance of clean, reliable, and AI-ready datasets within Ninth Wave’s data architectureInternal Enablement & Product CollaborationDrive adoption of AI tools across the organization to improve productivity and effectiveness (engineering acceleration, customer support, sales enablement, risk analytics, and operations)Design and deliver internal training and enablement programs focused on AI capabilities, emerging technologies, and responsible usageCollaborate with Product and Go-To-Market teams to translate AI capabilities into differentiated offerings, compelling client value propositions, and revenue impactTeam Building & CultureBuild, mentor, and lead a high-performing AI organization, including ML engineers, data scientists, and applied AI practitionersFoster a culture of technical excellence, hands-on ownership, secure-by-design thinking, and continuous learningWhat Success Looks LikeProduction-grade AI capabilities delivering measurable impact on product differentiation, operational efficiency, and customer valueTrusted, regulator-aligned AI governance embedded across the organizationAI systems that are observable, auditable, reliable, and scalableA strong AI team operating with clear technical direction and business alignmentRequirements10+ years of experience across data science, machine learning, AI engineering, or applied AI roles, including 3+ years in senior leadership or executive capacityProven track record hands-on building and deploying AI/ML systems in production environmentsDeep expertise in modern AI/ML approaches, including LLMs, multimodal models, vector databases, ML pipelines, and distributed systemsExperience operating in regulated environments (fintech, banking, financial services, or enterprise SaaS)Strong understanding of data privacy, security architecture, and responsible AI frameworksAbility to translate complex technical concepts into clear business and customer valueExceptional communication, influence, and cross-functional leadership skillsPreferred QualificationsExperience with API-driven platforms, data connectivity products, or financial technology ecosystemsHands-on familiarity with RAG architectures, agentic workflows, and enterprise AI infrastructureExperience designing and delivering organizational AI enablement or training programCompany OverviewNinth Wave is a permission-based SaaS platform that delivers secure data connectivity to financial institutions, offering configurable controls, visibility, and insights into all connections between aggregators, third-party apps, and internal applications. Ninth Wave empowers financial institutions, enabling secure data exchange in a holistic and scalable open finance ecosystem.