Director of Operational AI

Every day, Global Payments makes it possible for millions of people to move money between buyers and sellers using our payments solutions for credit, debit, prepaid and merchant services.  Our worldwide team helps over 3 million companies, more than 1,300 financial institutions and over 600 million cardholders grow with confidence and achieve amazing results.  We are driven by our passion for success and we are proud to deliver best-in-class payment technology and software solutions.  Join our dynamic team and make your mark on the payments technology landscape of tomorrow. 

We are seeking a dynamic and hands-on Director of AI to lead the strategy, development, and implementation of artificial intelligence solutions across our global operations. This is a critical role, reporting to the Senior Director of Operational Enablement and Intelligence, with direct accountability for embedding AI into operational tooling, service workflows, reporting, and client enablement.

You will be responsible for identifying, prioritising, and delivering scalable AI solutions that enhance speed, transparency, and automation across our platforms and processes, including ServiceNow, client portals, and internal support systems.

This role will own the operational use of AI tools and models, including real-time performance monitoring, usage optimisation, and continuous improvement. It does not own the underlying technical maintenance, model tuning infrastructure, or platform upkeep, these responsibilities sit with the Technology Centre of Excellence, with whom this role will work very closely to ensure alignment, scalability, and operational effectiveness.

As this is a new function, the Director will also be responsible for building and growing the AI team, including defining the structure, hiring key talent, and fostering a strong delivery culture.

As proofs of concept (POCs) are delivered, the Director will take ownership of scaling successful initiatives, embedding them into core processes, measuring success, and ensuring a laser focus on operational effectiveness and business impact through automation and intelligence.

Key Responsibilities

AI Strategy & Leadership

• Define and own the global AI roadmap for Operations in alignment with strategic business goals

• Lead ideation and prioritisation of AI use cases across internal productivity, client support, service transparency, and real-time insights

• Set operational standards for AI usage across the organisation, including governance, quality, and adoption

• Establish a strong working model with the Technology CoE to ensure technical alignment, platform scalability, and secure deployment of AI solutions

• Act as a senior contributor to our strategic AI partnerships with AWS and IBM, two of our enterprise hyperscaler partners, helping to shape co-innovation opportunities and roadmap alignment

Solution Delivery & Operational Ownership

• Own the operational lifecycle of AI tools, including usage, performance monitoring, enhancement, and impact tracking

• Ensure AI tools remain fit for purpose, well adopted, and continuously delivering business value

• Collaborate with the Tech CoE for platform updates, infrastructure requirements, and model performance tuning

• Lead transition from POC to production, embed successful AI solutions into live operations, and drive adoption at scale

• Define and track KPIs that demonstrate measurable improvements in speed, cost, efficiency, or service quality

Team Development & Management

• Build and grow a high-performing AI team from the ground up, including analysts, product leads, and data science roles

• Define the team structure, hiring plan, and development pathways

• Foster a collaborative, outcomes-focused culture aligned to operational priorities

Stakeholder Engagement

• Act as the primary point of contact for AI in Operations, engaging leaders across Customer Operations, Tech, Risk, and Product

• Evangelise the value of AI across the organisation and lead adoption efforts

• Partner with regional teams in the UK, India, Poland, LATAM, and the US to identify global opportunities and local deployment plans

Required Skills & Experience

• Proven experience leading AI strategy and scaled delivery in an enterprise operations or services context

• Strong understanding of AI, ML concepts including LLMs, MCPs, NLP, process automation, and real-world deployments

• Demonstrated ability to convert operational challenges into scalable AI-enabled solutions

• Experience with tools and platforms such as ServiceNow, AWS Bedrock, Azure OpenAI, or equivalent enterprise solutions

• Familiarity working with or alongside hyperscalers such as AWS, IBM, Google Cloud, or Microsoft

• Ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on execution, particularly in a new or scaling team

• Strong stakeholder management, change leadership, and performance measurement skills

• Familiarity with data governance, model performance, and ethical AI standards

Desirable

• Experience with ITSM, CSM platforms and automation tooling

• Familiarity with regulated environments (e.g. financial services, payments, compliance requirements)

What You Will Bring

• A mindset for innovation and operational scalability

• Passion for metrics, insight, and customer experience

• Ability to translate technology into real-world value

• A collaborative approach to global leadership

• Energy to drive meaningful, measurable

Global Payments Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. Global Payments provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, veteran status, genetic information or any other basis protected by law. If you wish to request reasonable accommodations related to applying for employment or provide feedback about the accessibility of this website, please contact