Head of AI

Enable Impact at the Heart of Technology Development at BCD!

Head of AI (Remote)

Full time, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Spain

This is a rare opportunity to build and lead the AI capability of one of the world's largest travel management companies.

Reporting into senior technology leadership, you will define and execute BCD's enterprise AI strategy, establish our AI Centre of Excellence, shape the governance and technology architecture that will underpin future innovation, and ensure AI is embedded into real operational workflows across a global organization.

This is not an optimization role. It is a build-from-zero leadership opportunity for someone who combines startup energy, enterprise leadership and deep understanding of applied AI.

The Opportunity

At BCD, we believe AI must become part of how work gets done, not simply a collection of isolated pilots.

As Head of AI, you will:

• Set and own the enterprise AI strategy and multi-year roadmap, aligned to commercial and operational priorities
• Build and lead an AI Centre of Excellence: hire and develop engineers, solution architects, and enablement staff
• Define standards for model selection, prompt/agent design, evaluation, and responsible-AI/risk controls; own the shared AI platform strategy (including governance of the MCP/data layer)
• Act as the primary interface to the AI Leadership Council — reporting progress, and escalating risk or resourcing gaps
• Establish the embedded AI champion network: recruit, train, and manage the community of practice across Product & Tech, Client Ops, Sales, Finance and People
• Own vendor and partner relationships (model providers, platform vendors, systems integrators)
• Define and report enterprise-wide AI KPIs (productivity, adoption, ROI, risk incidents) to the executive team and board as needed
• Champion change management and training so adoption is measured in embedded workflow change, not pilot counts
• Enable enterprise wide engineering teams to imbed AI within the BCD suite of products, including Tripsource to deliver differentiated traveler experiences.
• Lead development, deployment and adoption of a new, enterprise AI-SDLC framework, inclusive of internal and partner based delivery centers.

You will be accountable for transforming AI from an emerging capability into a strategic business advantage. 

A Truly Global and Flexible Role

BCD operates across more than 100 countries with thousands of professionals supporting some of the world's most complex corporate travel programmes.

This role is fully remote and globally oriented.

You will work with leaders, practitioners, AI champions, technology teams and business stakeholders across multiple continents while helping define the future operating model of an AI-enabled enterprise.

A Strategic Success Role

Success in this role means:

• Building a world-class AI Centre of Excellence
• Embedding AI into core operational workflows
• Establishing a scalable AI platform and governance framework
• Driving measurable productivity gains and ROI
• Increasing enterprise-wide AI adoption
• Creating reusable capabilities that accelerate innovation across the company
• % of core operational processes with an active AI workflow embedded (not pilot-stage)
• Productivity gains (time saved, cost reduced) attributable to CoE-supported initiatives, tracked quarterly
• Employee AI adoption/training completion rates across spokes
• Platform reuse rate (initiatives built on shared infrastructure vs. one-off builds)

Who You Are

You bring:

• 10+ years of technology or digital transformation leadership experience
• 3+ years leading AI, machine learning or data science initiatives at enterprise scale
• Founder or early-stage startup experience required — proven ability to build new capability from zero within a fast-moving, resource-constrained environment
• Demonstrated experience standing up or scaling a CoE, platform team, or federated operating model in a large, multi-country organization
• Track record of translating AI initiatives into measurable productivity or revenue outcomes, not just proofs of concept
• Strong grasp of enterprise AI governance: data privacy, model risk, responsible AI, especially in a regulated or data-sensitive context
• Experience working with or overseeing agentic AI, LLM-based tooling, or integration frameworks (e.g., MCP)
• Executive presence: comfortable setting strategy with C-suite and travel/operations stakeholders alike
• Executive-level communication and stakeholder management capabilities

Most importantly, you know how to connect AI investment with measurable business outcomes. 

What We Offer

• Opportunity to architect the future of AI at BCD
• Executive visibility and influence
• Global impact at enterprise scale
• Remote-first working model
• Ability to build your own team and operating model
• Access to complex, high-value business challenges
• A culture that values innovation, ownership and experimentation

Why This Role Is Different

You will define the strategy, build the capability, recruit the team, shape the platform, influence executive decisions and leave a lasting mark on how a global company operates in the age of AI.

At BCD Travel, we work with highly motivated and passionate people. We value open communication, collaboration, and a flexible work-life balance. We offer unique, often global, experiences that empower you to develop and grow within the organization. Sustainability and helping others is also high on our list. We make a difference through charitable activities in our communities across the globe.

About us

BCD Travel helps companies travel smart and achieve more. We drive program adoption, cost savings and talent retention through digital experiences that simplify business travel. Our 15,000+ dedicated team members service clients in 170+ countries as we shape a sustainable future for business travel. BCD’s leading meetings and events management and global consultancy services complete our comprehensive suite of solutions for all aspects of corporate travel. In 2024, BCD achieved US$22.9 billion in sales. For more information, visit www.bcdtravel.com.

Get to know us by reading our blog and checking out our social media:

• https://www.bcdtravel.com/blog/
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/bcd-travel/
• https://www.instagram.com/bcdtravel/
• https://www.facebook.com/bcdtravel/

You’ll be offered

• Flexible working hours and work-from-home or remote opportunities
• Opportunities to grow your skillset and career
• Generous vacation days so you can rest and recharge
• A compensation package that feels fair to you, including mental, physical, and financial wellbeing tools
• Travel industry professional perks and discounts
• An inclusive work environment where diversity is celebrated

At BCD Travel, we value you—our culture and success are defined by our people. We carefully consider a wide range of objective, gender‑neutral compensation factors, including professional background, skills, experience, and role scope.

This position is advertised across multiple European locations. The expected annual gross salary ranges by country are as follows:

• Spain: 160,000 - 200,000 Euros Annually
• Netherlands: 160,000 - 200,000 Euros Annually

The final salary offered will ultimately depend on the candidate’s qualifications, experience, and location, and will be determined in line with internal equity.

We do not request salary history and are committed to equal pay in line with the EU Pay Transparency Directive.

Ready to join the journey? Apply now!

We’re dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace. If you’re excited about a role, but your experience doesn’t align perfectly, we still encourage you to apply.

We are committed to providing reasonable and necessary accommodations to ensure all employees can perform their roles effectively. For accommodation requests or further information, contact our Talent Acquisition department at careers@bcdtravel.com.

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