Chief Operating Officer (COO), for Citi’s firm-wide AI team

Citi • New York, NY

8d • $250,000 - $500,000 • Onsite

About The Position

Citi is establishing a new, unified firmwide AI organisation under a newly created Group Head of Artificial Intelligence. This role, the COO for Group AI, will serve as the operational backbone of this new organization. As a critical partner to the Group Head of AI, this leader will drive strategic execution, own the operating model, manage the budget and ROI narrative, and partner with HR on workforce transformation. This is a C-16 mandate to establish and run the operating engine of a significant transformation in global financial services.

Requirements

• 15+ years of progressive leadership experience in Financial Services, including a senior COO, Chief of Staff, or Business Execution role driving strategy, transformation, or large-scale operational change in a regulated environment.
• Seasoned operator with proven success running Citi-scale, highly-matrixed transformation programs; able to set priorities and triage in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment.
• Strong financial acumen - credible partner to the CFO; demonstrated experience owning multi-hundred-million-dollar investment portfolios, P&L management, budgeting, and ROI realization.
• Workforce and talent fluency - credible partner to the CHRO; track record on workforce transformation, talent strategy, and change management at scale.
• Disciplined execution and operational excellence — process-oriented, with experience applying structured methodologies to complex transformations.
• Technology and AI acumen - fluency in modern AI sufficient to challenge, prioritise, and translate; track record of partnering on technology-led transformation. Deep technical expertise is not required, but genuine curiosity and conviction are.
• Risk & Compliance awareness - comprehensive understanding of corporate governance, regulatory frameworks, and risk management in global banking.
• Influence & communication - excellent communication and interpersonal skills; able to influence at Board, regulator, and Operating Committee level.
• Low-ego integrator - the kind of leader whose presence quietly elevates every other executive in the room; bias to action; resilient under pressure.
• Bachelor's degree required, preferably in business, finance, or a related field.

Nice To Haves

• MBA or other advanced degree strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Partner with the Group Head of AI and pillar leads to establish actionable team-wide operating plans, OKRs, and KPIs for the Group AI organization.
• Drive end-to-end program execution across all seven AI pillars, ensuring delivery on time, within budget, and to required quality standards.
• Own the operating model/AI workstream: design, refine, and continuously evolve the operating model for the new Group AI organization, including governance forums, decision rights, and cross-pillar coordination.
• Identify opportunities for process improvement and operational efficiencies across the AI development, deployment, and adoption lifecycle.
• Act as end-to-end owner of the Group AI budget and investment portfolio, in close partnership with Finance.
• Lead firm-wide AI ROI forecasting, financial benefits realization, and quantified business case discipline across all pillars.
• Set financial targets, manage expense productivity, own the approval process for hiring and discretionary spend, and review monthly financials with the Group Head of AI.
• Ensure efficient utilization of AI infrastructure, compute, data, and vendor spend at global scale.
• Partner with HR to lead the workforce transformation agenda for the firm, including workforce impact modeling, reskilling, talent strategy, and organizational change.
• Lead the Group AI workforce management council and associated deliverables; own headcount planning, location strategy, and talent mobility within the Group AI organization.
• Champion a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and ownership across a global team operating in a regulated environment.
• Act as Chief of Staff to the Group Head of AI: run executive governance forums, leadership offsites, and cadence with the Board, regulators, and the Operating Committee.
• Provide central oversight of business-critical OKRs, milestone reporting, and executive dashboards to monitor the health of the AI portfolio.
• Establish and manage a robust governance framework for the tracking and realization of strategic AI initiatives.
• Serve as the primary operating interface to the COO function, the Head of Tech & Business Enablement, Finance, HR, Risk, Legal, and the business-line COOs.
• Cultivate trusted, credible relationships with senior leaders across the firm; communicate progress, challenges, and successes to diverse audiences with tailored messaging.

Benefits

• medical, dental & vision coverage
• 401(k)
• life, accident, and disability insurance
• wellness programs
• paid time off packages, including planned time off (vacation), unplanned time off (sick leave), and paid holidays

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive