Director, Enterprise AI

Proofpoint•Sunnyvale, CA

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director of Enterprise AI is a strategic, visionary leader responsible for defining, scaling, and operationalizing the company’s enterprise AI strategy. This role accelerates business transformation by embedding AI, automation, and intelligent workflows across functions—including operations, product, engineering, HR, finance, marketing, legal, etc. You will shape the enterprise AI roadmap, drive adoption of AI solutions and agents, and influence business leaders toward an AI‑first mindset. As a senior technology leader, you will partner deeply across process owners, engineering, IT, data, and product teams to implement high‑impact AI solutions and ensure responsible enablement. This role requires a unique blend of strategic leadership , hands‑on technical fluency , ability to scale AI operations , and enterprise‑level stakeholder management.

Requirements

5–10+ years in technology, innovation, data, or transformation roles, with 2 – 5+ years directly in AI/ML, automation, or enterprise‑scale AI leadership.
Proven success creating and executing enterprise AI strategies that deliver measurable value.
Experience operationalizing AI/ML products and scaling them across large or complex organizations.
Experience with business process engineering, workflow automation, or intelligent systems.
Demonstrated experience with enterprise integrations (e.g., REST APIs, SaaS platforms, internal data systems).
Executive presence with the ability to influence, communicate, and collaborate across all levels.
Strong analytical mindset, with experience defining and tracking metrics and ROI.
Familiarity with modern AI technologies (generative AI, agentic AI, MCP’s, etc.)
Experience building AI agents, prototypes or workflows
Experience with enterprise LLM platforms like Microsoft Copilot, OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.
Knowledge of cloud‑native environments, modern data platforms, and enterprise SaaS ecosystems.
Track record leading strategic, multi‑quarter cross‑functional initiatives.
Ability to drive adoption of new technologies and lead organizations through transformation.
Strong communication, facilitation, and stakeholder‑management skills.
Demonstrated ability to build, develop and grow technical teams
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Data Science, AI/ML, Mathematics, or a related technical field required.

Nice To Haves

Master’s or advanced degree preferred.

Responsibilities

Enterprise AI Strategy & Leadership Define, evolve, and champion the enterprise AI strategy and roadmap.
Collaborate with functional and business unit leaders to develop tailored AI strategies that accelerate priority business objectives.
Communicate and evangelize AI’s potential across the enterprise to foster adoption and responsible enablement.
Serve as a trusted advisor to executives and senior leadership on AI, automation, and emerging technologies.
AI Adoption, Enablement & Governance Lead enterprise‑wide AI adoption, including pilots, training, scaling, and change management.
Build and enhance AI enablement programs, governance frameworks, and responsible AI guardrails.
Oversee ethical, compliant, and secure deployment of AI solutions in partnership with Legal, Security, Compliance, and Data Governance.
Solution Development & Technical Execution Build and lead teams to design, prototype, and deploy AI agents, intelligent workflows, and automation solutions.
Guide integration of AI systems with enterprise tools, SaaS platforms, and internal data systems via APIs and scalable architectures.
Conduct vendor evaluations, help make build‑vs‑buy recommendations and manage strategic AI technology partnerships.
Evaluate emerging AI technologies, automation tools and workflow platforms to identify opportunities for business value and operational improvement.
Process Transformation & Operational Excellence Lead cross‑functional initiatives to redesign and optimize business processes using AI and automation.
Operationalize AI products from pilot through full production, ensuring scalability and adoption.
Measurement & Reporting Define value-driven metrics, performance tracking frameworks, success criteria, and effectively communicate business impact of AI initiatives.
Deliver transparent reporting to executive leadership on AI adoption, governance, and performance.
Team Leadership Recruit, lead, and develop a multidisciplinary team spanning AI strategy, business engagement, automation engineering, and enablement.
Act as a player‑coach, fostering a culture of technical depth, experimentation, and continuous improvement focused on user experience, business enablement and operational excellence.