Director, Finance Technology, Automation & AI

WEX•Washington, DC

4d•Remote

About The Position

WEX is seeking a Director, Finance Technology and Automation to shape value-led roadmaps, redesign structures and ways of working, and enable finance leaders and team members with the skills, communications and change support needed to embed AI and automation into their daily operations. This role requires end-to-end ownership from ideation through deployment combining strategic program leadership, technical depth and operational execution. This role will drive global finance outcomes through strong cross-functional collaboration paired with the ability to think at the enterprise level and work deeply in systems, data and execution. The primary objective of this role is to deliver measurable gains in productivity, operational efficiency, and business value by strategically adopting and deploying process redesign, AI and automation solutions. This leader will champion AI and automation literacy, drive a culture of continuous improvement, establish governance frameworks, measure return on investment, and ensure initiatives align with long-term vision and risk standards.

Requirements

8-12 years of progressive experience in finance operations, FP&A, accounting or finance transformation with demonstrated hands-on automation delivery.
Deep understanding of AI tools, large language models, and automation platforms including machine learning fundamentals, and leading RPA platforms, combined with fluency in data automation tools and strategic application within a finance context.
Demonstrated expertise in architecting and deploying complex, multi-step AI-powered or automated workflows that seamlessly integrate diverse data sources and APIs.
Exceptional track record of owning and driving large-scale, high-impact operational initiatives, managing the full delivery lifecycle from strategic concept to sustained, optimized performance.
Proven success in leading, coaching, and mentoring technical and non-technical talent, demonstrated by the ability to cultivate a high-performing, future-ready team that actively drives continuous improvement and widespread adoption of transformative tools.
Deep understanding of core finance processes: month-end close, consolidation, reconciliation, variance analysis, financial reporting, budgeting, forecasting, treasury operations and familiarity with internal control frameworks.
Relentless ability to challenge the status quo and the "we’ve always done it this way" mentality to drive significant operational and cultural shifts.
Exceptional presence; able to articulate a technical vision to a non-technical audience.
You don't just create slides; you successfully build production-ready workflows that go live.

Nice To Haves

Experience with Workday Financials, Anaplan, Snowflake, or similar finance applications, particularly integration automation with these finance systems
Familiarity with regulated financial services environments (banking, payments or fintech)
Big 4 advisory experience in finance process automation as a foundation, with subsequent move to industry

Responsibilities

Architect the multi-year AI and automation strategy, defining a clear roadmap to drive measurable, sustained productivity gains across the global finance organization.
Design and operationalize the end-to-end structure, including talent development & deployment and streamlined workflow design, to ensure the successful and sustained delivery of scalable AI, automation and process redesign solutions.
Establish and lead a "Champions Network" and Communities of Practice across the global finance organization to accelerate adoption and scale self-sustaining AI, automation and continuous improvement capabilities.
Develop and execute an AI literacy strategy, equipping leaders and teams with knowledge of AI capabilities, risks and implementation best practices.
Drive operational efficiency and innovation by deploying targeted automation and process redesign to high-friction, high-value finance workstreams.
Lead the technical deployment of scalable AI-powered agents and automation solutions into core systems to structurally eliminate manual effort and deliver measurable efficiency.
Design and manage a sustainable use case intake and ROI prioritization framework that ensures the pipeline focuses on opportunities yielding the highest return.
Partner with finance leaders and stakeholders to align quarterly roadmaps, proactively resolve constraints, and secure the necessary resources for seamless deployment.
Define, track, and report quantifiable KPIs and financial and productivity performance outcomes.
Establish rigorous monitoring frameworks to track AI and automation reliability, task success rates, and compliance, ensuring stable and trustworthy decision-making within the financial ecosystem.
Establish robust Governance Frameworks and monitoring controls to ensure automated decisions are auditable, unbiased, and fully compliant with SOX, GAAP/IFRS, and global risk standards.
Lead the "upskilling" agenda by hosting high-impact workshops and training events to significantly improve AI and automation literacy across the entire global finance organization.
Conduct capability assessments, manage team engagement, and utilize recognition programs to drive widespread adoption of new AI, automation tools and workflows.
Attract, mentor, and develop a high-performing "strike team" of internal top talent and power users to build a permanent, self-sustaining Center of Excellence (CoE).