Senior Director - AI

Callaway Golf•Carlsbad, NM

About The Position

ABOUT THE BRAND: Callaway Golf is the leading manufacturer of premium golf clubs, balls, performance gear and accessories worldwide. Through an unwavering commitment to innovation, we push the limits of performance and create demonstrably superior products designed to make every golfer a better golfer. Our company is a blend of experience and diverse backgrounds, and together we look to move the game forward, and we want top-notch people to join us in that mission! By joining Callaway Golf, you also join part of the portfolio of brands within Topgolf Callaway Brands, an unrivaled tech-enabled Modern Golf and active lifestyle company delivering leading golf equipment, apparel, and entertainment, with a portfolio of global brands including Topgolf, Callaway Golf, TravisMathew, Toptracer, Odyssey, OGIO, Jack Wolfskin, and World Golf Tour (“WGT”). “Modern Golf” is the dynamic and inclusive ecosystem that includes both on-course and off-course golf. For more information, please visit https://www.topgolfcallawaybrands.com ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Accelerates AI-driven innovation and transformation by building and maintaining a vision for how AI will drive value aligned with strategic objectives by working with C-level executives and Callaway employees. Fosters collaboration and bridges departmental gaps to develop cross-organizational and functional alignment in accordance with the enterprise AI vision. Establishes an internal and external AI ecosystem, building working relationships with vendors, partners, research institutes, regulators, industry associations, and other external stakeholders. Establishes a world-class AI strategy and organization that aligns with the company’s overarching enterprise vision, including goal setting and measuring AI initiatives. Defines the operating model and delivery capabilities to engineer and operationalize AI initiatives, overseeing the development and execution of advanced AI products and solutions, ensuring their scalable and seamless integration across the organization. Chairs the AI governance board. Evolves responsible AI policies and governance programs to address AI’s unique regulatory and compliance requirements — especially data usage, model explainability, fairness, and privacy — while ensuring appropriate audit controls and adherence to ethical mandates. Establish effective collaboration between security, risk, compliance, legal, ethics, safety, and other stakeholders to rapidly adapt practices, as necessary. Manages the AI portfolio, overseeing the allocation of resources for both current AI portfolios and long-term AI foundational capabilities. Establishes transparent AI portfolio evaluation and management practices to estimate, measure, and foster accountability for business value and ROI of AI initiatives. Fosters and cultivates AI literacy across the enterprise, leading transformation efforts and developing change management programs. Leads the strategy and creation of heuristics for building, buying, and blend decisions. Stewards AI architecture and the selection of AI platforms and technologies. TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES The AI Leader understands business objectives and goals; has industry domain expertise and knowledge of AI concepts, methods, and techniques; and exhibits exceptional interpersonal and leadership skills, including: Business and financial acumen: Understand business concepts, practices, and business-domain language deeply enough to engage in problem-solving sessions and discuss business issues in stakeholder language. Align AI initiatives with the organization's overarching vision, strategic goals, current market circumstances, and competitor activities. This includes understanding how AI will impact business objectives beyond financial metrics. AI-driven business transformation: Understand how decision intelligence, agentic AI, and other AI practices/approaches/application areas can transform decision making and work practices. Articulate AI's transformative impact on current and future business objectives, including its potential to drive new business models, regenerate existing workflows, optimize operations, and deliver measurable value based on key performance indicators (KPIs). ● AI industry knowledge: Leverage a comprehensive understanding of industry dynamics and the organization's core mission to pinpoint where AI can yield the most significant impact and competitive advantage, while also identifying relevant business risks and opportunities, including how AI can disrupt or extend existing business models. Communication and influence: Bridge communication gaps and foster cross-functional synergy to align AI initiatives seamlessly across diverse business units and functions, ensuring maximum value realization, minimizing conflicting implementations, and effectively communicating complex AI topics to various stakeholders. Regulatory and compliance: Familiar with regulatory requirements and relevant data protection laws and regulations, such as the EU AI Act, GDPR, and CCPA, and industry-specific standards. Leadership: Proven track record of applying and orchestrating AI throughout an organization, leading complex, multidisciplinary talent teams in new endeavors and delivering solutions. Ability to balance team and individual responsibilities, build teams and consensus, get things done through others not directly under their supervision, and work ethically and with integrity. Be a self-starter with an entrepreneurial spirit that thrives in dynamic environments, able to build teams, execute influence strategies, and advance ideas.

Requirements

The AI Leader understands business objectives and goals; has industry domain expertise and knowledge of AI concepts, methods, and techniques; and exhibits exceptional interpersonal and leadership skills, including:
Business and financial acumen: Understand business concepts, practices, and business-domain language deeply enough to engage in problem-solving sessions and discuss business issues in stakeholder language. Align AI initiatives with the organization's overarching vision, strategic goals, current market circumstances, and competitor activities. This includes understanding how AI will impact business objectives beyond financial metrics.
AI-driven business transformation: Understand how decision intelligence, agentic AI, and other AI practices/approaches/application areas can transform decision making and work practices. Articulate AI's transformative impact on current and future business objectives, including its potential to drive new business models, regenerate existing workflows, optimize operations, and deliver measurable value based on key performance indicators (KPIs).
AI industry knowledge: Leverage a comprehensive understanding of industry dynamics and the organization's core mission to pinpoint where AI can yield the most significant impact and competitive advantage, while also identifying relevant business risks and opportunities, including how AI can disrupt or extend existing business models.
Communication and influence: Bridge communication gaps and foster cross-functional synergy to align AI initiatives seamlessly across diverse business units and functions, ensuring maximum value realization, minimizing conflicting implementations, and effectively communicating complex AI topics to various stakeholders.
Regulatory and compliance: Familiar with regulatory requirements and relevant data protection laws and regulations, such as the EU AI Act, GDPR, and CCPA, and industry-specific standards.
Leadership: Proven track record of applying and orchestrating AI throughout an organization, leading complex, multidisciplinary talent teams in new endeavors and delivering solutions. Ability to balance team and individual responsibilities, build teams and consensus, get things done through others not directly under their supervision, and work ethically and with integrity. Be a self-starter with an entrepreneurial spirit that thrives in dynamic environments, able to build teams, execute influence strategies, and advance ideas.
Preferably a bachelor’s or master’s degree in business administration, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM); computer science; artificial intelligence; data science; information systems or related field; or equivalent work experience. Academic qualifications or professional training and experience in legal and regulatory areas are also desirable.
10 to 15 years of business experience, ideally in business management or information or technology management, recently at or near the executive level, and ideally with some independent P&L responsibilities.
Five or more years of progressive leadership experience leading cross-functional and multidisciplinary teams, defining and leading enterprise-wide programs/initiatives, operating and influencing effectively across the organization, and within complex contexts.
Three or more years of AI experience in information-intensive industries or digitally advanced enterprises.
Experience innovating and developing new channels, business models, or business transformations.
Experience fostering enterprise change and leading technology-led transformation programs.

Nice To Haves

Experience in strategy and management consulting, as well as in multiple industries, and vertical industry knowledge, is desirable.

Responsibilities

Accelerates AI-driven innovation and transformation by building and maintaining a vision for how AI will drive value aligned with strategic objectives by working with C-level executives and Callaway employees.
Fosters collaboration and bridges departmental gaps to develop cross-organizational and functional alignment in accordance with the enterprise AI vision.
Establishes an internal and external AI ecosystem, building working relationships with vendors, partners, research institutes, regulators, industry associations, and other external stakeholders.
Establishes a world-class AI strategy and organization that aligns with the company’s overarching enterprise vision, including goal setting and measuring AI initiatives.
Defines the operating model and delivery capabilities to engineer and operationalize AI initiatives, overseeing the development and execution of advanced AI products and solutions, ensuring their scalable and seamless integration across the organization.
Chairs the AI governance board.
Evolves responsible AI policies and governance programs to address AI’s unique regulatory and compliance requirements — especially data usage, model explainability, fairness, and privacy — while ensuring appropriate audit controls and adherence to ethical mandates.
Establish effective collaboration between security, risk, compliance, legal, ethics, safety, and other stakeholders to rapidly adapt practices, as necessary.
Manages the AI portfolio, overseeing the allocation of resources for both current AI portfolios and long-term AI foundational capabilities.
Establishes transparent AI portfolio evaluation and management practices to estimate, measure, and foster accountability for business value and ROI of AI initiatives.
Fosters and cultivates AI literacy across the enterprise, leading transformation efforts and developing change management programs.
Leads the strategy and creation of heuristics for building, buying, and blend decisions.
Stewards AI architecture and the selection of AI platforms and technologies.