Senior Director, AI Transformation and Adoption

Title: Senior Director, AI Transformation

Type: Direct Hire

Salary: $185-$205K with bonus structure

Visa: Must be a United States Citizen or GC Holder

Location: 100% remote, based out of Brooklynn

Optomi, in partnership with a leader in the Educational space, is seeking a Senior Director - AI Transformations to join their growing team!

Role Purpose

• Internal AI champion and consultant driving automation and AI adoption across SG&A functions
• Separate from the main Business Systems (BS) function — meant to operate in a more agile, experimental way
• BS will continue managing large platform projects; this team focuses on rapid prototyping, testing, and iterating

Team Structure

• This leader + 3 open reqs: 2 technical BAs and a tech lead
• Potential to grow but unclear how large it becomes long-term

Core Responsibilities

• Gather AI ideas and opportunities from across the business
• Propose solutions and prioritize initiatives with multiple stakeholders
• Work with AI engineering team to evaluate build vs. buy decisions
• Implement AI add-ons for platforms like Salesforce and NetSuite
• Support engineering and product teams already leveraging AI for productivity
• Drive enterprise-wide AI deployment

What Makes Someone Strong Here

• Strong business acumen — understands the "why" behind the technology
• Tactical and strategic — rare combo; can lead and also do
• Experience leading transformation (cloud to SaaS transitions cited as a good analog)
• Excellent negotiator and collaborator — this role will create friction with the more structured BS function
• Can translate business needs into technical solutions across diverse stakeholders
• Has been in a real leadership seat, not just individual contributor

What you’ll like:

1. You're building something new. This isn't a maintenance role — Client is standing up a dedicated AI transformation function separate from their core IT org. You'd be the first leader in, shaping how the team operates, what they prioritize, and how AI gets adopted across the business.

2. It's equal parts strategic and hands-on. They need someone who can sit with a business leader, diagnose where AI can drive value, and then actually get it built — whether that's a custom solution or a Salesforce add-on. Pure strategists haven't worked out; they want someone who can show their work with real examples.

3. You have to be comfortable with friction. This team will operate differently than the rest of IT, which is more structured. The right person sees that as an opportunity, not a problem — they're a natural negotiator who can bring skeptical stakeholders along.