Vice President, AI Solutions Design (AIO)

Job PurposeReporting to the GM of AI Transformation Office (AIO), Asia, this role will drive the identification, design, and delivery of high-impact AI and Generative AI use cases across SMBC and Customers. This role sits within the AI Office (AIO) and focuses on translating business needs into practical, scalable AI solutions for both internal stakeholders and selected client-facing initiatives.The Vice President, AI Solutions Design will drive the identification, design, and delivery of high-impact AI and Generative AI use cases across SMBC and Customers. This role sits within the AI Office (AIO) and focuses on translating business needs into practical, scalable AI solutions for both internal stakeholders and selected client-facing initiatives.This is a business-led AI role, not a traditional IT infrastructure position. The successful candidate will work closely with business units, product teams, and internal/external technology partners to shape use cases, define solution approaches, and ensure successful hands-on delivery of AI solutions that create measurable business value.Key Responsibilities1. Business Needs Identification & Use Case DevelopmentPartner with business units to identify, assess, and prioritize AI opportunities aligned to strategic objectives.Conduct business analysis, value assessment, and feasibility evaluation for AI use cases.Translate business problems into clear AI solution concepts and implement roadmaps. Define success metrics, ROI, and adoption strategies.2. AI Solution Design & Hands-on DeliveryDesign practical AI and GenAI solutions including:Copilots and workflow automationKnowledge assistants and document intelligenceDecision support and analytics use casesCustomer and operations productivity solutionsWork hands-on with delivery teams to develop prototypes, pilots, and production implementations.Support activities such as prompt design, model selection, evaluation, and solution configuration.Ensure solutions are scalable, secure, and aligned to enterprise standards.3. Collaboration with Technology Teams & PartnersWork closely with internal IT, data, and platform teams to enable solution implementation.Collaborate with external vendors, system integrators, and client technology teams where applicable.Act as the functional bridge between business stakeholders and technical delivery teams.Support integration of AI solutions into existing business processes and systems.4. Internal & External EngagementSupport AI initiatives for internal transformation as well as selected client or partner-facing solutions.Facilitate workshops, ideation sessions, and use case discovery engagements.5. Governance & Responsible AIEnsure solutions comply with SMBC policies, regulatory expectations, and Responsible AI principles.Incorporate controls such as data governance, model transparency, human oversight, and risk management.Work with risk, compliance, IT, security and model governance teams during solution implementation.Qualifications & ExperienceBachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Statistics, Engineering, Data Science, or related field.10+ years of experience in AI, digital transformation, or technology consulting roles with strong business engagement.Proven hands-on experience delivering AI or Generative AI solutions from use case definition through implementation.Practical experience with:LLM-based applications (RAG, copilots, automation, knowledge assistants)Prompt engineering and model evaluation AI solution prototyping and deployment on enterprise platforms (e.g., Azure OpenAI, AWS, or similar)Experience working closely with business stakeholders to translate requirements into deployed solutions.Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams including IT, data, and external vendors.Certifications (Required / Strongly Preferred) - Relevant AI or cloud certifications such as: Microsoft Azure AI Engineer / Azure OpenAIAWS Machine Learning SpecialtyGoogle Professional Machine Learning EngineerEquivalent recognised AI/GenAI certificationsPreferred: Experience in banking, financial services, or other regulated industries. Experience in consulting or client-facing solution development. Familiarity with Responsible AI, model risk, and regulatory considerations.Key Competencies:Strong business analysis and problem-solving capabilityAbility to translate business needs into practical AI solutionsHands-on delivery mindset with execution focusStakeholder management and communicationCollaborative approach across business, IT, and external partnersOutcome-driven with focus on measurable value