Principal Data & AI Delivery Lead

Robusta Studio

Role Summary

A highly experienced senior leader with 10+ years in technology, specializing in data and AI. This role combines product management discipline with hands-on delivery leadership. The Principal Data & AI Delivery Lead will be accountable for assessing public sector digital initiatives, shaping execution strategy, aligning stakeholders, and leading cross-functional teams to deliver secure, testable, and measurable outcomes. Prior experience working with ministries or large public organizations is preferred but not required.

Core Responsibilities

• Initiative Assessment: Analyze problem statements, current systems, policy constraints, data readiness, and feasibility. Define target outcomes, KPIs, and success criteria.
• Product & Delivery Strategy: Translate policy goals into an executable product strategy, roadmap, and operating model. Prioritize scope using value, risk, and effort.
• Solution Architecture Oversight: Direct high-level data and AI architecture, integration patterns, and MLOps approach in collaboration with Solution and Data Architects.
• Execution Planning: Build delivery plans, resource models, and budgets. Sequence discovery, build, and pilot phases with clear exit criteria.
• Governance & Compliance: Ensure privacy, security, data governance, and accessibility are embedded by design. Align with national standards and audit requirements.
• Team Leadership: Lead Engineers, Data Scientists, Product Managers, Designers, and QA professionals. Set rituals, remove blockers, coach leads, and raise delivery quality.
• Stakeholder Management: Drive alignment with senior officials and partner vendors. Run steering routines and communicate trade-offs and decisions clearly.
• Testing & Piloting: Define test strategy, run controlled pilots, evaluate model and product performance, and plan scale-up.
• Value Realisation: Track benefits, adoption, and operational readiness. Oversee handover to operations with runbooks and training.
• Risk & Vendor Management: Identify risks early, maintain mitigation plans, and manage SOWs and acceptance criteria with third parties.