Applied AI Director

We're looking for an Applied AI Director who thinks like a strategist, operates like an entrepreneur, and executes like a practitioner. This is a hands-on leadership role at the intersection of business, technology, and AI. You will drive commercial growth, help reinventing how to create value, define, create and deliver AI-powered solutions, build world-class teams, and establish market leadership.

This position offers a hybrid work setup with flexibility to work from UK, Ireland, Netherlands, Germany or Switzerland and occasional office visits required. At EPAM, we help organizations move from AI experimentation to business transformation. We combine deep engineering expertise, AI innovation, and industry knowledge to help clients identify high-impact opportunities, shape AI-driven strategies, build production-ready solutions, and scale them across the enterprise to deliver measurable business results.

Responsibilities

Act as a trusted advisor to C-suite and board-level stakeholders on agentic transformation within your industry domain Define and drive AI strategies for clients, applying practical knowledge of generative AI and agentic systems to validate assumptions, challenge flawed thinking and guide business decisions Conduct discovery and ideation activities that transform complex business challenges into prioritized AI opportunities with a clear path to value Drive enterprise AI adoption by identifying high-impact use cases, quantifying business value and leading the organizational change needed for sustainable outcomes Lead cross-functional teams across engineering, data, design and business functions from concept through production and adoption Grow EPAM's Applied AI practice by contributing to talent development, commercial performance and market positioning Originate and convert enterprise opportunities by shaping engagements, building business cases and leading presales activities with account and sales teams Track industry, market and competitive developments to help shape client strategy and EPAM go-to-market initiatives Mentor consultants, specialists and client stakeholders while helping build AI capabilities across the practice Requirements Industry SME : 5+ years' experience within 1 of Banking, Financial Services, Insurance, Healthcare, Life Sciences, Energy or Utilities, including responsibility for business performance, operating models or transformational initiatives Deep industry expertise with a strong understanding of business drivers, regulatory environments, unit economics and competitive dynamics within your sector Hands-on expertise in generative AI and agentic systems, including large language models, multi-agent orchestration frameworks, leading AI platforms and hyperscaler ecosystems such as AWS, Azure or Google Cloud Proven experience deploying AI solutions into production, with the ability to explain how solutions delivered value, where challenges emerged and how they were addressed Executive stakeholder management experience working with senior, C-suite and board-level leaders to drive AI adoption and large-scale organizational change Commercial acumen across revenue, margin, utilization, opportunity development, business case creation and engagement growth Transformation leadership mindset focused on reimagining business models, operating models and value creation through applied AI rather than incremental optimization Strong perspective on the role of agentic AI within your industry, including where AI can create competitive advantage and where human judgment remains critical Practical expertise in at least one specialty area, including AI governance and responsible AI, agentic evaluation frameworks, conversational AI, voice AI or token economics and cost modeling Nice to have Experience deploying AI solutions in production environments Knowledge of AI governance, responsible AI or risk management frameworks Experience with conversational AI, voice technologies or multi-agent systems Familiarity with AWS, Microsoft Azure or Google Cloud AI services Experience contributing to thought leadership, market analysis or industry-focused go-to-market activities