Senior Director, AI, Data and Technology Innovation

Who We Are:
At Brooks, we believe movement is the key to feeling more alive. That’s why we’re driven to create gear and experiences that take people to the place that makes them feel more alive — whether it’s a headspace, a feeling, or a finish line.  Everyone who works at Brooks is propelled by a company culture that sparks excitement, fuels collaboration, inspires creativity, and ignites innovation. Our brand values help bond us together and drive our success:  ·      Runner First We act in the best interest of the runner·       Word is Bond  We do what we say we’ll do ·       Champion Heart We give our all in everything we do·      There is no “I” in RunWe stay generous with our humanity ·       Keep MovingWe find ways to move every day, because joy is kinetic!  We welcome everyone from every walk of life looking to inspire others through the power of movement — because we’re all moving towards something. Let’s run there.   
Your Job: Your role as the Senior Director, AI, Data and Technology Innovation involves leading the evolution of AI, data, and technology innovation strategies to align with business goals. This includes collaborating with executive leadership to evolve our overall AI strategy to drive Brooks’ business forward through employee productivity assistant as well as new solutions for our runners. You will prioritize AI initiatives that deliver significant business value, championing the technology innovation program to provide time and space to solve business problems with new ideas, and directing the data and analytics program to ensure the right strategies, platforms, tools, and capabilities are in place to enable the business goals. You will champion the culture change along with other senior leaders regarding the value of AI and data for Brooks’ business strategy.
You will also develop an internal AI engineering strategy, championing the enterprise data governance program, and establishing KPIs to measure the success of initiatives. You will partner with peer technology leaders to ensure internal developed AI solutions as well as AI embedded in 3rd party solutions deliver on the business goals for the organization. Also, ensuring AI governance and critical security frameworks are in place to operationalize this technology responsibly. 
Responsibilities: Strategic Leadership and Execution

• Lead Brook's AI, data, and technology innovation strategies to align with the business goals
• Collaborate with executive leadership to identify and prioritize AI and data initiatives that deliver significant business value
• Champion the technology innovation program to provide a process and capacity to execute new ideas and collaborate with partners to find novel solutions to support the runner
• Direct the data and analytics program to ensure the right data strategies, platforms, tools, and capabilities are enabled for the business
• Develop our internal AI engineering strategy and incorporate it into the appropriate programs and functions including but not limited to Data and Analytics and Innovation
• Lead the overall execution of the data governance program to enable cross functional collaboration and alignment and ensure data quality is maintained in the enterprise
• Define and champion the overall roadmaps for analytics, AI, data governance and technology innovation under this area of responsibility
• Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the success and impact of AI, data, and innovation initiatives
• Accountable for successful delivery of projects in the portfolio of area responsible, ensuring timely delivery and alignment with business objectives
• Continuously assess and improve the effectiveness of AI and data strategies

AI and Data Governance

• Responsible for the AI Governance Council to champion responsible AI principles and risk management frameworks ensuring security frameworks are defined and used internal or with 3rd party partners for responsible AI use
• Ensure the integration of AI and data governance practices into business processes and decision-making

Data and Analytics and AI Engineering

• Responsible for the Data and Analytics program for Brooks, including the technology tools, services, platforms, and capabilities to enable the high-quality data to support Brooks business strategies
• Responsible for developing the AI Engineering practice for Brooks where applicable in support of internally developed solutions leveraging AI, ML, and generative AI to meet business needs

Technology Innovation Program

• Responsible for the Technology Innovation Program for Brooks inside IT as well as partnering with business stakeholders to drive forward innovative ideas and POCs
• Foster a culture of innovation by encouraging collaboration and experimentation across IT and into the business teams
• Manager a portfolio of business-driven innovation initiatives, ensuring alignment with the organization's strategic vision
• Responsible for understanding industry technology trends, vendors and solutions and how to apply them to the Brooks organization to solve key business needs

Cross-Functional Influence and Alignment

• Champion and act ads a key sponsor for enterprise cross-functional initiatives representing AI, Data and Technology Innovation to influence stakeholders and drive team POV throughout the approval process
• Create clarity around shared company goals through integrated department plans
• Provide insight and expertise to executive leadership on critical business decisions impacting the brand and/or financial performance
• Build partnerships and alignment with cross-divisional partners to implement AI, Data, and Technology Innovation strategies and achieve company targets
• Represent Brooks at industry events and conferences to stay abreast of emerging trends and best practices
• Lead and communicate novel ideas into the organization by executing on change management efforts to influence the hearts and minds of team members to shift to new ways of working

People Leadership

• Demonstrate strong leadership skills rooted in Brooks leadership principles
• Promote Brooks' Core Cultural Values: Responsible for team culture and keeping a pulse on morale to proactively address any concerns, utilizing the findings of Cultural Strengths Surveys to build successes and prioritize and create a plan for opportunities
• Demonstrate the ability to lead function(s) not in your area of expertise
• Lead AI, Data, and Technology Innovation through changing business conditions and uncertainty
• Prioritize people investment as much as business management by building a collaborative, open, trusting environment for employees and creating a culture of authentic recognition and giving thanks
• Regularly check in and assess team morale, asking for feedback from employees and partnering with IT leadership and/or HR to address any concerns
• Model leadership behavior across the organization and build leadership capability across the team
• Provide mentorship and professional development opportunities to team members
• Promote a collaborative and inclusive work environment that values diverse perspectives

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, or a related field or equivalent combination of experience. Advanced degree (Master's or Ph.D.) preferred.
• 15+ years of experience in AI, data analytics, and innovation roles
• 9+ years of experience in directing, managing and developing high performance teams
• Experience executing complex change management in shift teams into new ways of working
• Certification in AI, data science, or related fields preferred
• Proven track record in AI technologies, data (including data governance), and analytics
• Proven track record of successfully leading and delivering complex AI and data projects
• Proven leadership capabilities to supervise a team and lead strategic business objectives with a proven ability to prioritize workload and manage short-term and long-range projects
• Knowledge of industry best practices and emerging trends in AI and data analytics
• Strong understanding of Data and Analytics platforms (Snowflake, Amperity) and tools (FiveTran, Apache Airflow, Astronomer)
• Strong teammate, successful collaborator, ability to influence, motivate and mentor others
• Excellent strategic thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills
• Strong understanding of ML/AI/generative AI/agentic AI products, platforms
• Experience leading a technology innovation program that focuses on solving key business needs
• Experience with marketing technology stacks (e.g., CDPs, DAMs, CMS) and product development tools (e.g., PLM, PIM)
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and engage stakeholders at all levels
• Experience in managing cross-functional teams and fostering a culture of innovation
• Demonstrated ability to develop highly productive relationships with individuals and teams that are made up of diverse disciplines and cultural backgrounds resulting in effective working relationships across the company
• Curious and open-minded; always up for a challenge, inventive and creative with ability to challenge the status quo- always looking at improving our people, products and processes while also displaying a willingness to dive into the details
• Detail oriented and strong organizational and time management skills are a must
• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to work in a fast-paced, changing environment, anticipating and resolving problems in a timely manner
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, with an advanced ability to communicate concisely and functional expertise within project teams and to external stakeholders
• Strong storytelling, presentation and communication skills, including meeting facilitation
• Leverage and experiment with AI productivity tools to assist in work completion
• Embraces and lives the Brooks values