AI Strategy Leader, R&D

About the Role

We are seeking a visionary AI Strategy Leader to lead our organization’s AI journey in 2026 and beyond. In this pivotal role, you will translate cutting-edge AI trends—such as agentic and multi-agent systems, advanced reasoning frameworks, embodied/physical AI, mechanistic interpretability, efficient small models, and AI-driven scientific discovery—into practical, high-ROI strategies that drive competitive advantage, operational excellence, and sustainable growth. You will serve as the bridge between emerging technology, business objectives, and responsible deployment, ensuring AI initiatives deliver measurable impact while mitigating risks.

The Emerging Technology team’s contribution includes developing business cases and product roadmaps, sourcing and building key industry partnerships, driving proof of concept development, detailing competitive analysis, and monitoring AI advancements such as efficient models, multimodal AI, agentic security, physical AI, and AI ethics and governance. The team collaborates across Samsung Research America labs, including mobile, computer vision, artificial intelligence, 6G, next-generation communications, and digital health.

Responsibilities

• Create and maintain a multi-year AI roadmap aligned with business goals across consumer electronics, B2B services, health tech, and internal operations.
• Identify high-value use cases across functions (e.g., agentic orchestration and automation workflows, embodied/physical AI, efficient small models, inference-time scaling, or advanced reasoning for decision support) and make clear, evidence-based recommendations on what to pursue, defer, or ignore.
• Build compelling business cases for high-ROI AI initiatives: identify the opportunity, quantify the value, define success metrics, and secure executive sponsorship.
• Translate strategy into action by working with product, engineering, and data science teams to integrate AI into core workflows and products.
• Conduct structured pilots and proof-of-concepts; define clear go/no-go criteria and graduation paths from POC to enterprise deployment.
• Evaluate and negotiate with external AI vendors, platforms, and research partners to accelerate Samsung's capabilities.
• Stay at the forefront of AI research and market developments; evaluate emerging technologies for relevance and feasibility.
• Proactively develop governance frameworks that allow Samsung to move fast without creating unacceptable safety, legal, or reputational risk.
• Champion responsible AI practices, including bias mitigation, interpretability, regulatory compliance, data privacy, and environmental sustainability.
• Serve as a translator: make complex AI concepts accessible to non-technical executives and make business priorities concrete for technical teams.
• Mentor internal teams and help establish a culture where AI adoption is the default, not the exception; facilitate workshops and translate technical concepts into actionable business language.

What Success Looks Like

• 30 Days: Complete an AI maturity assessment. Identify 3–5 near-term quick-win opportunities and begin building relationships across key business units.
• 90 Days: Deliver a draft 12-month AI roadmap with prioritized initiatives, resource requirements, and success metrics. Present to C-suite with executive alignment.
• 12 Months: At least two AI initiatives moved from pilot to scaled deployment with documented ROI.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Business Administration, Engineering, or a related field or equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.
• 7+ years in AI strategy, digital transformation, technology consulting, or related roles, with proven success leading AI initiatives from strategy to measurable deployment.
• Demonstrated experience in at least two of the following: agentic systems, advanced reasoning techniques, multimodal/physical AI, or AI governance at enterprise scale.
• Strong AI/ML fluency — you can evaluate architectures, assess research, and challenge technical assumptions without writing production code yourself.
• Strong understanding of AI/ML concepts, architectures (e.g., transformers, RLVR), tools, and trends without needing to code production models. Hands-on prototyping experience is a plus.
• Exceptional at gap analysis, competitive intelligence, roadmap prioritization, and building data-driven business cases.
• Proven ability to influence executives, facilitate cross-functional teams, and present complex ideas clearly to non-technical audiences.
• Deep knowledge of AI safety, interpretability, bias mitigation, and regulatory landscapes.
• Highly curious, adaptable, systems-oriented, and results-driven; thrives in ambiguity and fast-paced environments.

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with AI evaluation frameworks, synthetic data, context engineering, or physical AI/robotics integration.
• Background in top-tier consulting (e.g., McKinsey, BCG, Accenture) or scaling AI at a tech-forward company.
• Familiarity with the product ecosystem of Samsung Electronics.

Pay

Base pay range for this role: $210,000 - $315,050 USD. Individual rates depend on factors including the role’s function and location, as well as the individual’s knowledge, skills, experience, education, and training. This is part of a comprehensive compensation package with annual bonus eligibility and generous benefits.

Schedule

This position will be performed in an office setting. The role requires sitting and standing at a desk, communicating in person and by telephone, and frequently operating standard office equipment, such as telephones and computers.