Chief Operating Officer (COO), for Citi’s firm-wide AI team

Key Responsibilities

• Partner with the Group Head of AI and the pillar leads to establish actionable team wide operating plans, OKRs, and KPIs for the Group AI organization.
• Drive end-to-end program execution across all seven AI pillars - from AI Strategy and Responsible AI through to the Core Platform, Agent Factory, and AI-First Development - ensuring delivery on time, within budget, and to required quality standards.
• Own the OM/AI workstream: design, refine, and continuously evolve the operating model for the new Group AI organization, including governance forums, decision rights, and cross-pillar coordination.
• Identify opportunities for process improvement and operational efficiencies across the AI development, deployment, and adoption lifecycle.
• Act as end-to-end owner of the Group AI budget and investment portfolio, in close partnership with Finance.
• Lead firm-wide AI ROI forecasting, financial benefits realisation, and quantified business case discipline across all pillars.
• Set financial targets, manage expense productivity, own the approval process for hiring and discretionary spend, and review monthly financials with the Group Head of AI to identify variances and corrective actions.
• Ensure efficient utilisation of AI infrastructure, compute, data, and vendor spend at global scale.
• Partner with HR to lead the workforce transformation agenda for the firm - including workforce impact modelling, reskilling, talent strategy, and organizational change required for an AI-first Citi.
• Lead the Group AI workforce management council and associated deliverables; own headcount planning, location strategy, and talent mobility within the Group AI organization.
• Champion a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and ownership across a global team operating in a regulated environment.
• Act as Chief of Staff to the Group Head of AI: run executive governance forums, leadership offsites, and cadence with the Board, regulators, and the Operating Committee.
• Provide central oversight of business-critical OKRs, milestone reporting, and executive dashboards to monitor the health of the AI portfolio.
• Establish and manage a robust governance framework for the tracking and realisation of strategic AI initiatives.
• Serve as the primary operating interface to the COO function, the Head of Tech & Business Enablement, Finance, HR, Risk, Legal, and the business-line COOs.
• Cultivate trusted, credible relationships with senior leaders across the firm; communicate progress, challenges, and successes to diverse audiences with tailored messaging.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of progressive leadership experience in Financial Services, including a senior COO, Chief of Staff, or Business Execution role driving strategy, transformation, or large-scale operational change in a regulated environment.
• Seasoned operator with proven success running Citi-scale, highly-matrixed transformation programs; able to set priorities and triage in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment.
• Strong financial acumen - credible partner to the CFO; demonstrated experience owning multi-hundred-million-dollar investment portfolios, P&L management, budgeting, and ROI realisation.
• Workforce and talent fluency - credible partner to the CHRO; track record on workforce transformation, talent strategy, and change management at scale.
• Disciplined execution and operational excellence — process-oriented, with experience applying structured methodologies to complex transformations.
• Technology and AI acumen - fluency in modern AI sufficient to challenge, prioritize, and translate; track record of partnering on technology-led transformation.
• Risk & Compliance awareness - comprehensive understanding of corporate governance, regulatory frameworks, and risk management in global banking.
• Influence & communication - excellent communication and interpersonal skills; able to influence at Board, regulator, and Operating Committee level.
• Low-ego integrator - the kind of leader whose presence quietly elevates every other executive in the room; bias to action; resilient under pressure.
• Bachelor's degree required, preferably in business, finance, or a related field.
• MBA or other advanced degree strongly preferred.