Director, AI Innovation

About the role

The Director of AI Innovation will lead the development and deployment of AI tools across Anchour’s business, from client work to internal operations. Reporting to the VP of Growth, this role will drive strategic decisions on AI investments, foster adoption among the team, and ensure ethical and secure use of AI.

Responsibilities

• Set the vision and roadmap for AI at Anchour, deciding what to build, how to prioritize, and the standards for the team.
• Build and deploy AI-driven workflows and automations across business development, client services, creative operations, and the back office.
• Develop AI-driven capabilities for prospecting, proposals, and client work, and create new offerings clients will pay for.
• Drive adoption of AI tools across the team, ensuring 40+ people are confidently using them every day.
• Own responsible use of client data, protect confidential work, and make decisions about what goes into models.
• Measure what’s working, track improvements in quality, speed, and output, and cut what doesn’t earn its place.
• Partner with the Technical Lead and development team on the product roadmap, translating agency needs into durable, scalable software.

Requirements

• Hands-on AI experience, deploying tools and automations in a working business and driving measurable change across teams.
• A builder's instinct, able to prototype, build automations, and prompt with skill, and hold your own with a dev team.
• A sharp, current point of view, reading the AI space well and moving fast from insight to implementation.
• Real technical foundations, prototyping fast but building on solid ground, fluent in modern web frameworks, APIs, and version control.
• A senior presence, comfortable with a CEO and configuring workflows, translating technical possibilities into outcomes a creative, business-minded team cares about.
• Adoption and enablement skills, teaching, documenting, and getting people using what you build.
• Judgment on risk and data, understanding security, confidentiality, and IP questions related to AI, and making smart calls about client data.
• Agency or marketing fluency, experience in an agency, marketing, or creative environment, especially in verticals like DTC, CPG, or financial services.
• A self-directed style, seeing the work and moving it, communicating before being asked, partnering across creative, media, account, and operations, and taking the work seriously, not yourself.

Qualifications

• Experience in a senior leadership position within an agency or similar environment.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and drive innovation.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, able to bridge technical and creative teams.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and meet deadlines.
• Passion for AI and a deep understanding of its applications in business and creative environments.

Skills

• AI and machine learning expertise, including experience with relevant frameworks and tools.
• Technical proficiency in web development, API usage, and version control systems.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts into actionable strategies.
• Excellent project management and organizational skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a hybrid remote/hybrid office setting.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and profit sharing.
• Hybrid work flexibility with regular in-office days and remote work options.
• Retirement savings plan with a 4% company match.
• Premium insurance, including health, dental, vision, and life insurance with generous coverage.
• Home office setup, laptop reimbursement, and equipment allowance.
• Paid holidays, time off, leaves, and flexible summer Fridays.
• Lifelong learners fund and baby bonding bucks.

Pay

Competitive salary and profit sharing.

Schedule

This is a hybrid role based out of our Maine headquarters, with flexibility for remote work. Maine-based applicants are preferred.