AI Innovation Lead - Horizon 3 AI Labs

Key Skills

Aartificial intelligence, Agile methodologies, Data science techniques, Leadership Skill, Machine learning techniques, Management, Presentation skills

Job Description

For Unilever to remain competitive in the future, the business needs to continue on the path to become data intelligent. The Data & Analytics team will persevere to make Unilever Data Intelligent, powering key decisions with data, insights, advanced analytics, and AI. Our ambition is to enable democratization of data, information and insights as ​a completely agile organization ​that builds fantastic careers for our people ​and is accountable for delivering great work ​that maximizes impact and delivers growth.

This Data & Analytics function endeavours to create clear accountability for all aspects of Data Strategy, Data Management, Information Management, Analytics, and Insights. We are accountable for impact of solutions, maintaining market relevance and minimising unnecessary overlaps in analytics products, ensuring simplicity and that our solutions better meet the needs of our users. We partner with the Digital and Data Legal Counsel to ensure that our Data Defence (Privacy, Governance, Quality, etc) is well structured and sufficiently robust to use data and AI correctly throughout the enterprise. We democratize information across the business, while supporting the culture shift required for data driven decision making.

Our vision is to make Unilever data intelligent, partnering with the business to power key decisions with data, advanced analytics and AI to accelerate growth. Our 5 strategies to achieve this are:

Accelerate & simplify access to relevant data, information and insights Build in-house, leading-edge data, information, insights & analytics capability Lead the data & insightsculture and careers to empower employees across Unilever Rapidly embed analytics products, solutions and services to drive growth Advance Information Automation at Scale

Who Are You And What You'll Do

As part of Unilever’s global Data and Analytics strategy, a global AI Innovation Hub is being set up in Toronto, with focus on accelerating Unilever’s advanced analytics agenda by creating a strong, sustainable and scalable AI Engine to unlock growth opportunities and ensure access to world class talent.

The role AI Innovation Team Lead (Associate Director) is a key leadership role in the Global AI/DS Hub responsible for leading and managing the AI Innovation Team in development and implementation of our breakthrough AI/ML products. Using their knowledge and expertise in deep machine learning and AI while considering the broader business context, the AI Innovation Team Lead will guide our AI engineers and data scientists to build innovative solutions based on external and internal research and best practices. This position will have a direct impact on accelerating the use of AI in Unilever and building a world class talent pipeline. The AI Innovation Lead focuses on forging strong business relations and partnership with key internal stakeholders, acting as an important enabler in providing visibility around the AI Hub capabilities and available talent. Externally, the role interacts with AI strategic partners, and works towards building a strong ecosystem with vendors, academia and startups focused on AI research, innovation and adoption. Reporting to the Head of AI Innovation Hub, the AI Innovation Lead will be part of the AI Hub Governance team and work closely with both governance and technical leadership to ensure project completion and successful delivery of all AI initiatives.

The hybrid role is based in Toronto with minimum international travelling.

Summary:

Leads AI innovation, focused on building and implementing breakthrough AI research and accelerating AI adoption in the organization

As a member of the AI Hub Leadership Team the AI Innovation Lead role’s main scope is:

Lead the design and development of breakthrough AI research and innovation for Unilever, becoming a key enabler in executing the AI Global Hub mandate to accelerating AI adoption in the business Build Unilever’s AI talent pipeline with focus on creating strong and sustainable internal teams that can engage and deliver with speed and quality, working closely with internal and external partners. Build leading edge innovation - working with internal talent and renowned, published leaders and academics in machine learning to further develop Unilever’s intellectual property in Ai and Machine Learning

• Additionally, organize, guide and align multiple hybrid teams (pods) in delivering measurable results

• The Ai Innovation Lead will attain a detailed understanding of the ‘end to end’ scope of the hub’s AI initiatives and areas of focus and will be at the center of tactical and operational function of the innovation teams.

• The Ai Innovation Lead will also be well placed to actively contribute to and help build the future strategic plans of Ai hub.

• This role is highly visible requiring the ability to work with and influence senior stakeholders externally and internally.

• Review solutions developed by team members to ensure they are efficient, scalable and resilient

• Maintain and expand knowledge of research and innovation and current technology through exposure to academia, research institutions, vendor community and strategic partners.

• Explore new sources of information to help uncover new business opportunities at all levels of the business (strategic to operational) with focus on AI areas.

• Lead experimentation design and development with focus on embedding innovation in existing and new D&A solutions for business impact.

• Work with and present to all management levels

• Maintain and expand knowledge of AI and technology trends through training opportunities

• Work in an agile environment and contribute to the improvement of our innovation processes

• Help develop partnerships with academic institutions and researchers to formulate collaborative research that aligns with Unilever’s innovation roadmap.

• Help maintain a network of partners in the private and public sectors.

• Collaborate across business units and Unilever global operations to help develop and execute on innovation projects that will lead to sustainable growth of the business.

• Support process of identifying grant funding opportunities for leveraging with Unilever’s investment and provide Ai/technical leadership in building grant/investment proposals.

What You'll Need to Succeed

• Post graduate degree and research experience from a technical discipline, preferably engineering or computer science with 8+ years of solid network and connections focused on industry R&D and adoption of AI, data science, and related technologies.

• Strong network in the innovation ecosystem and academic institutions in Canada and North America is an asset.

• Demonstrated ability and aptitude for developing relationships with industry, government, and strong understanding of developing industry-academic and industry-industry collaborative R&D projects.

• Ability to build relationships and work across multiple business units to drive project execution to completion.

• Experience in defining, developing, and monitoring KPIs to track the progress of innovation objectives across the enterprise.

• Experience in organizing and hosting design thinking workshops and events

• Knowledge of the product development cycle from ideation to commercialization and implementation across the enterprise

• Ability to juggle multiple priorities and a result driven individual.

• Experience in project management, especially Agile framework.

• Knowledge of the consumer-packaged goods sector is an asset.

Key interfaces

• AI Hub and D&A Leadership Team (esp. Data Science and AI Global Leads, HR Lead, Finance Business Partner, AI Hub Technology Leads)

• NA D&A Leadership Team and NA Uniops Leadership Team

• Key Business Stakeholders: NA, Global etc

• External Technology Partners, AI startups, Academia and Research Institutes etc.

Unilever Canada is an organization committed to diversity and inclusion to drive our business results and create a better future every day for our diverse employees, global consumers, partners, and communities. We believe a diverse workforce allows us to match our growth ambitions and drive inclusion across the business. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national or ethnic origin, marital status, family status, disability, genetic characteristics, and a conviction for which a pardon has been granted.

If you are an individual with a disability in need of assistance at any time during our recruitment process, please contact us at NA.Accommodations@unilever.comopens in a new window. Please note: These lines are reserved for individuals with disabilities in need of assistance and are not a means of inquiry about positions or application statuses.