Head of AI Centre of Excellence
Salary: Competitive Plus Benefits
Location: London Store Support Centre and Home, London, EC1M 6HA
Contract type: Permanent
Business area: Marketing
Closing date: 12 February 2026
Requisition ID: 400048409
We’d all like amazing work to do, and real work-life balance. That’s waiting for you at Sainsbury’s. We’re one of the biggest supermarkets in the UK with one of the largest websites. So marketing here really happens at scale. We move a lot faster than you’d think too, across Brand Planning, Brand Comms and Creative, Digital Marketing, CRM and Loyalty, Nectar 360, Insights, and Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability. More people shopping with us each week means more interactions. And thanks to data insight, we understand customers in a way that almost nobody else does. We work alongside incredible brand partners and the best agencies around. So if you have a passion to learn, grow and experience new teams, come and explore it all with us.
About the Team
You will lead Sainsbury’s central AI Centre of Excellence (AI COE), a core function responsible for enabling safe, ethical, and value-driven AI adoption across the organisation. The AI COE works across all divisions, partnering closely with Product, Technology, Data & Analytics, Risk, Legal, and business teams. As Sainsbury’s progresses towards becoming an AI-native retailer, the team provides the governance, platforms, standards, and literacy required to embed AI responsibly at scale while delivering measurable commercial and customer value.
More About the Role
This is a senior leadership role accountable for operationalising Sainsbury’s enterprise AI strategy through the AI Centre of Excellence. You will translate strategic intent into practical frameworks, governance, and operating rhythms that enable business units to innovate with AI safely and at pace. The role owns AI governance and assurance, including oversight of the enterprise AI Register, ethical compliance, and alignment with regulatory expectations such as the UK and EU AI Acts. You will lead AI literacy and adoption programmes, partner with Engineering and Architecture on scalable AI platforms and MLOps standards, and govern responsible experimentation with emerging technologies including Generative AI. Success in this role is measured through adoption, compliance, value realisation, and cultural change across the organisation.
More About You
You are an experienced technology or data leader with a strong track record of operating at enterprise scale. You combine deep knowledge of AI and advanced analytics with pragmatic leadership, enabling you to balance innovation with governance and risk management. You are comfortable influencing senior stakeholders, shaping organisational culture, and leading through complexity and ambiguity. Your leadership style is inclusive and empowering, creating clarity, accountability, and confidence in how AI is developed and used across the business.
Essential Criteria
- Demonstrable leadership experience in AI, data, or technology within large, complex organisations.
- Experience of leading an AI based transformation or change across an organisation
- Proven experience establishing or leading a Centre of Excellence, preferably focused on AI or advanced analytics.
- Clear evidence of designing and implementing AI governance, assurance, and ethical frameworks.
- Working knowledge of enterprise AI/ML platforms, MLOps practices, and model lifecycle management.
- Proven ability to embed AI strategy across federated or cross-functional operating models and drive measurable adoption and value.
Desirable Criteria
- Academic background in a relevant field such as Computer Science, Data Science, AI, or Business.
- Proven experience establishing or leading a Centre of Excellence, preferably focused on AI or advanced analytics.
- Exposure to emerging AI technologies including Generative AI, agentic systems, or autonomous solutions.
- Experience operating in regulated or large-scale retail environments.
- Understanding of UK and EU AI regulatory landscapes and compliance requirements.
- Experience representing organisations externally on AI governance, standards, or innovation.
We are committed to being a truly inclusive retailer so you’ll be welcomed whoever you are and wherever you work. Around here, there’s always the chance to try something new — whether that’s as part of an evolving team or somewhere else across the business - and we take development seriously and promise to support you. We also recognise and celebrate colleagues when they go the extra mile and, where possible, offer flexible working. When you join our team, we’ll also offer you an amazing range of benefits. Here are some of them: Starting off with colleague discount, you'll be able to save 10% on your shopping online and instore at Sainsbury's, Argos, TU and Habitat, and we regularly increase the discount to 15% at points during the year. We've also got you covered for your future with our pensions scheme and life cover. You'll also be able to share in our success as you may be eligible for a performance-related bonus of up to 65% of salary, depending on how we perform (in cash and shares). Your wellbeing is important to us too. You'll receive an annual holiday allowance, and you can buy up to an additional week's holiday, and we provide private healthcare. We also offer other benefits that will help your money go further such as season ticket loans, cycle to work scheme, health cash plans, salary advance (where you can access some of your pay before pay day) as well access to a great range of discounts from hundreds of other retailers. You'll also receive a company car cash allowance unless you are going to travel 10,000 business miles in your role, then you'll be able to choose a car. And if you ever need it there is also an employee assistance programme. Moments that matter are as important to us as they are to you which is why we give up to 26 weeks’ pay for maternity or adoption leave and up to 4 weeks’ pay for paternity leave. Please see www.sainsburys.jobs for a range of our benefits (note, length of service and eligibility criteria may apply).
