AI Practice & Innovation Lead - M&G plc.

Our purpose is to give everyone real confidence to put their money to work. With a heritage dating back more than 175 years, we have a long history of innovation in savings and investments, combining asset management and insurance expertise to offer a wide range of solutions. Our two distinct operating segments, Asset Management and Life, work together to provide access to balanced, long-term investment and savings solutions.

The AI Practice & Innovation Lead plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of M&G Life. This role exists to turn bold ideas into real outcomes - orchestrating the teams, technology, and thinking that will transform how we serve our customers, strengthen our business, and unlock the full potential of AI across the organisation. Acting as the operational heartbeat of the AI & Innovation function, this leader ensures that our strategy becomes reality, our standards stay high, and our people feel empowered to innovate with confidence and purpose.

The M&G Life business has an ambitious strategy for growth that encompasses the creation of a broader range of investment solutions, enhances customer access to our products, and expands our distribution capability while delivering value through advice. The ability to achieve our strategic goals and build a future-ready business relies on a coherent, integrated digital, data & AI strategy bolstered by robust governance processes.

The AI Practice & Innovation Lead is an important role working closely with and reporting directly into the Head of AI and Innovation acting as an operational deputy, empowered to make day-to-day operational and design decisions. The role will be responsible for orchestrating cross-pod governance, work intake prioritisation, and standards across the AI & Innovation function. Other responsibilities include managing the workflow, leading engagement with stakeholders and technical resources, and acting as the primary point of contact for day-to-day engagement with the technology community. This role will also play a vital part in supporting the AI and Innovation strategy.

Key Responsibilities:

• Operational Leadership & Delivery: Lead cross pod governance, work intake, prioritisation, and standards to ensure coherent and efficient operation of the AI & Innovation function. Oversee day to day workflow, ensuring high quality delivery and smooth coordination across all AI pods. Act as the primary escalation point and operational deputy to the Head of AI & Innovation, maintaining continuity of leadership. Develop and maintain delivery roadmaps, driving continuous improvement and ensuring alignment with business objectives.
• AI Architecture and Strategy: Provide architectural leadership across AI initiatives, establishing and maintaining standards, patterns, and platforms. Guide solution design and technical decisions, ensuring alignment to enterprise technology strategy and value creation. Oversee strategic technology areas, including LLMs, agentic AI, AI powered decision systems, and responsible AI practices.
• People, Community & Practice Leadership: Mentor and support Product Managers, Product Owners, and AI Leads to build a high performing, consistent practice across teams. Champion capability development, embedding best practices and fostering a strong professional community. Drive engagement, adoption, and cultural uplift across the organisation through communication and enablement.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Act as the primary point of contact for the technology community, building strong relationships with Group Technology, business stakeholders, and external partners. Facilitate cross functional collaboration to identify opportunities, shape solutions, and ensure clear alignment on priorities.
• Governance & Compliance: Ensure robust governance of all AI initiatives, upholding regulatory, ethical, risk management, and quality assurance standards. Support the development of business cases and ensure alignment with digital, data & AI strategies and Life business priorities.

Key Skills, Competencies & Experience:

• Action and impact oriented, able to move at pace and bring people along effectively.
• Strong leadership, communication, and collaboration skills, with the ability to influence senior stakeholders.
• Proven ability to work across cross functional teams and manage multiple priorities.
• Strategic thinker with strong problem solving, analytical, and data interpretation skills.
• Excellent organisational and delivery skills, with experience driving AI initiatives in complex environments.
• Experience in AI strategy, innovation, and deployment, with a solid grounding in Data Science, Machine Learning, and data platforms.
• Knowledge of AI technologies and their application in business contexts (e.g., LLMs, agentic AI, decision intelligence systems).
• Experience in data strategy, governance, and responsible AI.
• Familiarity with product and service design, Agile/Scrum, and digital transformation.
• Experience within Life or wider Financial Services and operating in regulated environments.

The AI & Practice Innovation Lead will play a pivotal role in driving the future growth and transformation of M&G Life, implementing our AI and innovation strategies to achieve our long-term objectives.

What we offer:

• As a savings and Investments firm we are proud to offer a valuable pension scheme of 18%, with 13% made up of Employer Contributions and 5% Employee Contributions.
• Enjoy 38 days annual leave including bank holidays, with the opportunity to purchase up to 5 extra days and additional flexibility through our Time Off When You Need It policy.
• Our market leading Inspiring Families policy includes comprehensive support and paid parental leave covering maternity, adoption, surrogacy, and paternity leave.
• Health & Protection cover including Private Healthcare, Critical Illness cover and Life Assurance for you, with family options.

We have a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture at M&G, underpinned by our policies and our employee-led networks who provide networking opportunities, advice and support for the diverse communities our colleagues represent. Regardless of gender, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, nationality, disability or long term condition, we are looking to attract, promote and retain exceptional people.