Executive Director AI Architecture

About the Role

HARMAN is building an enterprise AI platform that enables agentic AI systems to automate and augment internal business processes at scale. These systems are designed to create operational leverage across business functions such as Customer Service, HR, Finance, Engineering, and Supply Chain.

As the leader of the Enterprise AI Platform Architecture, you will define and own the long-term technical architecture for these systems. You will be in close contact with the divisional AI teams and business leaders.

You will be responsible for architectural decisions that affect multiple organizations, long-lived platforms, and a combination of custom-built and third-party AI solutions. You will be responsible for the required data flows and process changes to make such a system work for the divisions and functions.

This role requires deep technical expertise in distributed systems and applied AI, combined with the ability to guide teams through complex technical trade-offs in a rapidly evolving technology landscape.

Your Team

This pivotal role, reporting directly to the Vice President of Digital Enterprise, Cloud, and Security starts without direct reports initially. However, a team of internals and external consultants will be built over time as the demand grows.

What You Will Do

• Define and own AI platform architecture supporting agentic AI workloads and internal process automation.
• Make high-impact architectural decisions that balance operational leverage, reliability, security, cost, and speed.
• Drive convergence across AI systems to enable reuse while supporting both custom-built capabilities and external AI platforms.
• Review and approve architectures for AI solutions with broad organizational impact.
• Establish architectural guardrails that allow teams to move fast without compromising long-term maintainability.
• Guide the redesign of enterprise processes and data flows to make them AI- and automation-friendly.
• Partner with engineering and business teams to translate process automation goals into robust technical architecture.
• Identify architectural risks early and lead resolution of complex, cross-team technical issues.
• Ensure the platform evolves as AI models, tools, and best practices change over time.
• Enable teams across the organization to adopt new AI tools, skills, and architectural patterns through technical leadership and influence
• Develop and implement a comprehensive AI Service strategy based on key business challenges.
• Responsible for innovation & implementing new methods/tools to manage and modernize AI Services.
• Practice financial strategy and rigor within the key functions of responsibility through careful budget planning/analysis, supplier cost negations and resource planning in support of HARMAN's key business objectives.
• Manage relationships with AI third-party vendors and service providers.
• Participate in contract negotiations and vendor selection processes.
• Keep abreast of emerging technologies and trends in AI services to recommend and implement innovations that can benefit the organization.
• Ensure that AI services and support activities comply with relevant regulations and industry standards.
• Collaborate and provide strategic guidance with enterprise-wide senior business leaders in understanding business priorities, with the divisional AI teams, building Digital strategies to meet such priorities, communication and influencing execution plans to meet business requirements and timelines.
• Proactively engage with external stakeholders through networking, industry conferences, customer visits to build & evolve knowledge and influence positive outcomes for HARMAN
• Promote a "continuously learning" and innovation mindset to the team. Evaluate and manage the performance of team members, providing feedback and facilitating professional development.

What You Need

• Masters's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
• 10+ years of experience designing large-scale distributed systems or enterprise platforms.
• Experience serving as a technical lead or architect for platforms used by multiple teams.
• Experience designing or operating AI- or data-intensive platforms, including agentic or workflow-driven systems.
• Experience integrating third-party platforms into large enterprise architectures.
• Experience with systems focused on process automation, enterprise productivity, or operational leverage.
• Demonstrated ability to influence architecture across organizational boundaries through technical leadership.
• Dedicated experience managing complex, global projects that impact business performance.
• Required skills include strong leadership, and the ability to prioritize several competing needs.
• Strong experience in leading change management.
• Solid oral and written communication and presentation skills at all levels.

• Ability to effectively prioritize and execute tasks in a high-pressure, time-sensitive environment.

• Strong oral and written communication skills.

What is Nice to Have

• History of thriving in a globally diverse environment.
• Strong project management experience or PMP certification.
• Aspiration to create and maintain measurable and sustainable processes.

What Makes You Eligible

• Be willing to travel up to 10% domestic or international travel .
• Be willing to work in an office located in Novi, MI, Stamford, CT, or Sunnyvale, CA (hybrid)

• Successfully complete a background investigation and drug screen as a condition of employment.

What We Offer

• Access to employee discounts on world class HARMAN/Samsung products (JBL, Harman Kardon, AKG etc.).
• Professional development opportunities through HARMAN University's business and leadership academies.
• Flexible work schedule with a culture encouraging work life integration and collaboration in a global environment.
• An inclusive and diverse work environment that fosters and encourages professional and personal development.
• Tuition Reimbursement.

• "Be Brilliant" employee recognition and rewards program.

#Hybrid