AI Practice & Innovation Lead

About M&G

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.

Through telling it like it is, owning it now, and moving it forward together with care and integrity; we are creating an exceptional place to work for exceptional talent.

We will consider flexible working arrangements for any of our roles and also offer work place accommodations to ensure you have what you need to effectively deliver in your role.

The Role of AI Practice & Innovation Lead

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 acts 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. This strategy will support the overall digital, data & AI objectives, cover all aspects of the Life business, and drive business transformation through innovation.

Key Responsibilities

• Operational Leadership & Delivery
  • Lead crosspod 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 Work Level Accountabilities (Manager/Expert)

• Act as the front door to the Life AI & Innovation team, shaping engagement with stakeholders and managing the flow of work.
• Lead engagement with Technology and AI delivery teams, providing technical oversight and driving effective execution.
• Support AI Leads in delivery, embedding best practice, assuring quality, and contributing to roadmap development.
• Provide subject matter leadership across key AI domains, including LLMs, agentic AI, decision intelligence systems, and responsible AI.
• Ensure technology alignment, robust business cases, and clear value realisation across AI initiatives.
• Support long-term strategy development, driving adoption, communication, and cross-business engagement.
• Build strong relationships across operational business units, marketing, sales, distribution, and Group Technology.

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 M&G Offers

At M&G, we’re committed to helping you thrive and supporting your wellbeing, both at work and beyond. Our benefits are designed to help you balance your professional and personal life, while planning confidently for your future. Our UK benefits include:

• A valuable pension scheme of 18%, with 13% Employer Contributions and 5% Employee Contributions.
• Share Save and our Share Incentive Plan, plus access to financial wellbeing support.
• 38 days annual leave including bank holidays, with options to purchase 5 extra days and flexibility through 'Time Off When You Need It'.
• Market-leading 'Inspiring Families' policy covering maternity, adoption, surrogacy, and paternity leave.
• Health & Protection cover including Private Healthcare, Critical Illness, and Life Assurance, with family options.

To explore more about life at M&G and our full benefits offering, visit Life at M&G

We have a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture at M&G, underpinned by our policies and our employee-led networks. We are looking to attract, promote and retain exceptional people, regardless of gender, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, nationality, disability or long term condition. We also welcome those who take part in military service and those returning from career breaks.

M&G is also proud to be a Disability Confident Leader, and we welcome applications from candidates with long-term health conditions, disabilities, or neuro-divergent conditions.

If you need assistance or an alternative means of applying for a role due to a disability or additional need, please let us know by contacting us at: careers@mandg.com

Key skills/competency

• AI Strategy
• Innovation Leadership
• Data Science
• Machine Learning
• AI Governance
• Digital Transformation
• Stakeholder Management
• Architectural Leadership
• LLM Technologies
• Financial Services