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Head of AI Innovation
Reading,Berkshire,United Kingdom
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Job description
Company and benefits
Job ID
791693
Role Description
The Head of AI Innovation – Network Intelligence & Autonomous Operations leads Ericsson’s Network Intelligence AI Innovation organisation – the team that creates, proves and packages Level 4–5 autonomous operations solutions for network managed services and network intelligence customers. The role owns the overall vision, strategy and portfolio priorities for AI, GenAI, agentic AI and intent-based operations, aligning Network Intelligence Managed Services (NIMS), MSN and BU Cloud Software & Services strategies, sponsoring lighthouse deals and partnerships, and positioning Ericsson as the leading AI and agentic innovation powerhouse for network operations.
Role Responsibilities
Strategic vision & portfolio leadership
Own the AI and autonomous operations vision for Network Intelligence, including Level 4–5 ANO trajectory and digital‑engineer blueprint across service assurance, optimisation, fault management, change and CX.
Define and maintain the AI Innovation portfolio strategy (scenarios, domains, technologies, partners), aligned with NIMS, MSN and BU CSS roadmaps and TM Forum AN/ANOps frameworks.
Set annual and multi‑year portfolio priorities (e.g. 10–12 new Level 4 scenarios per year, Level 5 exemplars, TM Forum AN map coverage) and ensure clear targets and KPIs.
Leadership of AI Innovation organisation
Lead the AI Innovation organisation comprising the AI Research Director, AI Innovation Directors, AI Architecture Directors and AI Delivery Director.
Provide direction, coaching and performance management to senior leaders, ensuring strong collaboration and clear accountability across research, innovation, architecture and delivery.
Build and nurture a high‑end AI talent hub for GenAI, agentic AI, ML and autonomous operations, including succession planning and capability development across domains.
Scenario creation, industrialisation & scale
Ensure design, build and validation of high‑value Level 4 AN scenarios per year, aligned to NIMS’ high‑value map (service assurance, fault, change, CX, energy), with clear value KPIs (e.g. MTTR, alarm noise, complaints, energy, throughput).
Oversee the digital‑engineer blueprint (intent → awareness → analysis → decision → execution) and its reuse across scenarios and customers.
Govern the phased introduction model (recommendations → closed loop → additional use cases) and ensure every scenario is industrialised with standard architectures, SoWs, templates and runbooks, ready for handover to sales and delivery.
Stakeholder, customer and partner engagement
Act as the primary owner for AI Innovation with NIMS, MSN and BU CSS leadership, ensuring alignment with business strategy, portfolio and go‑to‑market.
Sponsor lighthouse deals and co‑innovation with key CSPs, ensuring that Level 4/5 scenarios are co‑designed, validated and documented as flagship references.
Lead engagement with hyperscaler and ecosystem partners (e.g. Google Cloud, TM Forum, academia) to shape joint roadmaps, standards and research agendas around digital engineers and intent‑based closed loops.
Governance, success and risk management
Chair the AI Innovation governance for scenario selection, investment decisions, resource allocation and delivery phasing, in close coordination with NIMS/MSN portfolio and delivery governance.
Define and track success criteria for the AI Innovation organisation (e.g. number of Level 4 scenarios, Level 5 exemplars, revenue/margin impact, internal adoption and reuse of architectures and blueprints).
Identify and manage key risks (e.g. data/integration complexity, talent/capacity constraints, scope‑creep/PoC‑only risk, customer risk appetite) and ensure mitigations (standard landing‑zone patterns, centralised AI talent, phased approach, overlays that preserve operator control).
Internal alignment and enablement
Ensure sales, solution and delivery teams have clear scenario blueprints, value cases and references to sell and deliver NIMS/MSN deals, shielding them from R&D risk by owning innovation and handing off only industrialised packages.
Work with capability/IT setup teams to provide platforms, data pipelines, cloud landing zones and security baselines for AI/ANO experiments and deployments.
Promote a culture of data‑driven, intent‑based, agentic operations, aligning AI Innovation with Ericsson Operations Engine and ANOps frameworks.
Role Authority
Define and recommend changes to the AI Innovation strategy, portfolio and governance model within MSN and SA MSN leadership frameworks.
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Responsibilities and requirements
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