COMPANY OVERVIEW
Our client is the dominant force in third-party hospitality management, operating at a scale no competitor comes close to matching, and competing entirely on the strength of its people, processes, and technology. A reimagined executive leadership team has repositioned the business around smart, profitable growth, and the organization is moving forward with a strong balance sheet, a clear mandate, and real ambition to lead the industry not just in size, but in service and innovation. As the company accelerates its AI journey, they are looking for a VP of AI & Innovation to help define what that looks like from the ground up.
POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES
- Develop a tangible, executable AI strategy that sets clear direction for how the organization identifies, prioritizes, and deploys AI across the enterprise, with an emphasis on speed to value.
- Build and lead an AI governance council, bringing together cross-functional stakeholders to collaborate on use cases, apply guardrails, and drive accountability across teams.
- Assess the current technology landscape, including Microsoft Copilot, Claude, and internal Power BI infrastructure, and advise on tools, vendors, and build vs. buy decisions.
- Champion AI literacy and adoption across the organization, translating complex concepts into practical, accessible guidance and meeting teams at every level where they are.
- Identify and activate internal champions across business functions to sustain a culture of curiosity, experimentation, and innovation beyond the initial launch.
- Rapidly identify high-ROI use cases across operations, including labor productivity, demand forecasting, revenue management, and scheduling, and move ideas from concept to measurable result.
- Serve as a trusted strategic advisor to the C-suite and cross-functional leaders on AI, automation, and technology innovation.
- Engage with major brand partners and their data and AI leaders to stay ahead of industry trends and surface collaboration opportunities.
- Translate complex data and emerging technology signals into clear, narrative-driven recommendations that inform business strategy and ownership group decisions.
POSITION QUALIFICATIONS
Required:
- A demonstrated track record of driving organizational change through influence, not authority, with examples of AI or digital transformation initiatives that delivered measurable business results.
- 10 or more years of progressive experience across technology, innovation, or digital transformation, including experience standing up AI programs, centers of excellence, or innovation functions from an early stage.
- Fluency across large language models and enterprise AI tools, with hands-on experience deploying them at scale and the ability to make clear build vs. buy recommendations.
- Proven ability to flex between strategic executive conversations and working-level sessions with operational teams, including translating complex AI concepts into plain language for non-technical audiences.
- A scrappy, collaborative approach to problem-solving with a bias toward action and comfort operating in ambiguity.
Preferred:
- Familiarity with predictive analytics, automation, and AI governance frameworks; Azure or Microsoft ecosystem experience is a plus.
- Experience in hospitality, senior living, multi-unit food service, real estate, or another large-scale, distributed operating environment is valued but not required. Candidates from outside the industry are strongly encouraged to apply.
If you are ready to shape an AI journey from the inside at a company with the scale, leadership support, and cultural appetite to do it right, we would love to hear from you. Apply now and a member of Talentfoot’s recruitment team will be in touch should your track record of success, experience, skills, and qualifications match our client’s requirements.
TALENTFOOT OVERVIEW
Talentfoot Executive Search specializes in future proofing organizations by securing forward-thinking leaders across sales, marketing, eCommerce, product, data, operations, finance, and technology with a track record of accelerating growth, innovation and profitability. Since 2010, we’ve partnered with more than 2,500 companies and lead the industry with a 98% client success rate. Learn more at Talentfoot.com.