Head of Data & AI

Full Time/Part Time Full Time Who We Are At Ikano Bank, we believe work should feel meaningful and inspiring. Together, we create a great place to work where people are inspired to be the best they can be while contributing to a better life for our customers and the long-term success of the Bank. Guided by our Swedish heritage and values: common sense and simplicity, working together and daring to be different, we keep things straightforward and down-to-earth. If you like the idea of being part of a team that works hard, enjoys solving challenges together, and dares to do things a little differently, you will feel right at home here. Technology ensures that the bank’s technology landscape is secure, resilient, efficient and aligned with business strategy, risk appetite and regulatory requirements. The function is accountable for the stability and performance of technology services across the bank, covering development, operation and continuous improvement of platforms, systems and infrastructure. It establishes governance, cybersecurity and data frameworks to ensure compliance, manage risk and enable effective decision-making. Through strong engineering capabilities and collaboration, Technology enables scalable, reliable, and compliant delivery. Purpose of the Job The Head of Data and AI will shape and lead how Ikano Bank uses data, analytics and artificial intelligence to build a more modern, intelligent and efficient bank. Reporting to the Chief Technology Officer, the role has bank-wide accountability for the strategy, engineering, delivery and operation of our data platforms, data products and AI capabilities. You will build a strong internal Data and AI capability, lead Engineering Managers and technical leaders, and establish stable cross-functional teams with clear end-to-end ownership. Working across Technology, Product and the wider business, you will turn commercial, credit, operational and regulatory needs into secure and reliable production services—while modernising our data estate and translating the potential of AI into measurable outcomes for our customers and the bank. Responsibilities of the Job As Head of Data and AI, you will:

• Define and execute the bank-wide Data and AI strategy, translating it into clear priorities, roadmaps and measurable business outcomes.
• Build and lead a strong internal Data and AI organisation through Engineering Managers and technical leaders, creating stable cross-functional teams with clear end-to-end ownership.
• Own the architecture, engineering and operation of our AWS data platform, from data ingestion and integration through transformation, modelling and consumption.
• Deliver trusted data products that support our customers, commercial initiatives, credit decisions, risk management, finance, operations, financial-crime prevention and regulatory reporting.
• Establish production-grade machine learning and generative AI capabilities, including evaluation, deployment, monitoring and lifecycle management.
• Set and continuously improve engineering practices across Data and AI, including automated testing, CI/CD, infrastructure as code, DataOps and secure AI-assisted development.
• Ensure the reliability, resilience, performance and cost efficiency of the bank’s data and AI services, with effective monitoring, incident management and operational ownership.
• Strengthen data quality, lineage, access management and responsible-AI controls in partnership with Architecture, Security, Technology Governance and the bank’s control functions.
• Lead the modernisation of the data estate, including migrations, controlled cutovers and the retirement of legacy platforms and tooling.
• Own the function’s budget, workforce plan and technology partnerships, reducing external dependency by developing lasting internal capability and ensuring effective knowledge transfer.
• Work closely with Product, Technology and business leaders to align priorities, resolve dependencies and ensure that Data and AI delivers tangible value across the bank.

Education Level Bachelor's Degree Experience/Demonstrated Competencies We are looking for someone who can demonstrate:

• A strong professional foundation in data engineering, software engineering or platform engineering, with the technical credibility to engage deeply with senior engineers and architects.
• Significant experience leading data and engineering organisations through Engineering Managers, technical leads or equivalent senior leaders.
• A track record of building, scaling and operating modern cloud-based data platforms, preferably on AWS.
• Successful delivery of trusted data products that support operational processes, customer journeys, analytics, decision-making and regulatory needs.
• Experience taking machine-learning or generative-AI capabilities beyond experimentation and into secure, monitored and reliable production use.
• Proven ownership of business-critical technology services, including reliability, resilience, incident response, performance and cost.
• Experience modernising complex data estates, executing migrations and safely retiring legacy platforms and tooling.
• The ability to establish effective engineering standards, DataOps practices and governance controls without creating unnecessary bureaucracy.
• A strong record of recruiting, developing and retaining engineers, managers and senior technical specialists.
• Experience owning budgets, workforce plans, cloud expenditure, technology suppliers and strategic partnerships.
• Demonstrated success aligning executives, business stakeholders, Product, Technology and control functions around shared priorities and difficult trade-offs.
• Experience working within banking, financial services or another highly regulated environment, with a sound understanding of risk, security, privacy and regulatory obligations.
• Evidence of delivering measurable improvements in business value, delivery performance, service reliability, engineering quality and organisational capability.

Language Competencies Advanced knowledge of Python in the Data space. Required Knowledge required You bring strong knowledge of:

• Modern cloud data architectures, preferably within AWS, covering ingestion, integration, transformation, modelling, storage and consumption.
• Contemporary data-engineering technologies and practices, including Python, Spark, Kafka, dbt, change data capture, infrastructure as code, automated testing and CI/CD.
• The design and operation of scalable data platforms, data products, real-time pipelines and distributed systems.
• Production machine learning and generative AI, including MLOps, evaluation, deployment, monitoring, model lifecycle management and responsible-AI controls.
• Data governance disciplines such as data quality, lineage, metadata, privacy, retention, security and access management.
• Service reliability, observability, resilience, incident management, performance engineering and cloud-cost optimisation.
• Product and platform operating models, with stable cross-functional teams owning services from design through production operation.
• Technology strategy, architecture governance, portfolio prioritisation, supplier management and the economics of building sustainable internal capability.
• The regulatory and control environment of banking or another highly regulated industry, ideally including credit, risk, finance, financial-crime prevention and regulatory reporting.

Capabilities for this job To succeed in this role, you can:

• Set a compelling strategic direction and translate it into focused roadmaps, investment choices and measurable outcomes.
• Build, organise and lead high-performing engineering organisations through managers and senior technical leaders.
• Combine executive-level leadership with sufficient technical depth to challenge designs, guide critical decisions and earn the trust of experienced engineers.
• Turn complex business, regulatory and operational needs into clear technical priorities and deliverable solutions.
• Make sound decisions under uncertainty, balancing speed, customer value, resilience, cost and risk.
• Lead significant organisational and technological change while maintaining delivery momentum and stable operations.
• Create clear accountability, empower teams and establish a culture of ownership, constructive challenge and continuous improvement.
• Influence and align senior stakeholders across Technology, Product, business areas and control functions, including when priorities compete.
• Communicate complex technical matters clearly to engineers, executives and non-technical stakeholders.
• Manage budgets, workforce plans, suppliers and strategic partnerships with strong commercial judgement.
• Identify emerging risks and dependencies early, take decisive action and escalate transparently when required.
• Attract, develop and retain exceptional talent while building diverse teams and sustainable succession.

What motivates you? You are motivated by the opportunity to build something meaningful and lasting. You enjoy creating the conditions in which talented people, modern technology and clear accountability come together to deliver real results. You Are Energised By

• Building strong teams and helping people grow, take ownership and do the best work of their careers.
• Turning data and AI from ideas and experiments into reliable capabilities that create measurable value.
• Solving complex, bank-wide problems and bringing clarity, direction and momentum where change is needed.
• Challenging legacy thinking and simplifying technology without compromising security, resilience or regulatory responsibility.
• Working across organisational boundaries and bringing people together around shared priorities and outcomes.
• Combining strategic ambition with practical execution, you enjoy shaping the direction, but you also care deeply about how things are engineered and operated.
• Creating sustainable internal capability rather than long-term dependency on external suppliers.
• Seeing the impact of your work in better customer experiences, stronger decisions and a more effective bank.

Ready to apply? If this sounds like your kind of workplace, we would love to hear from you. You do not have to tick every single box. What matters most is your drive, your ideas and your willingness to grow with us. Our application process is simple. Just click on the Apply Button and we will get in touch with you soon. Apply today and let us build something different together. You want to know more about Ikano Bank? Check out our videos about culture, social/corporate responsibility and everyday working at the bank. For any questions, feel free to contact us at recruitment@ikano.se Salary (per annum) According to the market Ikano Bank Benefits Annual Social Day for all Employees Favorable Conditions for Ikano Bank Products Applications Close Date 16 Nov 2026