Head of AI - SMARTLY

A bit about Smartly, a Datacom Company

We exist to make it simpler for Kiwi businesses to look after their people. We’re known as the simple way to sort your payroll for over 20,000 businesses. Our slick software combined with our awesome support team helps businesses pay their people on time, accurately and in line with legislation.

As a fast-growing FinTech expanding into adjacent markets, Smartly offers a fast-paced, fun work environment with great opportunities for personal and professional development.

About the Role (your why)

We’re seeking a Head of AI Enablement who truly understands how AI can transform business operations and who is passionate about intelligent automation. You’ll be the driving force behind Smartly’s AI strategy—designing, automating, and operationalising the AI roadmap to deliver measurable value. You will partner with executives to scope initiatives and demonstrate ROI.

In this role, you’ll collaborate across product, engineering, marketing, data, and business operations to identify high-impact use cases, run AI discovery workshops, and translate ambitious possibilities into practical, scalable solutions. You’ll also build and lead a cross-functional enablement program, establish governance, and measure impact with clear KPIs, while uplifting AI literacy so every team embraces AI-native and AI-first ways of working.

The Head of AI Enablement is central to ensuring Smartly’s data, systems, and people are aligned to realise the full potential of generative AI and automation across the business. This is a role for a strategic, hands-on leader who can translate complex AI concepts into measurable outcomes and mentor teams across the company.

What success looks like

• Enterprise-wide AI roadmap defined, operationalised, and delivering measurable outcomes.
• Tangible business impact from high-value AI use cases (efficiency, accuracy, revenue lift).
• Cross-functional alignment on AI priorities and execution.
• Company-wide uplift in AI fluency and adoption.

What you’ll do

AI Enablement

• Conduct structured workshops with cross-functional teams to identify, evaluate, and scope AI opportunities that deliver business impact.
• Partner with business stakeholders to align use cases with strategic priorities and operational readiness

AI Enablement and Orchestration

• Become an expert in Smartly’s data, systems, and business dynamics across products and processes.
• Bridge product, engineering, marketing, data, and business operations — aligning teams on “art of the possible” with AI
• Ability to bridge executive vision and technical execution; excellent communicator across both domains.
• Track record of delivering AI-powered automations and measurable ROI.
• Excellent communication skills, particularly written and presentation skills. Must be a confident and articulate speaker and be able to put a compelling presentation together and deliver it with ease
• Strong business acumen and understanding and experience of SaaS business or subscription business models including metrics and growth levers is an advantage

Product & Engineering Innovation Partnership

• Work with Product and Engineering to design and deliver AI-native and AI-first product capabilities.
• Translate generative AI concepts into production-ready architectures and product enhancements.

AI Adoption, Education and Change

• Drive AI education, literacy, and experimentation across the company through structured enablement programs.
• Build internal playbooks, frameworks, and learning paths to empower teams to self-serve AI capabilities

What you’ll bring

• Proven leadership in AI enablement, automation strategy, or enterprise transformation within SaaS or tech environments
• Strong technical fluency in AI concepts, data systems, APIs, and orchestration technologies (e.g. LangChain, OpenAI, or similar).
• Deep understanding of end-to-end product, data, and business process automation
• Ability to bridge executive vision and technical execution; excellent communicator across both domains.
• Track record of delivering AI-powered automations and measurable ROI.
• Excellent communication skills, particularly written and presentation skills. Must be a confident and articulate speaker and be able to put a compelling presentation together and deliver it with ease
• Strong business acumen and understanding and experience of SaaS business or subscription business models including metrics and growth levers is an advantage