Director of AI
Director of AI & Data
Riyadh Air | طيران الرياض · Aviation / Airline · 500-2000 employees · 📍 Riyadh Region
Riyadh Air, Saudi Arabia's new greenfield national carrier, is hiring its foundational AI and Data Value director to build data-driven intelligence into the airline from the ground up before commercial launch.
AI Maturity
building
Reports To
CTO
Why Role Exists
New position
Company Stage
startup
Source
linkedin
Key Responsibilities
- Define and execute the AI and data strategy to generate measurable business value across the airline
- Build and lead the AI and data function from the ground up, including team, tooling, and governance
- Identify high-impact AI/ML use cases across revenue, operations, customer experience, and safety
- Establish data infrastructure, platforms, and pipelines fit for a modern digital-native airline
- Partner with executive stakeholders to embed data-driven decision-making across the organization
Requirements
- Proven experience leading AI and/or data teams at a senior level
- Track record of delivering tangible business value from AI/ML or advanced analytics initiatives
- Experience in a complex, large-scale operational environment (aviation, logistics, or similar preferred)
Signals
- ⚠ No salary or compensation details disclosed
- ⚠ Vague job description with minimal specifics on scope, team, or tech stack
- ⚠ Relocation to Riyadh required — limiting candidate pool significantly
- ⚠ Pre-revenue airline — role success metrics may be unclear for 12-24 months
- ✓ Backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund — effectively unlimited strategic capital
- ✓ Greenfield airline with no legacy tech debt — rare opportunity to build AI-native infrastructure
- ✓ Saudi Vision 2030 tailwind provides national mandate and long-term commitment
- ✓ First posting for this role — genuine founding hire opportunity
- ✓ Aviation is a data-rich domain with proven high-ROI AI use cases (pricing, ops, maintenance)