Company Description/ Business Unit

Location: London (hybrid working 3 office days per week)

Employment Type: Permanent, full time

Additional Benefits: Annual Bonus, Cash-Car Allowance & Private Medical Insurance

Think the AA is just about roadside assistance? Think again.

For over a century, we've been evolving and adapting. Today, as the nation's leading motoring organisation, we offer a wide range of products and services to millions of customers. From roadside assistance to home and motor insurance, and the latest driving technologies, we have it all. As we continue to expand, diversify, and modernise, joining us as an AI Business Operations Lead means you'll play a crucial role in our success and be part of this exciting motoring journey.

Our Chief Operating Office (COO) are the backbone of The AA, providing both stability and structure to support growth and innovation. We are the drivers of change.

This is the job

This is a rare opportunity to play a central role in how AI takes shape across one of the UK’s most recognised brands. As our AI Business Operations Lead, you’ll help make our AI Centre of Excellence work effectively day to day, creating the structure, momentum and operational discipline that turns ambitious ideas into action and measurable outcomes.

This is a broad, hands-on role for someone who enjoys solving problems, creating clarity from ambiguity and making things happen across a complex organisation. Working closely with our Director of AI and wider AI leadership team, you’ll operate across the AI portfolio, connecting priorities, people, investment and activity to keep the CoE moving forward.

One week you could be developing a recommendation to support a senior decision, the next resolving a blocker across several teams, interrogating a forecast, improving how the CoE operates or taking ownership of an emerging initiative that does not yet have a natural home.

This is not a traditional technology project or programme management role. You’ll need strong delivery discipline, but we’re more interested in how you think and operate: your ability to structure problems, exercise good judgement, influence without authority and follow things through to an outcome.

You don’t need to be a deep technical AI specialist either. You’ll need strong technology and AI literacy, genuine curiosity about the opportunities AI creates and enough understanding to work credibly across technical, business and senior leadership teams.

What will I be doing?

Owning the day-to-day operational rhythm of our AI Centre of Excellence, ensuring priorities, decisions, actions and dependencies remain visible and move forward.
Maintaining a clear view across the AI portfolio, bringing together priorities, milestones, capacity, dependencies, funding, risks and expected value.
Owning portfolio budget management and financial coordination, including forecasting, Capex and Opex, investment tracking and understanding where financial decisions or trade-offs are required.
Turning emerging priorities and ambiguous problems into structured recommendations, plans and actions that help the Director of AI and leadership team make effective decisions.
Acting as a connector across AI, Technology and the wider business, identifying gaps, resolving blockers and driving progress where ownership crosses organisational boundaries.
Preparing concise, insightful materials for senior stakeholders, turning complex information into clear decisions and actions rather than reporting for reporting’s sake.
Taking ownership of selected cross functional AI or CoE initiatives where additional structure, momentum or leadership is needed, then transitioning them into established delivery structures where appropriate.
Continuously improving the processes, tools and ways of working that enable the AI CoE to operate effectively as it grows.

What do I need?

A strong track record of getting things done in complex organisations, particularly where you have had to influence people without direct authority and take ownership of ambiguous problems.
Excellent structured thinking and problem-solving skills, with the ability to turn unclear priorities or emerging issues into practical recommendations, plans and actions.
Strong commercial and financial literacy, with experience working with budgets, forecasts, business cases, investment decisions or financial trade-offs.
Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, including the ability to work confidently with senior leaders, navigate organisational complexity and turn complex information into clear recommendations and decisions.
Strong operational and delivery discipline, with experience managing multiple priorities, dependencies and commitments, while improving processes and ways of working rather than relying on process for its own sake.
Strong AI and technology literacy, with an understanding of how organisations are applying AI, the opportunities and challenges involved, and a willingness to keep learning as the technology evolves.

Your background could be in business operations, transformation, consulting, special projects, technology or a similar cross functional environment. Direct AI delivery experience would be valuable, but it is not essential. We are more interested in how you operate, your judgement, ownership and ability to make things happen than a particular career path or project management methodology.

Additional Information

We’re always looking to recognise and reward our employees for the work they do. As a valued member of The AA team, you’ll have access to a range of benefits including:

25 days annual leave plus bank holidays + holiday buying scheme
Worksave pension scheme with up to 7% employer contribution
Free AA breakdown membership from Day 1 plus 50% discount for family and friends
Discounts on AA products including car and home insurance
Employee discount scheme that gives you access to a car salary sacrifice scheme plus great discounts on healthcare, shopping, holidays and more
Company funded life assurance
Diverse learning and development opportunities to support you to progress in your career
Dedicated Employee Assistance Programme and a 24/7 remote GP service for you and your family

Plus, so much more!

We’re an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from everyone. The AA values diversity and the difference this brings to our culture and our customers. We actively seek people from diverse backgrounds to join us and become part of an inclusive company where you can be yourself, be empowered to be your best and feel like you truly belong. We have five communities to bring together people with shared characteristics and backgrounds and drive positive change.

The AA

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