The Run Excellence Data & AI Director is responsible for the continuous operation, maintenance, and optimization of L'Oréal's Data & AI systems, ensuring maximum availability, robust performance in production environments, and unwavering data quality. We are looking for a leader with an engineering background to be pivotal in transforming our Analytics, ML and Gen AI initiatives from development into reliable, high-performing operational assets, including a focus on Generative AI Operations (GenAI Ops). The ideal candidate will possess a deep understanding of Data & AI architecture, operational landscapes, coupled with exceptional stakeholder management, communication, and people leadership skills, to drive operational excellence and foster a culture of continuous improvement. They will partner closely with Data Engineering, AI Engineering, Global IT team, CDAO and business teams to ensure that our Data & AI solutions deliver consistent value and meet operational SLAs. This role also involves the management and guidance of internal & external teams operating across multiple regions and timezones, requiring strong leadership and coordination capabilities.
Responsibilities:
• Lead the operation, maintenance, and continuous improvement of all Data & AI production systems, including Generative AI (GenAI) models and agentic platforms, ensuring high availability, reliability, and scalability.
• Define, implement, and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) and service level agreements (SLAs) for Data & AI systems, proactively addressing any deviations.
• Establish and manage robust data quality frameworks, ensuring the accuracy, consistency, and integrity of data consumed and produced by AI solutions.
• Implement and oversee incident management, problem resolution, and root cause analysis processes for Data & AI operational issues.
• Collaborate with Data Science and AI Engineering teams to ensure that solutions are designed for operational efficiency, observability, and maintainability from inception (e.g., MLOps, DataOps practices).
• Optimize the performance of Data & AI models and pipelines in production, identifying bottlenecks and implementing solutions to enhance efficiency and speed.
• Foster strong relationships with business and technical stakeholders, providing clear, proactive communication on system status, planned changes, and incident resolutions.
• Lead and mentor a team of Data & AI operations professionals, promoting best practices, professional development, and a collaborative working environment.
• Develop and implement operational runbooks, documentation, and training programs to standardize and streamline Data & AI operational processes.
• Evaluate, integrate, and apply new tools and technologies, including leveraging AI as a lever for automation, quality, and new ways of working, to enhance monitoring and operational efficiency of Data & AI platforms.
• Ensure compliance with L'Oréal's Responsible & Trustworthy AI principles and data governance policies throughout the operational lifecycle.
• In the beginning this role will also oversee Data & Analytics Solution Architecture, which may evolve in the future.
Requirements:
• Preferred – Degree in Computer Science, Business Analytics, Engineering, or a related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of leadership experience focused on the operational management of Data & AI systems, MLOps, DataOps, GenAI Ops, or related fields, and 10+ years building relevant solutions overall.
• Proven track record of operating and maintaining complex Data & AI solutions at scale, ensuring high availability and performance.
• Deep expertise in data quality management, monitoring, and remediation strategies for AI/ML pipelines and data platforms.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with a consistent track record of building strong relationships and influencing senior business and technical stakeholders.
• Strong technical prowess in understanding and guiding Data & AI engineering teams on L’Oreal’s internal technical frameworks, operational best practices, reliability, and performance optimization.
• Experience in leading and mentoring technical teams, fostering a culture of operational excellence and continuous improvement.
• Hands-on experience with production support, incident management, and problem-solving for Data & AI applications.
• Solid understanding of cloud platforms (GCP highly preferred) and their services relevant to Data & AI operations (e.g., managed databases, serverless computing, ML platforms, Gen AI models and Agentic frameworks).
• Familiarity with monitoring tools, logging systems, and automation frameworks pertinent to Data & AI operational environments.
• Demonstrated experience in vendor management, contract negotiation, and budget oversight.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced, rapidly changing environment.
• Strong bias for action, with a focus on delivering robust and reliable operational outcomes.
• Ability to execute in the short term while designing for future operational scalability and stability.
• Ability to travel between USA, Mexico, Canada, Brazil and other Americas markets, 4-5 times a year.
• Highly preferred - Experience operating in a highly cross-functional, multinational business.
• Highly preferred - Strong CPG/Retail/Hi-Tech background with a thorough understanding of applying innovative Analytics/AI solutions to business operations with a clear sense of the value added.
Don’t meet every single requirement? At L'Oréal, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and innovative workplace. If you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with the qualifications listed in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways! You may just be the right candidate for this or other roles!
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and take pride in a diverse environment. We would love to find out more about you as a candidate and do not discriminate in recruitment, hiring, training, promotion, or other employment practices for reasons of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, marital or veteran status, medical condition or disability, or any other legally protected status.