AI Adoption Director

AI Adoption Director

Country: Spain

IT STARTS HERE

Santander ( www.santander.com ) is evolving from a global, high-impact brand into a technology-driven organization—and our people are at the heart of this journey. Together, we are leading a customer-centric transformation that values bold thinking, innovation, and the courage to challenge what’s possible.

Our mission is to help more people and businesses prosper. We embrace a strong risk culture, and all our professionals at every level are expected to take a proactive and responsible approach toward risk management.

Within the Chief Data & Artificial Intelligence Officer (CDAIO) division, we are building a world-class AI & Data team to transform how more than 170 million customers engage with one of the world’s largest banks.

Artificial Intelligence is at the core of our strategy—and this role is one of the most transformative for accelerating executive-level adoption of AI across the Group.

This opportunity allows you not only to join an exceptional organization but also to lead initiatives with real impact on how our most senior leaders work and make decisions.

THE DIFFERENCE YOU MAKE

The CHIEF DATA & ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE OFFICER (CDAIO) is looking for a DIRECTOR OF AI ADOPTION FOR THE EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP , based in Madrid .

As Director, you will be responsible for driving and scaling the strategic adoption of Artificial Intelligence across Santander’s Executive Leadership , acting as a key bridge between technical teams, senior executives, and the staff supporting them.

Your mission will be to activate high-impact use cases, design adoption frameworks, orchestrate change management, and ensure that AI is used responsibly, securely, and consistently with corporate standards.

This role is pivotal to accelerating cultural and operational transformation for Santander’s most strategic leadership groups.

WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING

1. Define the AI Adoption Strategy for Executive Leadership

Develop a comprehensive adoption strategy across three levels:
Level 1: Senior executives
Level 2: Chiefs of staff and executive offices
Level 3: Executive assistants and support roles

Identify high-impact opportunities across productivity, automation, information management, decision-making and operational efficiency.

Translate strategic opportunities into deployable, prioritized, and scalable use cases .

Establish a methodological and operational framework to ensure coherent, accelerated, and secure adoption across all levels.

2. Design, Coordinate, and Deploy AI Solutions

Partner with internal AI, data, technology, and operations teams to design tailored AI solutions for Executive Leadership.

Oversee the full solution lifecycle: functional definition, prototyping, iteration, validation, deployment, and ongoing support.

Ensure all solutions comply with corporate standards on security, regulatory requirements, data protection, and Responsible AI .

Drive practical and strategic tooling, including generative AI assistants, executive productivity enhancers, and automation systems.

3. Lead Change Management and Adoption Programs

Design and implement onboarding, training, and hands-on adoption programs tailored to different executive audiences.

Promote a culture of effective AI use, ensuring tools and solutions become part of daily workflows.

Identify adoption barriers, operational frictions, and capability gaps—and activate plans to mitigate them.

Provide personalized support for critical executive profiles where AI adoption has the highest strategic impact.

4. Manage Stakeholders and Align Initiatives with Business Strategy

Serve as the main interface between Executive Leadership and technical teams, ensuring clarity, proper prioritization, and execution speed.

Translate strategic and operational needs into clear product and functional requirements .

Build business cases, prioritize the initiative portfolio, and ensure projects generate measurable and scalable value .

5. Governance, Impact Tracking, and Best Practices

Ensure compliance with corporate standards for Responsible AI, security, model governance, and regulatory requirements.

Define KPIs for adoption, maturity, impact, and user satisfaction, with regular reporting to Executive Leadership.

Promote the standardization of tools, methodologies, and best practices for AI use across executive teams.

WHAT YOU’LL BRING

Professional Experience

10+ years of combined experience in transformation, consulting, innovation, digitalization, AI, or corporate-level change management.

Proven experience working with Executive Leadership or C-level stakeholders.

Demonstrated success leading large-scale digital or AI transformation initiatives—ideally in banking or other regulated industries.

Experience managing multidisciplinary teams and coordinating technical and business areas.

Skills and Competencies

Strategic vision with the ability to simplify complex technologies for executive audiences.

Strong influence, communication, and transversal leadership skills.

Exceptional change-management capabilities, especially within executive environments.

Impact-driven mindset with focus on results, adoption, and scalability.

Strong understanding of AI tools and executive-productivity use cases.

Education

University degree in Engineering, Business Administration, Economics, Data Science, or related fields. (Required)

Postgraduate training in leadership, transformation, or innovation. (Preferred)

Languages

Professional fluency in English and Spanish. (Required)

WE VALUE YOUR IMPACT

Your work will be instrumental in accelerating Santander’s executive-level transformation. You can expect:

Global career pathways and mobility opportunities.

Hybrid, flexible working models.

Access to hundreds of learning opportunities, including exclusive content through Santander Open Academy.

Competitive compensation, performance-based rewards, and a holistic wellbeing program.

Preferential banking terms, family-friendly benefits, and employee support services.

Here, your impact matters—and it’s recognized.

LOCAL COMPLIANCE

Santander is proud to be an equal-opportunity organization. We are committed to providing an inclusive and accessible recruitment process for all candidates.

WHAT TO DO NEXT

If this sounds like the right challenge for you, we encourage you to apply and take the next step in your journey with us.