AI & Data Lead - Senior Associate

AI & DATA LEAD - SENIOR ASSOCIATE

Subsidiary: Genser Energy Ghana Limited (GEGL) 

Division / Department: IT & MIS / Organizational Development

Location: Takoradi Ghana (West Africa) 

Designation Level: Functional Head 

Reports Directly to: IT Manager 

OBJECTIVE: The AI & Data Lead - Senior Associate will be responsible for leading the development of data infrastructure, analytics capability, and AI-driven solutions across the organisation. 

This role combines data engineering and applied AI development, focusing on building and managing scalable data pipelines and architecture that support AI, machine learning, and GenAI use cases. The overarching goal is to drive measurable operational efficiency and cost reduction across Gensers core Strategic Business Units by transforming raw operational data into actionable intelligence and deploying AI solutions that reduce manual effort, improve decision-making speed, and optimise asset and resource utilisation. 

The role ensures data is clean, structured, secure, and reliable, enabling operational analytics and AI model performance. You will design and operationalise modern data foundations to support AI and LLM-powered applications (e.g., Claude, GPT, Gemini), including patterns such as RAG, embeddings, vector search, and governed access to structured and unstructured data. 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES: 

Data Engineering & AI 

Data Engineering & AI Data Pipelines 

Design, build, and maintain scalable data pipelines (ETL/ELT) to support analytics and AI uses cases  

Develop and manage data architectures that support AI workflows and model development 

Integrate and prepare structured and unstructured datasets for AI applications 

Ensure high levels of data quality, reliability, and availability for AI Models 

AI & Machine Learning Enablement 

Design end-to-end AI architectures, from data ingestion to model deployment, integrating with cloud and on-premises systems. 

Select appropriate technologies from a pool of open-source and commercial offerings, considering deployment models and integration with existing tools. 

Lead the development of AI models (e.g., machine learning, natural language processing, computer vision) and implement scalable AI solutions. 

Data Platform & Infrastructure 

Design and maintain cloud-based data platforms which includes working with big data tools and modern data architectures 

Support data observability and monitoring to detect pipeline issues and data drift  

Ensure compliance with data governance, security and relevant regulations. 

Analytics & Business Insights 

Develop dashboards and reporting solutions 

Translate business and operational requirements into data and AI solutions  

Enable advanced analytics and decision-making across departments 

Stakeholder Collaboration 

Work closely with Engineering, Operations and Back-Office teams  

Collaborate with external partners on AI pilots and deployments  

Enable business teams by providing reliable data infrastructure  

Act as bridge between business, data and AI initiatives  

BUDGETING 

Actively assist the Department Head with the preparation of the monthly budget.  

Develop and manage all budget items, including cost control and expenditure forecasting. 

Ensure the budget is in line with the department’s scheduled activities. 

ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT 

Supervise the team to execute assigned projects within deadlines and budget.  

Carry out performance appraisals and development plans with subordinate staff.  

Coordinate the leave schedule of subordinate staff.  

STRATEGIC END GOALS 

The AI & Data Lead - Senior Associate is expected to deliver tangible outcomes aligned to Gensers business priorities: 

Operational Efficiency: Reduce time spent on manual reporting, data reconciliation, and routine decision-making across Power, Midstream, and Engineering through automation and AI-driven workflows. 

Cost Reduction: Identify and support the elimination of cost inefficiencies via predictive analytics, asset optimisation, and smarter procurement/resource planning. 

Data Driven Decision Making: Ensure leadership across all SBUs have timely, reliable data to drive strategic and operational decisions. 

AI Adoption at Scale: Mature Gensers AI capability from isolated pilots to embedded, production-grade solutions across business units within a defined roadmap. 

QUALIFICATIONS: 

Bachelor's degree in software engineering, Computer Science, Data Science, or Information Systems. 

Master's degree in Machine Learning, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence or related field is a plus. 

Certifications in AI/ML technologies and Cloud platforms, such as AWS Certified Machine Learning - Specialty, Google Cloud Professional Machine Learning Engineer, Azure AI Engineer, Azure Data Scientist, or Azure Solutions Architect 

Multicultural experience is mandatory is a plus. 

Proficiency in French is a plus. 

KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE: 

6 – 8 years of experience in data engineering, AI, or analytics, preferably in the Oil & Gas industry. 

Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Word). 

Strong proficiency in Python and SQL 

Experience building data pipelines and ETL/ELT processes 

Experience with cloud platforms (Azure preferred) 

Strong understanding of data modelling and data architecture 

Experience with machine learning frameworks  

Experience working with both structured and unstructured data