Director of Enterprise AI & Technology (Ocala)

The Director of Enterprise AI & Technology will lead the company’s next phase of technology-enabled transformation, serving as the organization’s primary AI leader, hands-on builder, and strategic partner to the business. The primary focus of this role is to shape and execute the enterprise AI strategy, identify high-value opportunities, and build practical solutions that improve how the organization operates, makes decisions, and serves its customers.

Working directly with executive and functional leaders, this individual will translate business challenges into AI-enabled solutions, lead adoption and change management, establish responsible governance, and demonstrate measurable business value. This is a highly visible working leadership role for someone who can move fluidly from strategy to execution by evaluating emerging technologies, developing solutions, guiding implementation, and helping leaders reimagine how work gets done.

In addition to leading the company’s AI transformation, the Director will provide strategic leadership and oversight of the established Information Technology function, including enterprise applications, infrastructure, cybersecurity, end-user support, and SAP. The role is not intended to serve as the company’s primary SAP technical or functional expert. Rather, this leader will ensure the broader technology environment remains secure, reliable, and aligned with the company’s evolving business and transformation priorities.

Essential Duties:

Enterprise AI Transformation & Adoption

• Develop and execute the company’s enterprise AI strategy and implementation roadmap, aligned with business priorities and measurable outcomes.
• Serve as a trusted AI transformation partner to executive and functional leaders, identifying high-value opportunities across Finance, Sales, Supply Chain, Operations, and other business functions.
• Translate business problems and operational opportunities into prioritized AI, automation, and data-enabled use cases with clearly defined success measures.
• Personally evaluate, prototype, build, deploy, and scale AI and automation solutions, including large language model applications, intelligent workflows, machine learning solutions, data pipelines, and business-system integrations.
• Lead build-versus-buy decisions and determine when the company should develop, purchase, configure, or partner for AI capabilities.
• Guide solutions from concept and pilot through implementation, adoption, ongoing support, and enterprise scale.
• Partner with business leaders to redesign processes and workflows rather than simply layering technology onto existing practices.
• Lead enterprise-wide AI adoption through practical training, education, change management, and development of internal AI champions.
• Establish responsible AI governance addressing cybersecurity, data privacy, intellectual property, vendor risk, acceptable use, human oversight, and applicable regulatory considerations.
• Develop and communicate performance measures for AI initiatives, including adoption, productivity, cost savings, decision quality, risk reduction, and return on investment.
• Provide leadership with clear, practical updates regarding AI priorities, progress, risks, investment needs, and business outcomes.

Technology Leadership & Oversight

• Provide strategic oversight of enterprise applications, infrastructure, network operations, cybersecurity, technical support, system administration, and technology vendors.
• Lead and develop the Information Technology team, establishing clear accountability for reliable day-to-day technology operations and responsive business support.
• Ensure the security, availability, continuity, and performance of systems supporting manufacturing and business operations.
• Provide oversight of SAP and related reporting and integration technologies, relying on internal and external subject-matter experts for detailed configuration and functional support.
• Oversee technology policies, system controls, data governance standards, business continuity planning, disaster recovery, contracts, vendors, and technology budgets.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering or a related technical field; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.
• Hands-on experience personally designing and building AI and automation solutions, and deploying them in a business environment (large language model applications, machine learning, data pipelines, intelligent workflows), not only directing or purchasing them. Depth of personal build experience is the primary screen for this role.
• Practical, current command of modern AI tooling sufficient to build and evaluate solutions directly: large language models and their APIs, prompt and agent design, retrieval (RAG), and working scripting ability (Python or equivalent).
• Demonstrated experience leading enterprise AI transformation from strategy through implementation, adoption, and measurable business impact.
• Experience partnering with executive and functional leaders to identify high-value use cases and translate business needs into practical technology solutions.
• Experience leading organizational adoption, process redesign, training, and change management associated with emerging technology.
• Experience establishing artificial intelligence governance and responsible-use frameworks.
• Strong understanding of data, cloud platforms, enterprise integration, cybersecurity, and technology architecture.
• Leadership experience overseeing technical teams, enterprise applications, vendors, or technology partners.
• Sound judgment regarding build-versus-buy decisions and the ability to explain technical opportunities, limitations, trade-offs, and risks clearly to nontechnical audiences.
• Ability to balance hands-on solution development with enterprise leadership, governance, and executive partnership.
• Candidates are encouraged to share examples of AI solutions they have personally built and shipped: a demo, a deployed tool, a repository, or a measurable business outcome.

Preferred

• Experience overseeing an ERP-enabled technology environment.
• Familiarity with SAP, including S/4HANA, BW, SAC, EDI, or related technologies.
• Experience with Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), or comparable cloud platforms.
• Experience in manufacturing, consumer packaged goods, distribution, or another operationally complex environment.