Director, Applied AI

Position Summary

The Director, Applied AI – North America leads the identification, development, and deployment of artificial intelligence capabilities across DSV Contract Logistics' North America shared business functions and core warehouse and distribution operations. This is a greenfield, builder role: the Director will personally architect and ship AI solutions — agents, fine‑tuned models, and integrated workflows — that drive measurable improvements. The Director will establish the AI capability for North America from the ground up, set the standards and governance practices that protect the business, and represent North America in DSV's global AI governance forums.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

• Identify, prioritize, and quantify high‑value AI use cases across Operations, BCM, Engineering, Shared Services, P+O, and other functions; build the multi‑year AI roadmap and align it to enterprise growth, savings, and transformation targets.
• Personally design, build, and ship AI solutions, including LLM‑based agents, fine‑tuned models, retrieval pipelines, and intelligent automations integrated into the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, DSV’s WMS, TMS, and adjacent operational systems.
• Establish and own the North America AI engineering practices, including model selection, evaluation, prompt and agent design standards, MLOps, observability, and cost control.
• Define and operate the AI governance, risk, security, and responsible‑AI framework for North America in alignment with DSV global policy; represent North America in DSV's global AI governance bodies.
• Construct rigorous business cases for each AI investment with clear ROI, baseline measurement, and post‑deployment value tracking; partner with Operations Finance to validate realized savings.
• Translate business problems articulated by functional and operational leaders into well‑scoped AI solutions; act as the primary internal consultant for AI feasibility, build‑vs‑buy, and vendor selection decisions.
• Evaluate, pilot, and operationalize commercial AI capabilities embedded in the existing technology stack, including Microsoft 365 Copilot, Coupa AI, and AI features in WMS, TMS, and ERP platforms; negotiate value where appropriate.
• Build and lead a small, high‑performing team of AI builders over time; recruit, develop, retain, and motivate technical talent capable of operating in a complex matrix environment.
• Establish KPIs and OKRs that track adoption, model performance, and realized business value; report progress to North America executive leadership and contribute to global AI reporting.
• Partner closely with IT, Information Security, Legal, Privacy, P+O, and Finance to ensure deployments meet enterprise standards for data handling, access control, and regulatory compliance.
• Develop and deliver targeted enablement to functional leaders and operators so AI tools are adopted, trusted, and used at scale.
• Operate fluently across executive (C‑Level) and operator (warehouse, procurement, real estate) audiences, modulating depth and language to fit.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Statistics, or an equivalent quantitative field is required.
• Minimum 10 years of progressive professional experience, with a minimum of 5 years building and shipping production AI/ML systems and a minimum of 3 years in a senior or lead capacity within a matrixed enterprise.
• Demonstrated track record of personally shipping AI solutions to production and quantifying realized business value.
• Experience standing up an AI capability or function from a greenfield state is strongly preferred.

Computer Skills

• Strong, current proficiency in Python and modern AI/ML libraries (e.g., PyTorch, Hugging Face Transformers, scikit‑learn).
• Hands‑on experience with leading LLM ecosystems (OpenAI, Anthropic, Azure AI Foundry); agent frameworks (e.g., LangGraph, AutoGen, MCP); retrieval architectures and vector databases.
• Working knowledge of model fine‑tuning, evaluation methodologies, and MLOps tooling.
• Strong fluency in the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, including Copilot, Power Platform, Microsoft Fabric, and Azure AI services.
• Familiarity with cloud platforms (Azure preferred), SQL, and modern data warehousing patterns.

Language Skills

• English (reading, writing, and verbal).

Mathematical Skills

• Advanced quantitative skills, including statistics, linear algebra, and the financial mathematics required to construct rigorous business cases.

Other Skills

• Ability to walk into an ambiguous business problem, understand it deeply, and propose pragmatic AI and non‑AI solutions.
• Demonstrated ability to balance executive‑level strategic framing with hands‑on technical delivery.
• Excellent written, verbal, and visual/presentation communication skills, including the ability to brief senior executives and translate technical concepts for non‑technical audiences.
• Strong commercial instincts; ROI‑oriented; able to kill ideas that do not pencil out.
• Ability to influence and build trust across multiple levels and functions in a complex, matrixed global organization.
• Comfortable operating with significant ambiguity and limited precedent; bias to action.
• Sound judgment regarding AI risk, including data privacy, intellectual property, model reliability, and reputational exposure.
• Capable of recruiting, mentoring, and developing technical talent.

Preferred Qualifications

Education and/or Experience

• Master’s or PhD in a quantitative field preferred.
• Experience in third‑party logistics, supply chain, transportation, or another complex multi‑site operating environment is preferred but not required.
• Experience integrating AI with enterprise platforms, WMS, TMS, or ERP systems.
• Prior experience representing a business unit or region in enterprise‑wide AI or technology governance.

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations or Professional Designations

• Relevant cloud or AI certifications (e.g., Microsoft Azure AI Engineer, AWS Machine Learning, Google Cloud ML) are desirable.
• Active participation in the AI/ML practitioner community (publications, open‑source contributions, speaking) is a plus.

Physical Demands

• Frequently Sitting / Bending / Walking and Standing.
• Ability to Lift/Carry and Push/Pull (21‑50 pounds).
• Reach above shoulder, reach outward, squat, or kneel.

Other Physical Requirements

While performing the duties of this job, the employee uses his/her hands to finger, handle or feel objects, tools or controls; reach with hands and arms; stoop, kneel, or crouch; talk or hear. The employee uses computer and telephone equipment. Specific vision requirements of this job include close vision and distance vision. Must be able to travel by plane and automobile.

Work Environment

While performing the duties of this job, the employee rarely is exposed to fumes or airborne particles, toxic or caustic chemicals. The noise level in the work environment is usually low to moderate. The physical demands and work environment characteristics described above are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Reasonable Accommodations Statement

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable Accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Benefits

For this position, the expected base pay range is $175,000.00 – $250,000.00 Annually. Actual compensation will be determined based on job‑related factors such as relevant experience, skills, education, certifications, and geographic location, in accordance with applicable laws and company policy. Information regarding DSV’s benefits offerings, including eligibility, coverage options, and plan details, is available through the DSV Benefits Showcase. Benefits, programs, and eligibility may vary by location and division in accordance with applicable state and local laws.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

DSV is an equal employment opportunity employer. Candidates are considered for employment without regard to race, creed, color, national origin, age, sex, religion, ancestry, disability, veteran status, marital status, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local law. If you require special assistance or accommodation while seeking employment with DSV, please contact Human Resources at View email address on click.appcast.io. If you are interested in learning the status of your application, please note you will be contacted directly by the appropriate human resources contact person if you are selected for further consideration. DSV reserves the right to defer or close a vacancy at any time.