AI Solution Principal - RCPG

We are HCLTech , one of the fastest-growing large tech companies in the world and home to 219,000+ people across 54 countries, supercharging progress through industry-leading capabilities centered around Digital, Engineering and Cloud. The driving force behind that work, our people, are diverse, creative, and passionate, raising the bar for excellence on a regular basis. We, in turn, work hard to bring out the best in them as we strive to help them find their spark and become the best version of themselves that they can be. Role Summary We are seeking a Director of AI to lead the strategy, solutioning, and delivery of artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities for our RCPG clients. This is a senior leadership role that blends hands-on technical depth with business development and client engagement. The successful candidate will have a proven track record of conceiving, building, and scaling AI solutions specifically for retail and consumer goods enterprises, and will be responsible for translating complex industry challenges into measurable, production-grade AI outcomes. You will own the AI agenda for the vertical — shaping the offering portfolio, leading multi-disciplinary teams, advising client executives, and ensuring solutions move beyond proofs of concept into enterprise-scale deployment. Key Responsibilities Strategy & Offering Leadership Define and drive the AI/ML strategy and solution roadmap for the RCPG vertical, aligned to industry trends, client priorities, and HCLTech's broader AI offerings. Build a portfolio of reusable AI assets, accelerators, and platforms across core retail and CPG domains. Stay ahead of emerging technologies — including generative AI, agentic AI, and foundation models — and identify where they create differentiated value for retail and consumer goods clients. Solution Development Across the RCPG Value Chain Lead the design and delivery of AI solutions across domains including, but not limited to: Demand Forecasting & Planning — probabilistic and ML-based demand sensing, new-product introduction forecasting, promotional uplift modeling, and S&OP enablement. Supply Chain Optimization — inventory optimization, network design, fulfillment optimization, and supply-demand matching across multi-echelon networks. Store Solutions — store-level replenishment, planogram compliance, computer-vision shelf monitoring, loss prevention, and frictionless / autonomous store experiences. Transport Management (TMS) — route optimization, load planning, carrier selection, ETA prediction, and last-mile delivery optimization. Warehouse Management (WMS) — slotting optimization, labor forecasting, pick-path optimization, robotics enablement, and automated quality inspection. Pricing Analytics — price elasticity modeling, markdown and clearance optimization, dynamic pricing, and promotion effectiveness. Merchandising — assortment optimization, category management, space planning, and personalized product recommendations. Client Engagement & Business Development Serve as a trusted AI advisor to client CXOs, translating business objectives into AI-led transformation programs. Partner with sales and account teams to shape proposals, lead solution defense, and grow the AI pipeline across new and existing accounts. Articulate the business value and ROI of AI investments to both technical and non-technical stakeholders. Delivery & Engineering Excellence Oversee end-to-end delivery of AI engagements, ensuring solutions are robust, scalable, and responsibly deployed in production (MLOps, monitoring, governance). Establish best practices for data engineering, model development, validation, and lifecycle management. Ensure solutions are designed with data privacy, fairness, explainability, and responsible-AI principles in mind. Build, mentor, and lead a high-performing team of data scientists, ML engineers, and domain solution architects. Foster a culture of innovation, continuous learning, and technical excellence within the practice. Represent HCLTech at industry forums, conferences, and through thought leadership. Required Qualifications & Experience 12+ years of overall experience, with a significant portion in AI/ML solution development for the retail and/or consumer packaged goods industry. Demonstrable track record of building and scaling production AI solutions across multiple RCPG domains such as demand forecasting, supply chain, store solutions, transport and warehouse management, pricing, and merchandising. Strong hands-on foundation in machine learning, statistical modeling, optimization, and forecasting techniques, with a clear understanding of how they map to retail/CPG business problems. Proven experience leading large, cross-functional teams and complex, multi-stakeholder client programs. Deep familiarity with modern data and AI platforms (e.g., cloud ecosystems such as Azure / AWS / GCP, Databricks, Snowflake) and MLOps practices. Experience with generative and agentic AI applications in a retail/CPG context is a strong advantage. Excellent executive communication, consulting, and stakeholder-management skills. Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Statistics, Operations Research, Engineering, or a related quantitative field; advanced degree preferred. Preferred Attributes Experience working within a global IT services, consulting, or product organization. Knowledge of retail / CPG enterprise platforms (e.g., SAP, Blue Yonder, o9, Oracle Retail, Manhattan Associates). A combination of strategic vision and willingness to remain technically hands-on. Equality & Opportunity for All Representing 165 nationalities across the globe, we pride ourselves on being an equal opportunity employer, committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees regardless of race, religion, sex, color, age, national origin, pregnancy, sexual orientation, physical disability or genetic information, military or veteran status, or any other protected classification, in accordance with federal, state, and/or local law. #J-18808-Ljbffr HCL Technologies Limited