Director of AI & Innovation

Job description

DIRECTOR OF AI & INNOVATION Melbourne, Florida Build the AI playbook for a top-ranked national design and construction firm. We have an opening to support our client, a nationally ranked AEC firm with expertise in aerospace, defense, advanced manufacturing, commercial, and federal markets across the U.S. and around the world. The firm has made a company-wide commitment to AI and is hiring the person who will lead it. This is not a “maintain the tools” role. There is no existing AI program to inherit. You'll assess the entire enterprise, decide where AI creates real leverage, build the roadmap, and drive adoption from project teams to the C-suite. You'll work directly with the CEO and division presidents, which means your recommendations don't die in committee. They get funded and deployed. WHAT YOU'LL OWN You'll evaluate current workflows across design, engineering, and construction services and identify where AI and automation genuinely move the needle on efficiency, quality, and risk. From there, you'll build and execute the firm's AI roadmap: piloting emerging tools (BIM automation, generative design, predictive scheduling, AI-assisted QA/QC and bid development), partnering with IT and legal on secure and scalable deployment, and leading the change management that turns pilots into firm-wide practice. You'll also be the public face of the firm's innovation story: presenting at industry events, publishing case studies, and working directly with clients on AI-enabled project delivery. WHAT MAKES YOU A FIT - 5+ years of experience in the AEC industry. - 3 to 5 years of leadership in technology, innovation, or digital transformation, with a proven track record of deploying AI at scale. - 8 to 15 years of total professional experience. - Bachelor's degree in engineering, architecture, construction management, computer/data science, or a technology-focused business field (Master's preferred). Just as important: you're the rare translator who can sit with a CEO on strategy in the morning and walk a project team through a new workflow in the afternoon. You're curious, you experiment fast, and you know that adoption is a people problem before it's a technology problem. Must be authorized to work in the U.S. without sponsorship. WHY THIS ROLE Most AEC firms are still debating AI. This one has already committed, with executive sponsorship, budget, and a mandate. You'd be defining what AI in AEC looks like for an entire national firm, with the visibility and authority to actually do it. And the setting isn't bad either: headquarters sit on Florida's Space Coast, where you can watch rocket launches from the office, reach the beach in minutes, and enjoy a far lower cost of living than most innovation hubs. Firm name and full details shared with qualified candidates on first conversation.