Regional Chief Financial Officer — AI Safety Programme

The mandate

Regional growth has outpaced the capital and performance disciplines used elsewhere in the enterprise. Investment cases are prepared through inconsistent assumptions, costs shared with the AI safety programme are not always attributed to the decisions that create them, and forecast revisions arrive too late to shape action. A responsible-AI control build adds necessary evidence and capacity requirements to the next plan. The Regional Chief Financial Officer will make those economics visible and turn finance into a forward decision partner.

The operating perimeter represents approximately US$1 billion in AI product and services revenue and about 250 employees and material partners across the USA, New York and the wider region. It covers regional finance, planning, commercial support, controls, tax, treasury and performance insight across multiple customer, product and delivery clusters. The CFO will not own safety controls in the first line, but must ensure their cost, benefit, exposure and funding implications are reflected honestly.

The intended outcome is cash, forecast confidence and sound investment governance. That requires more than faster close. Customer commitments, model and infrastructure consumption, delivery effort, control obligations and workforce plans should reconcile in one view. The board wants finance to challenge attractive revenue that destroys value through bespoke delivery or unmanaged assurance cost, while protecting investment that builds reusable capability and trust.

Why this seat is open

This is a planned replacement supported by an orderly handover from the incumbent. The board has allowed four to six months to assess the field, complete diligence and maintain continuity through the responsible-AI control build. Employees, customers and partners will receive transition communications in a controlled sequence. The permanent role is onsite in New York, with international relocation support, and reports to the Group Chief Executive and relevant board committee.

What you will own

You will establish a regional performance model that connects revenue quality, gross contribution, cash, customer adoption, technology consumption and control cost. Shared and central charges need transparent drivers. Product and account leaders should be able to see the economics they influence, including the consequences of custom requirements and delayed deployment. Finance definitions must remain stable enough to compare performance over time.

Capital allocation will be governed through explicit gates. You will examine the existing portfolio, distinguish committed obligations from discretionary expansion and require quantified evidence for subsequent funding. Responsible-AI investment cases should specify the exposure addressed, operational change, ongoing cost and evidence of effectiveness. Benefits cannot remain unowned after the initial approval.

Forecasting must become an operating conversation rather than a periodic finance production. You will combine commercial, delivery, product and people assumptions, test scenarios and surface disagreement before figures are submitted. The board requires a credible central case and clear downside actions. Material variances should lead to decisions on price, capacity, scope or capital rather than repeated explanation.

The finance organisation also needs attention. Assess leadership across the 250-person employee and partner perimeter, clarify business-partner and control accountabilities and strengthen succession. Automation should remove low-value reconciliation while preserving control evidence. External auditors and principal capital sponsors should receive consistent, decision-grade information.

The first 12 months

In the first 90 days, reconcile the revenue, margin, cash and investment baseline. Review major contracts and safety-programme commitments, test the most material allocations and identify where forecasts rely on unsupported commercial or delivery assumptions. Assess direct reports, stabilise any urgent control issue and agree a regional scorecard and capital gates with the board.

Between months four and nine, implement the integrated performance model, reset the weakest investment cases and improve working-capital ownership. Put the responsible-AI control build into planning and forecast routines. Simplify reviews and demonstrate one consequential reallocation or commercial intervention that releases cash, protects value or prevents uneconomic growth.

At year end, the region should have more predictable cash, credible forecasts and investment governance that directs resources towards evidence. The next plan must reconcile product, customer, technology, control and talent choices. Present a three-year regional case with quantified downside moves, a sustainable finance operating model and explicit owners for remaining value gaps.

What the board will measure

The first-year financial case should finish within 10% of approval, with likely variance explained before the relevant quarter closes. Forecasts over three successive quarters must align revenue, cash, customers, capacity and workforce assumptions. A selected weakness in capital or performance discipline should show quantified improvement from a controlled starting point.

High-priority finance and control issues need closure by agreed dates and independent evidence that remediation lasts. At least 90% of critical finance talent should remain, while 70% of CFO direct reports should have ready-now cover. No material surprise may be withheld from governance, and severe escalations cannot remain undecided for over 30 days.

The person

You are a Regional CFO, Divisional CFO or Finance Vice President with 22–28 years in AI, enterprise software, data infrastructure, cloud, analytics, applied research or a similarly complex enterprise. You have directly owned at least US$850 million of P&L, budget, book or accountable portfolio and led no fewer than 175 people.

Your record includes strengthening capital and forecast discipline during a significant control or business-model transition. You can explain how finance changed commercial or investment decisions, quantify the result and show that reporting remained trustworthy. Board exposure and signed or directly owned financial statements are important evidence. References must distinguish your judgement from wider market movement.

Compensation and terms

The anticipated package is US$430,000–575,000 base plus annual incentive and equity, calibrated to final scope and current mix. Equity follows standard vesting and performance conditions. Notice up to six months can be accommodated. The CFO will have regular access to the chair, executive committee and principal capital sponsors.

Confidentiality

The enterprise, incumbent, regional forecasts and control programme details will be disclosed only after mutual relevance is established under formal confidentiality. Published circumstances and scale are deliberately composite.