Director, Emerging Technology

Job Summary We are seeking a highly strategic and execution-focused Director of Emerging Technology to lead the development, deployment, and adoption of the firm's internal AI capabilities. Reporting to the Sr. Director, Data and Application Engineering, this leader will translate business and technology priorities into practical, scalable AI solutions that improve operational efficiency, enhance service delivery, and create measurable business value. As a 1,000-person Managed Services Provider (MSP) serving financial services and healthcare clients, we operate in highly regulated environments that require secure, compliant, reliable, and responsible use of technology. The Director of Emerging Technology will play a key role in establishing and scaling the firm's AI engineering capabilities while ensuring solutions align with security, privacy, regulatory, and operational requirements. This role combines AI engineering leadership, business partnership, solution delivery, and team development. The successful candidate will be comfortable moving from strategy to hands-on execution—identifying high-value opportunities, designing solutions, leading implementation, measuring outcomes, and building the capabilities required to scale AI across the organization. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: • Direct Reports: 2–3 AI engineers initially, with the team expected to scale as AI adoption expands • Primary Scope: Internal AI strategy execution, AI engineering, automation, enablement, governance, and operational transformation • Partner with senior business leaders to execute the firm's AI strategy and translate strategic priorities into actionable initiatives. • Identify and prioritize high-value AI opportunities across departments including Service Desk, Finance, Operations, Customer Experience Management (CXM), and other corporate functions. • Develop and maintain a phased roadmap for AI solution development, deployment, and organizational adoption. • Evaluate emerging AI technologies, platforms, models, and frameworks and determine where they can provide meaningful business value. • Establish practical standards for evaluating AI opportunities based on business impact, technical feasibility, risk, security, and expected ROI. • Serve as a senior internal advisor on AI engineering, implementation approaches, and emerging AI capabilities. • Lead the design, development, and deployment of AI agents, automation, and AI-powered applications. • Drive use cases such as ticket triage, knowledge retrieval, workflow automation, financial processes, and operational insights. • Ensure AI solutions are scalable, secure, reliable, and compliant. • Oversee integration of AI solutions with existing enterprise systems and workflows. • Build, mentor, and lead the AI engineering team. • Establish development standards, architecture patterns, and best practices. • Partner with infrastructure, security, data, and application teams to deliver AI solutions. • Establish responsible AI practices and appropriate governance. • Partner with Security, Compliance, Legal, and Privacy teams on AI-related requirements. • Ensure appropriate controls for sensitive data, model usage, access, and monitoring. • Support compliance requirements applicable to financial services and healthcare environments. Experience & Qualifications • 8+ years of experience in technology or automation. • 7-10 years of experience in software engineering, data engineering, AI/ML, or a related field • 5-7 years Technical leadership or people management experience • 5-7 Proven years of experience deploying AI/ML or generative AI solutions into production. • 5-7 years of strong knowledge of LLMs, AI agents, RAG, automation, APIs, and data pipelines • 5-7 of experience translating business requirements into technical solutions • 5-7 years of experience working in regulated or security-sensitive environments • Strong communication and stakeholder management skills • Experience in an MSP, professional services, financial services, or healthcare environment. Benefits of Working for Abacus: • Exposure to diverse array of technologies • Part of a team of experienced engineers who aim to deliver exceptional service • Competitive compensation • Performance bonus • Robust benefits package: medical, dental, vision, disability, life insurance, 401k, and PTO • Opportunities to further technical education through online courses • Positive, friendly, supportive work environment