Head of AI & Application Delivery

About Waystone

Waystone is a leading asset-servicing solutions provider of institutional governance, administration, risk and compliance services to financial institutions. With over 25 years' experience and a comprehensive range of specialist services to its name, Waystone helps our clients structure, operate and grow through our expertise, innovation and digitisation, backed by the operational scale to support global expansion

Summary

Reporting to the Chief Technology Officer, the Head of AI and Application Delivery is an integral contributor to the team's and organisation's success. We are seeking an experienced and forward-thinking leader to own the delivery, ownership and continuous improvement of Waystone's digital applications and the applied-AI capabilities that support the ManCo and Administration businesses.

The role leads a team of application owners, software engineers and test engineers who build, run and enhance the firm's digital applications and the AI that supports them. A core focus of the role is developing a high-performance team culture, championing individual growth, team wellbeing, and a strong sense of shared purpose- while ensuring everything delivered meets the control and governance standards expected of a regulated financial services environment.

Key Responsibilities

AI & Application Delivery Strategy

• Own and drive the roadmap for AI-enablement and the digital application portfolio, aligned to ManCo business strategy and client needs.
• Identify, prioritise and deliver opportunities where AI and applications reduce manual effort, improve data quality, and enhance the client and employee experience.
• Translate business problems into deliverable, well-governed AI and application solutions.

Team Leadership, Culture & Development

• Lead, develop and inspire a team of application owners and AI engineers.
• Create a high-performance, inclusive team culture built on trust, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Invest in team members' development through coaching, career planning, skills training, and performance feedback.
• Foster psychological safety and open communication, supporting both individual wellbeing and collective achievement.
• Define clear goals and priorities, ensure alignment to business objectives, and remove blockers to delivery.

Application Ownership & Delivery

• Own the lifecycle of the firm's digital applications - from discovery and design through build, release, and ongoing support and iteration.
• Ensure applications are reliable, secure, scalable and well-supported, with clear ownership and accountability.
• Drive engineering quality, a predictable delivery cadence, and a culture of continuous improvement.

Applied AI Engineering

• Lead the design, build and deployment of AI capabilities - such as generative AI, intelligent automation, copilots and document/data extraction - that support ManCo operations.
• Ensure AI capabilities are integrated cleanly into the application estate and into day-to-day business workflows.
• Stay current with the evolving AI landscape and evaluate tooling, models and delivery patterns for fit and value.

AI Governance, Risk & Controls

• Ensure AI and application delivery meets the firm's regulatory, data protection, security and model-governance obligations.
• Establish and maintain controls for the responsible and safe use of AI, including model oversight, data handling, explainability and auditability.
• Partner with Compliance, Risk, Legal and Information Security to embed governance into delivery from the outset.

Stakeholder Engagement & Adoption

• Collaborate with stakeholders across Operations, Compliance, Product, IT and Client Services to align and prioritise AI and application initiatives.
• Champion user-centric design and the adoption of AI tools and applications across the ManCo business.
• Act as a key liaison between business and technical teams, translating operational needs into clear, deliverable requirements.

Platform & Systems Oversight

• Work with Product, IT and vendors to deliver and optimise digital applications and AI across the firm's core platforms (e.g., Salesforce, Appian, the Microsoft / Azure estate, and the client portals).
• Support the integration of systems to create seamless, scalable and secure digital ecosystems.
• Ensure data consistency, integrity, and compliance with regulatory standards.

Skills & Experience

• Proven experience leading application delivery and/or applied AI in financial services, ideally in fund administration, asset management, or ManCo services.
• Strong background in software and application delivery, with credible engineering leadership.
• Practical experience taking AI, generative AI or automation solutions into production.
• Demonstrated success in building, leading, and developing high-performing engineering and delivery teams.
• Ability to shape and sustain a positive, inclusive, and growth-oriented team culture.
• Strong understanding of business operations and client workflows in a regulated financial environment.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and change leadership skills.
• Awareness of AI governance, data protection and information security obligations.

Desirable

• Experience with platforms such as Salesforce, Appian, Microsoft Azure / M365, client portals, and workflow automation tools.
• Hands-on familiarity with modern AI tooling - LLMs / generative AI, retrieval-augmented generation, agentic frameworks, and ML Ops.
• Familiarity with Agile / Lean methodologies and modern delivery frameworks.
• Knowledge of compliance, regulatory and reporting obligations in fund services.

Personal Attributes

• Strategic thinker with a focus on long-term business outcomes.
• Strong problem-solving abilities and decision-making skills.
• Comfortable balancing innovation with the control needs of a regulated firm.
• Able to work under pressure and handle multiple priorities.
• Collaborative and able to work effectively across departments.