AI Operations Head

Job Description
Lazard is one of the world’s preeminent financial advisory and asset management firms. Our people and culture make the difference. While global in presence and reach, ours is a close, collaborative community of just over 3,000 professionals. Lazard is a place of continuous knowledge sharing, skill development and relationship building, where professionals grow and succeed together. Our entrepreneurial culture, flat structure and embrace of individual differences, allow creative ideas, original concepts, and unique perspectives to drive our business forward — and for careers to take flight.

AI is the central pillar of Lazard’s 2030 Growth Strategy. Our ambition is to become the leading AI-enabled independent Financial Services firm. This is to say we are interested in AI beyond the scope of operational efficiency. We see AI and Contextual Alpha as two primary factors underpinning our future success and better outcomes for our clients.

In light of this focus, we are looking for a Head of AI Operations to establish and drive the operating framework that enables the effective, scalable, and responsible deployment of artificial intelligence across the firm. This role will be responsible for translating AI strategy into durable operating capabilities, ensuring that AI models and tools are developed, tested, deployed, monitored, catalogued, supported and governed to the highest institutional standards.

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AI is the central pillar of Lazard’s 2030 Growth Strategy. Our ambition is to become the leading AI-enabled independent Financial Services firm. This is to say we are interested in AI beyond the scope of operational efficiency. We see AI and Contextual Alpha as two primary factors underpinning our future success and better outcomes for our clients.

In light of this focus, we are looking for an AI Operations Head to establish and drive the operating framework that enables the effective, scalable, and responsible deployment of artificial intelligence across the firm. This role will be responsible for translating AI strategy into durable operating capabilities, ensuring that AI models and tools are developed, tested, deployed, monitored, catalogued, supported and governed to the highest institutional standards.

Shape

We’ll trust you to

Define and own the end‑to‑end AI operational model, from development and evaluation through deployment, monitoring, lifecycle management, and retirement. Establish consistent operational standards across multiple AI initiatives, agents, teams, and business lines
Oversee production readiness for AI models, agents and applications, including testing, documentation, validation coordination, access control, documentation standards, deployment controls, and performance monitoring
Establish evaluation practices for generative AI applications, including measures for accuracy, relevance, and alignment with source material, harmful or inappropriate outputs, and performance against business requirements.
Partner with engineering, data science, and security teams to threat-model and harden generative AI systems, including RAG applications and agents that use external tools or connect to firm data. Address risks such as prompt injection, jailbreaks, sensitive data exposure, unsafe outputs, and unauthorized access.
Monitor the performance, data quality, usage, and security of AI systems in production; identify changes in behavior and coordinate remediation when needed.
Implement governance practices for explainability, documentation, human oversight, and accountability, and support internal and external reviews of AI systems and processes.
Coordinate AI operational matters across technology, business, and control functions, and provide senior management with clear reporting on operational health, risks, and dependencies.
Build strong working relationships with advisory teams, investment professionals, and senior leaders to ensure solutions are fit for purpose
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You’ll need to have

10 or more years of experience leading technology operations, platform operations, or data/analytics operations
Direct experience supporting AI, machine learning, or advanced analytics systems in production environments and the corresponding operational risk, controls, and governance principles
Proven ability to lead cross‑functional teams and operate effectively in complex organizational settings
Exceptional communication skills and influencing abilities to build consensus and drive collegial cross-functional collaboration
Shape Experience designing or leading AI or analytics operating models at scale strongly preferred
Background in engineering, data science, or technology risk earlier in career