THE COMPANY
Our client is a highly profitable, globally dominating market leader in the industrial engineering and manufacturing sector. With a massive global infrastructure—headquartered in Germany with major hubs in the US, Asia, and South America—they have built an unassailable reputation for hardware and mechanical excellence.
The turning point? The future of industrial efficiency requires decoupling growth from headcount. To counter the rapid technological acceleration from global markets, the company is embarking on a radical redesign: transforming into an "Agentic Organization." They are not looking for incremental digitalization; they are rebuilding their entire operating system around probabilistically controlled processes and autonomous AI networks. In this target picture, AI is no longer a passive tool, but an active digital workforce that autonomously orchestrates complex workflows.
THE ROLE
This is an unprecedented executive mandate. Sitting directly on the Group Management Board alongside the CEO and the CFO, you will act as the Chief AI Transformation Officer (CAITO)—the ultimate architect of the company’s cognitive infrastructure.
Crucially, to realize this "Agent-First" vision, the traditional boundaries between technology and people must be dissolved. Both the global IT and HR organizations will report directly to you in the future. You are tasked with leading a holistic, socio-technical transformation. You will pioneer how human employees and autonomous AI agents collaborate, and how the organization leverages global talent hubs (US, India, China) for rapid product development before executing compliant rollouts in the European core market.
This position offers the rare opportunity to rewrite the organizational blueprint of a global industrial champion from the ground up.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Agent-First Enterprise Architecture: Conceptualize and deploy scalable multi-agent networks that autonomously orchestrate operational workflows. You will drive the modernization of legacy systems, integrating them deeply with a new, API-first data foundation.
- Reimagining Human Resources: Assume overarching leadership of the HR and IT functions to pioneer "Algorithmic Skill Management." You will drive massive upskilling initiatives, transforming the global workforce from manual process executors to orchestrators of AI systems.
- Global Innovation Pacing: Leverage the company's international footprint to accelerate development. Prioritize R&D and rapid AI product engineering out of high-speed hubs (US, India, China) while ensuring robust, GDPR-compliant integration across European operations.
- Socio-Technical Stakeholder Management: Act as the strategic bridge between technology and the workforce. Proactively engage with works councils and organizational leaders to dissolve administrative rigidities, foster psychological safety, and build trust in hybrid human-AI workflows.
- AI-Driven Product Evolution: Drive the algorithmic enhancement of the company's core machinery and customer solutions, ensuring AI applications are seamlessly integrated into the central product development roadmap as a core priority
YOUR PROFILE
- The Socio-Technical Visionary: You possess a deep understanding of Large Language Models, agentic frameworks, and complex software architectures, paired with the strategic gravitas to fundamentally reshape a global organization's operating model.
- Regulated Scale-Up Veteran: 10+ years of senior leadership experience. You have a proven track record of driving transformation within highly federated, regulated, or unionized environments (e.g., navigating strong works councils), turning compliance into a design parameter rather than a roadblock.
- Global Execution & Pace: You have substantial experience operating in or leading teams across ultra-fast tech ecosystems (US, China, or India) and know how to translate that speed into a mature, resilient European industrial context.
- Unifying Leadership Personality: You are a "grounded visionary" who deeply respects traditional engineering excellence but has zero tolerance for outdated administration. You communicate with absolute clarity in the boardroom and inspire trust on the shop floor.
- Education & Languages: Master’s degree or equivalent in Computer Science, Engineering, Organizational Design, or a highly related field. Fluency in English is mandatory; fluency in German is highly desirable to navigate the core corporate culture effectively.