Enterprise Architect

Job description / Role

Job Type
Full Time

Job Location
Dubai, UAE

Nationality
Any Nationality

Salary
Not Specified

Gender
Not Specified

Arabic Fluency
Not Specified

Job Function
Finance, Business Analysis & Consulting

Company Industry
Retail

Key responsibilities

1. AI strategy, portfolio & governance

• Define and execute a multi-year AI vision and roadmap that delivers measurable impact across retail stores, F&B operations, and e-commerce platforms.
• Prioritize AI initiatives based on ROI, customer experience, and operational efficiency.
• Establish governance for responsible AI, data privacy, and compliance across all channels.
• Align leadership through an AI steering committee and provide executive-level reporting on adoption and outcomes.
• Drive build-vs-buy decisions and vendor partnerships for scalable AI solutions across physical and digital touchpoints.

2. Data & AI platform engineering

• Develop unified data strategy integrating customer, product, transactional, supply chain, and digital behavior data.
• Lead development of AI models for demand forecasting, dynamic pricing, personalization, recommendation engines, fraud detection, and inventory optimization.
• Implement experimentation frameworks (A/B testing, uplift modeling) for e-commerce and in-store initiatives.
• Ensure model explainability, ethical AI practices, and compliance with data security standards.

3. Product & technology integration

• Translate AI use cases into productized services integrated with POS, OMS, WMS, ERP, CRM, e-commerce platforms, and mobile apps.
• Drive personalization and search optimization for e-commerce, including AI-driven recommendations and dynamic content.
• Implement computer vision and IoT solutions for retail.
• Optimize infrastructure for AI workloads, ensuring cost efficiency and scalability across cloud and edge environments.
• Champion human-in-the-loop systems for merchandising, operations, and digital experience teams.

4. AI adoption & impact management

• Lead adoption of AI solutions across retail, F&B, and e-commerce through structured change management and training programs.
• Build and mentor a high-performing AI team covering data science, ML engineering, and analytics.
• Elevate AI literacy across leadership and frontline teams; foster a culture of innovation and responsible experimentation.
• Track and validate business impact metrics such as conversion rate, AOV, forecast accuracy, food waste reduction, and operational efficiency.
• Manage budgets, vendor ecosystems, and risk mitigation for AI initiatives across all channels.
• Represent the AI function in executive forums and external partnerships to position the organization as an industry leader.

Qualifications & skills

• Masters degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Engineering, or a related field (Ph.D. preferred).
• Minimum 12-15 years of experience in AI, data science, and machine learning leadership roles, with at least 5 years in a senior or head position.
• Proven track record of delivering AI-driven solutions in retail, F&B, and e-commerce environments.
• Expertise in AI strategy development, portfolio governance, and enterprise-scale implementation.
• Strong knowledge of machine learning, deep learning, NLP, computer vision, and recommendation systems.
• Hands-on experience with AI platforms, cloud services (AWS, Azure, GCP), and big data technologies.
• Proficiency in MLOps practices, model lifecycle management, and scalable deployment architectures.
• Deep understanding of data engineering, data governance, and integration across omnichannel ecosystems.
• Strong business acumen with ability to link AI initiatives to measurable outcomes (conversion, AOV, cost optimization, waste reduction).
• Exceptional leadership and stakeholder management skills with experience influencing at executive level.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills for articulating AI strategy and impact to non-technical audiences.
• Ability to build and mentor high-performing AI teams and foster a culture of innovation and ethical AI practices.
• Certifications in AI/ML, Data Science, Cloud Architecture, or Responsible AI are an advantage.

About the Company

The Apparel Group is a global fashion and lifestyle brand conglomerate residing on the crossroads of a modern economy - Dubai, UAE. The mercurial growth in the last 17 years has been by acquiring a host of world class fashion labels from around the world - Nine West, Tommy Hilfiger, Kenneth Cole, Aldo & Tim Hortons just to name a few.

Today the group caters to thousands of eager shoppers through its over 1530 stores, 75 International brands and employing 12,000 multi cultural staff in over 4 continents. Apparel believes in turning dreams in to reality and we give everyone - our customers, our stakeholders, our employees - an equal opportunity to do so.

Apparel group has carved its strong presence not only in the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, and Saudi Arabia but opened thriving gateways to market in India, South Africa, Poland, Singapore, Jordan, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia. Additionally, clear strategies are in place to enter emerging markets such as Hungary, Pakistan, Egypt and Philippines.