Job Description
Lead a high-impact external AI & data partnerships program across BigTech, startups, and industry consortia. Shape enterprise strategy, secure value-driven agreements, and deliver measurable impact with governance and risk discipline. Executive-facing, globally oriented.
About the job
Job purpose
The Group Data & AI Strategic Partnerships Lead builds, nurtures and drives value from our strategic external partner ecosystem, which allow the Group to move faster than its peers. The role works with the Group Data & AI Strategy Lead, and acts as a thought partner to the Group Chief Data AI & Innovation Officer, and the Data & AI leaders across our operating entities. It is explicitly designed as a high-leverage partnership role rather than a delivery role: success is measured by the strength and value created mid-term of external partnerships.
Main missions
Your responsibilities include:
- Own the Group-level strategic partnership portfolio across BigTech, specialized tech & AI, industry consortia, and beyond for Data, AI and Innovation
- Negotiate and steward strategic agreements that secure preferential access, commercial leverage, co-innovation opportunities, and early access to emerging capabilities jointly with related AXA functions
- Ensure partnerships deliver measurable value and remain consistent with Group risk and procurement standards
Expected skills & experience
We are looking for someone with the following experience and skills:
Experience
- Master’s degree or equivalent in a quantitative, technology, business, or related discipline
- 5-10 years of progressive experience spanning strategy, data, technology, and / or AI, with at least 5 years in senior roles influencing C-level audiences
- Proven track record of shaping and executing enterprise-wide strategies and strategic partnerships in a large, complex, international organisation. Strategic Consulting background is appreciated
- Substantive experience in insurance, with a clear understanding of the operating model, P&L drivers, and regulatory environment of insurance.
- Demonstrable experience in managing strategic partnerships at executive level, from large technology providers to start-ups/scale-ups
- Comfort operating across cultures and geographies; full professional fluency in English; additional languages are a plus.
Technical skills
- Strategic clarity. Able to cut through complexity and articulate a sharp, defensible point of view on where the Group should and should not play in Data & AI.
- Technical credibility. Sufficient depth in modern data architectures, ML, and generative / agentic AI to challenge vendors, partners, and internal experts on substance — without seeking to be the deepest technologist in the room.
- Commercial acumen. Strong grasp of value creation, investment cases, and partnership economics; comfortable owning capital allocation conversations.
- Influence without authority. Earns trust and alignment across a federated organisation through clarity, evidence, and relationships rather than hierarchy.
- Executive communication. Crisp written and verbal communication; able to translate technical depth into board-level narratives and back.
- Partnership instinct. A natural network builder who maintains long-term, high-trust relationships with external partners while protecting Group interests.
- Judgement under uncertainty. Comfortable making directional calls in a fast-moving technology landscape, and equally comfortable revising them as evidence accumulates.
- Responsible by default. Treats ethics, fairness, transparency, and regulatory alignment as integral to strategy, not as an afterthought.
What we offer
We bring together the expertise, cultural diversity and creativity of over 8,000 employees worldwide and we’re committed to equal opportunities in all aspects of employment (gender, LGBT+, disabled persons, or people of different origins) and to promoting Diversity & Inclusion by creating a work environment where all employees are treated with dignity and respect, and where individual differences are valued.
About the entity
AXA is becoming a sustainable tech-led company and at AXA Group Operations we are one of the major catalysts for this transformation.
We set the tone by triggering and empowering the evolution of our insurance business model through technology and innovation, driving its concrete implementation globally at speed, with a high quality of advisory and execution.
We are present across 17 countries with committed, highly qualified teams. We leverage technology, data, sourcing, security and investment allocation in a global way, but also achieve economies of scale and synergies when necessary.
At AXA Group Operations, we want to be recognized in three fields of action:
- State-of-the-art Data Technology to drive customer experience
- State-of-the-art Procurement & Sourcing to drive efficiency and better manage risks
- High-Performing Global Team for stronger partnerships with AXA entities
About AXA
As a world-leading insurance company, we act for human progress by protecting what matters. With 153,000 employees in 54 countries working for 105 million customers, we’ve created a truly dynamic and vibrant community. Inclusion and diversity link closely with our values, and together we’re nurturing a culture of respect, for each other, for our customers and the communities around us. Join AXA and you’ll feel like you belong, are included and can thrive. You’ll be able to shape the way you work and truly grow your potential as you seek out new opportunities, push boundaries and benefit people in critical moments of their lives. This is your chance to build the tomorrow you want. Know you can.