Datacom

General Manager - AI Strategic Foresight

Datacom  •  Auckland, NZ (Onsite)  •  2 days ago
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Job Description

Shape the AI Agenda. Define What's Next.

Datacom is one of Asia-Pacific's most established technology companies, and we're building an AI Centre of Enablement (AI CoE) that's serious about delivering real impact — for our business and our customers. We're looking for a General Manager – AI Strategic Foresight to be Datacom's radar for everything happening in the AI landscape and the driving force behind identifying where we place our AI bets.

This is a rare opportunity to operate at the intersection of technology foresight, commercial strategy, and organisational transformation — at a company with the scale to turn insight into action.

The Role

As GM AI Strategic Foresight, you'll own Datacom's early warning system for shifts in the AI landscape — translating emerging signals into clear, timely decisions. You'll identify and initially prioritise AI use cases from across the business, then hand them to the AI CoE Programme Manager for business casing, deeper prioritisation, and delivery routing.

This isn't a research role. It's an advisory and operating role with real influence on where Datacom invests, builds, and moves.

What You'll Be Doing

AI Landscape Monitoring & Foresight

  • Continuously monitor the AI landscape — models, hyperscaler and platform changes, agentic tooling, partner roadmaps, regulatory shifts, and competitor moves
  • Translate signals into clear, actionable implications: what it means for Datacom, what it means for our customers, and what we need to do now
  • Surface emerging threats and opportunities to the GLT and AI CoE with a recommended response — on the timescales the market window demands

Use Case Identification & Initial Prioritisation

  • Own the end-to-end process for identifying AI use cases across Datacom through a consistent, structured approach — not ad-hoc idea capture
  • Draw from multiple inputs: leader-led reimagination of work, common patterns across business areas, foresight-derived signals, partners, and internal stakeholders
  • Apply Datacom's materiality filter as the initial sift — prioritising ideas that save material internal cost ("customer zero") or can be reused at scale across our customer base
  • Hand prioritised use cases to the AI CoE Programme Manager and Domain Experts for business casing and delivery routing
  • Continuously evolve the identification framework and scoring criteria based on what makes it through programme-level gates

Strategic Input to Investment & Portfolio Decisions

  • Bring foresight and use case insight into AI Council, AI CoE, and GLT investment discussions
  • Inform build vs. buy vs. partner decisions across the AI portfolio
  • Identify emerging capability gaps — skills, tools, data, and partnerships — that need to be closed before they become liabilities

Who We're Looking For

You're a sharp, commercially grounded technology leader who can read the AI landscape with confidence and translate complexity into clear direction. You think strategically but operate with urgency — you understand that market windows don't wait.

You'll bring:

  • Deep knowledge of the AI landscape — models, platforms, hyperscalers, agentic tooling, and the competitive dynamics shaping enterprise AI adoption
  • Strong commercial instincts — you can identify an opportunity, size it quickly, and make a compelling case for action
  • Experience working at a senior level within a technology business, consultancy, or innovation-led environment
  • The ability to synthesise complex signals into clear, executive-ready insights and recommendations
  • A structured approach to use case identification and prioritisation — you build frameworks, not just lists
  • Exceptional stakeholder influence — you're credible with the GLT, AI Council, and technical teams alike
  • A bias for action and a low tolerance for analysis paralysis

Why Datacom?

  • A genuine seat at the table — your insights will directly shape Datacom's AI investment decisions at the highest level
  • Work alongside a high-calibre leadership team building AI capability at real scale
  • Reporting to the Head of AI CoE with a dotted line to the AI Director and close collaboration with the AI Council
  • A company with the breadth and customer base to turn foresight into impact quickly
  • Competitive remuneration and flexible working arrangements
  • A collaborative, inclusive culture that values bold thinking

Ready to Define Datacom's AI Future?

If you're the kind of leader who sees around corners and knows how to turn insight into action, we want to hear from you.

Apply now and tell us how you've translated emerging technology trends into strategic advantage.

Datacom is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives.

Datacom

About Datacom

Customer focused values. World-class capability.

The right solutions to help you navigate, wherever you are on your journey.

With a breadth of offerings and depth of expertise, there isn’t a safer pair of hands to help navigate the future of your business.

Datacom is Australasia's largest home-grown tech company. Drawing on the experience of over 6500 staff in 24 locations around the globe, we work with a full range of clients, from small start-ups through to government agencies and multinational corporations, to explore and extract the hidden value in their systems.

We bring together over half a century of know-how, the right technology and the knowledge and creativity of our people, to deliver sustainable solutions to our customers’ greatest challenges.

With our team of dedicated professionals, we work with leading partners to deliver the solutions that are right for our customers – that solve their issues and enhances their businesses.

We design, build and run IT systems and processes across operations, cybersecurity, cloud, digital platforms, payroll and enterprise applications. We deliver customer care services and operate mission-critical infrastructure with best-in-class data centre facilities – Datacom delivers on the promise: practical imagination.

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Industry
IT & Software
Company Size
5,001-10,000 employees
Headquarters
Auckland, NZ
Year Founded
1965
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