Head of Research Development (AI Solution)

About SKY AI

SKY AI Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of SKY ICT Group, is a leading AI technology company delivering enterprise-grade intelligent solutions across government and private sectors. Our platforms span AI-driven CRM, workforce optimization, smart facility management, and next-generation AI ecosystems.

We build scalable, responsible, high-impact AI systems that improve quality of life and transform industries across Thailand and APAC.

Role Purpose

We are seeking a visionary Head of Research & Development to lead SKY AI's innovation engine.

This role will define the company's AI research agenda, drive cutting-edge AI/ML advancements, and translate innovation into scalable, market-ready products. The role also ensures that all AI initiatives are developed with strong governance principles — including fairness, transparency, human oversight, and regulatory compliance.

You will play a critical role in positioning SKY AI as a trusted and responsible AI leader in the region.

Key Responsibilities

Research Strategy & Innovation Leadership

• Define and execute the R&D roadmap aligned with product strategy and market opportunities
• Establish a structured innovation pipeline from ideation POC production
• Lead applied research across LLMs, Agentic AI, NLP, Computer Vision, Speech AI, and predictive analytics
• Evaluate build vs. buy vs. partner strategies for emerging technologies
• Manage R&D budget using a balanced innovation portfolio (70/20/10 model)

AI/ML Technical Excellence

• Oversee development of proprietary AI models, algorithms, and data pipelines
• Drive initiatives in LLM fine-tuning, RAG, multi-modal AI, and agent orchestration
• Establish robust model evaluation frameworks including accuracy, latency, fairness, and safety
• Define AI infrastructure strategy (GPU, MLOps, model serving, model registry)
• Ensure solutions meet enterprise standards for scalability, security, and reliability

Responsible AI & Governance (NEW – Embedded)

• Ensure AI systems are developed and deployed in alignment with responsible AI principles (fairness, transparency, accountability)
• Identify and mitigate potential biases in AI models, datasets, and decision-making processes
• Establish human-in-the-loop mechanisms to validate AI-assisted outputs and prevent over-reliance on automation
• Define governance frameworks for AI risk management, model monitoring, and auditability
• Ensure compliance with emerging AI regulations, data privacy laws (PDPA), and global ethical standards
• Promote awareness of AI governance, ethical risks, and regulatory expectations across teams

Product Innovation & Technology Transfer

• Translate research breakthroughs into scalable product features
• Collaborate with Product and Commercial teams to align innovation with business impact
• Implement Technology Readiness Level (TRL) frameworks
• Drive IP strategy including patents and publications
• Lead innovation programs (hackathons, demo days, experimentation culture)

Team Leadership & Capability Building

• Build and lead a high-performing AI research team (Data Scientists, ML Engineers, Researchers)
• Foster a culture balancing research rigor and execution speed
• Establish career paths, mentorship, and knowledge-sharing practices
• Implement performance frameworks combining research quality and business impact
• Drive cross-functional collaboration across engineering, product, and UX teams

Ecosystem & Strategic Partnerships

• Build partnerships with universities, research institutions, and global AI labs
• Manage relationships with AI vendors, cloud providers, and model platforms
• Represent SKY AI in industry forums and conferences
• Explore M&A and strategic investment opportunities in AI space

Governance, Risk & Reporting

• Implement structured R&D governance (stage-gate, prioritization, risk management)
• Deliver executive-level reporting on innovation performance and impact
• Ensure full compliance with data privacy, AI ethics, and regulatory requirements
• Maintain transparent documentation for research, models, and decision frameworks

Required Qualifications

• Master's or Ph.D. in AI, Computer Science, Machine Learning, or related fields
• 10–15 years of experience in technology, with 5+ years in R&D leadership
• Proven experience building and leading AI/ML teams
• Strong expertise in at least 3 domains (LLMs, NLP, CV, Speech AI, etc.)
• Experience delivering AI solutions from research to production
• Strong understanding of modern AI infrastructure (cloud, MLOps, Kubernetes)
• Ability to communicate complex technical topics to executive stakeholders

Preferred Qualifications

• Ph.D. from a leading institution
• Experience in enterprise AI / B2B SaaS platforms
• Knowledge of Southeast Asia tech landscape
• Experience with foundation models (GPT, LLaMA, etc.) and RAG
• Background in Agentic AI and multi-agent systems
• Experience in AI governance, risk, or regulatory environments