Manager, AI Research & Development

Role Overview:

We are building the next generation of AI at Maya, and we are looking for a leader to own that mission.

As Manager, AI Research & Development, you will lead our AI R&D Pillar—the group responsible for turning frontier AI research into real-world fintech impact. This is not a delivery or execution-only role. Your mandate is to explore what's next in AI, adapt it to Maya's context, and transform it into solutions that materially improve our products, customer experience, and operations.

You will operate at the intersection of research depth and business relevance. That means shaping technical strategy, growing a world-class research team, and ensuring that cutting-edge ideas move beyond papers and prototypes into deployed systems.

This role is ideal for a leader who enjoys asking hard questions, pushing technical boundaries, and translating research into measurable outcomes.

What You Will Do:

• Set the technical vision and research direction for Maya's AI Research & Development Pillar.
• Lead applied research efforts to create new algorithms, models, and data-driven approaches across Maya's AI domains.
• Convert complex business and operational challenges into mathematical formulations, machine learning systems, or optimisation frameworks.
• Design, build, and rigorously evaluate production-ready AI solutions.
• Rapidly prototype, test, and iterate on new ideas to validate value early.
• Partner closely with product, engineering, and business teams to move research into scalable, deployed solutions.
• Continuously track advances in AI research and selectively bring the most relevant breakthroughs into Maya's ecosystem.
• Represent Maya externally by forming academic and industry research partnerships, contributing to publications, and presenting at leading AI and ML forums.
• Guide exploration of frontier approaches such as Causal AI and neuro-symbolic AI to deliver more interpretable, robust, and generalisable systems for fintech use cases.
• Hire, mentor, and develop a high-performing research team while fostering a culture of curiosity, rigour, and accountability.
• Own the research roadmap and ensure alignment with Maya's broader business and AI strategy.
• Build strong, trusted relationships with cross-functional stakeholders to ensure research translates into real impact.

What You Need to Succeed:

• A Master's degree or PhD in a quantitative field such as Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, or a related discipline.
• Advance experience in data science, AI, or a closely related field.
• Extensive experience leading and high-performing technical or research teams.
• A demonstrated history of delivering AI or data science initiatives that produced meaningful business outcomes in fast-moving environments.
• Broad technical depth across modern AI domains (e.g. large language models, speech or audio AI, optimisation and decision science, causal methods, or neuro-symbolic approaches).
• Strong analytical thinking and problem-solving skills, with the confidence to challenge standard approaches and design better systems when needed.
• The ability to balance innovation with responsible AI practices, regulatory requirements, and organisational standards.
• Research output such as conference papers, workshop contributions, or pre-prints at recognised AI or ML venues is a strong advantage.