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Remote Head of AI and AI Program Director

What are a Head of AI and an AI Program Director?

A Head of AI owns an organization's AI strategy, priorities, team and risks. An AI Program Director runs several related AI projects as one program: budget, dependencies, deliveries and governance sit on their desk. Neither role is about building a model yourself; both are about choosing the right work, assembling the team and measuring the outcome.

Who am I and which role am I looking for?

Yunus Sevğane is a project manager with a software engineering background who works as a project lead / team captain on AI projects. Since 2014 he has run team and project management, and he has worked in AI agent processes, LLM RAG and LLM fine-tuning. The roles he is open to are remote Head of AI, AI Program Director and CTO-level C-level positions. He does not claim to hold these titles; he states the roles he is looking for. His experience is on the Résumé page.

How do the first 90 days look in this role?

  1. Days 1–30, discovery: business goals, existing AI initiatives, a data and systems inventory, a map of team and suppliers and a first risk register. What will not be done is written down too.
  2. Days 31–60, pilot and governance: one or two pilots with a measurable success criterion are chosen; each gets an owner and decision rights. Purpose, owner, data source and monitoring are defined up front through an ISO/IEC 42001 lens.
  3. Days 61–90, measurement and the scale-up decision: pilot results, a planned-versus-actual budget and time comparison and a team-building plan go to leadership; the decision to expand, stop or change direction is recorded in writing.

How do I work remotely and across time zones?

I have worked remotely on projects in Canada, Dubai (UAE) and Germany (details). Remote work rests on written, recorded communication: decision records, a shared task board, short and regular status updates and a common meeting window across time zones. That lets teams move without waiting for each other. See also the post on leading an AI team remotely across time zones.

Which framework do I manage with?

Pilot first, then scale: the goal and the success criterion are written, a small pilot starts, the result is measured. Scope changes are taken in writing and decided with their impact on schedule and budget. Risks are recorded with an owner and a mitigation. Leadership and the technical team look at the same decision record. For detail, see the Project Management page.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a Head of AI and an AI Program Director?

A Head of AI owns the organization's AI strategy and team. An AI Program Director runs related AI projects as a single program in terms of budget, dependencies, delivery and governance. In smaller organizations the two roles can sit with one person.

How do you work in a remote C-level role?

With written, recorded communication, decision records, a shared task board and a common meeting window across time zones. I have worked remotely on projects in Canada, Dubai and Germany.

Do you hold an ISO/IEC 42001 certificate?

I completed the ISO/IEC 42001:2023 AI Management System Lead Auditor training in 2025. It is a training certificate; it does not mean I certify or audit on behalf of an organization.

Which working models fit?

Full-time, interim or advisory models are settled in the first conversation; scope, duration and deliverables are turned into a written plan.

To talk

The first step is a short intro call. Use the contact page, write on WhatsApp (+90 531 679 10 14) or email yunus@sevgane.com.

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