VP of Engineering & AI

VP, Engineering & AI (Ref: 198098) Contact – Samuel.Robinson@forsythbarnes.com We are proud to be retained by Formula E, the world's leading all-electric motorsport championship, to appoint a VP, Engineering & AI. This is a senior leadership opportunity to shape the organisation's global engineering strategy, drive AI innovation and oversee the continued evolution of its digital technology platforms. You'll play a key role in defining the long-term technical vision and leading a broad engineering function spanning software engineering, digital platforms, UX, data architecture and AI/ML. With a strong focus on innovation, scalability and operational efficiency, you'll help shape how technology supports Formula E's global growth, commercial ambitions and fan experience. The role will suit an experienced engineering leader who combines strategic vision with strong technical foundations and a passion for innovation. What you'll be doing: • Defining and executing Formula E's global engineering strategy, aligning technology innovation with wider business and commercial objectives • Leading the organisation's AI and machine learning strategy, identifying opportunities to enhance fan engagement, operational efficiency and business intelligence • Establishing enterprise-wide MLOps frameworks and governance standards to support the secure deployment and scaling of machine learning capabilities • Overseeing data platform architecture, ensuring real-time telematics, fan engagement and commercial data can be effectively leveraged across the organisation • Leading the evolution of Formula E's global digital ecosystem, including web platforms and mobile applications • Driving collaboration across engineering, product and design teams to deliver innovative digital experiences and seamless user journeys • Ensuring digital platforms can support high-concurrency global audiences during live race weekends, with a focus on performance, reliability and resilience • Owning cloud governance and FinOps strategy, optimising infrastructure expenditure across major cloud environments • Driving engineering accountability across technical teams, ensuring technology investments deliver maximum performance, efficiency and commercial value • Building, scaling and mentoring a high-performing engineering organisation, developing senior leaders, engineering managers and technical architects • Defining long-term technology roadmaps, introducing modern engineering frameworks and technologies to maintain Formula E's position at the forefront of sports technology What they're looking for: • Substantial experience in progressive engineering leadership roles, with a track record of leading large, multi-disciplinary engineering organisations • Experience managing multiple layers of engineering leadership, including Directors, Engineering Managers and individual contributors • Strong strategic and technical understanding of enterprise data architecture, machine learning and MLOps • Hands-on experience with GCP (Google Cloud Platform) • Proven experience overseeing large-scale, high-availability digital platforms serving millions of users globally • Experience managing significant technology budgets and optimising cloud infrastructure expenditure • Strong understanding of modern software engineering practices, agile development methodologies and CI/CD • Ability to define and execute long-term technology strategies that align with wider business objectives • Excellent communication skills, with the ability to influence senior executives, board members and external stakeholders • Experience building, developing and scaling high-performing engineering teams • A passion for technology innovation, data-driven experiences and the fast-moving world of motorsport Why apply? • Join Formula E in a senior leadership position with significant influence over its global technology strategy • Take ownership of a broad engineering function spanning software engineering, data, AI/ML and digital platforms • Lead the organisation's AI transformation and drive the adoption of machine learning across the business • Drive innovation across global digital products, fan experiences and live motorsport technology • Help shape the future of technology within one of the world's most innovative sporting environments