Head of the AI Lab — AI Lab (Madrid, Pan-European)

Location: Madrid, Spain

Date Posted: Aug 27, 2026

Head of the AI Lab — AI Lab (Madrid, Pan-European) | Digital & Technology Services EMEA

About Alvarez & Marsal

Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) is a global professional services firm known for driving change and delivering results for companies, investors, and government entities. With a focus on operational, financial, and digital transformation, A&M combines deep industry expertise with hands-on execution to help clients accelerate growth, improve performance, and create long-term value. Our people are action-oriented, entrepreneurial, and collaborative—committed to making a measurable impact for clients across sectors and geographies.

The Team

• The AI Lab is A&M’s forward-deployed AI engineering capability within Digital & Technology Services EMEA, launching from Madrid and expanding across Europe.
• We embed inside client teams to design, build, and ship AI agents, automations, and accelerators that move from advisory insight into production reality—and stay there.
• We partner closely with A&M’s AI Managing Directors and practices (PEPI, CTS, FSI, Restructuring, DTS) to shape opportunities, deliver on client platforms, and scale impact across a pan-European remit*.*

How you will contribute

• Build and lead A&M’s AI engineering capability in Europe—own the team, operating model, delivery standards, and market positioning alongside A&M’s AI Managing Directors.
• Design the capability end to end: engagement lifecycle, definition of done, quality gates, handover standards, and clear guardrails for what we will not ship.
• Hire the founding engineers and architects; set and maintain a high hiring bar; establish the recruitment engine for rapid, sustained team growth.
• Own team development: training, certification, and platform depth kept current as the technology evolves.
• Build depth across major enterprise AI platforms; establish tooling, environments, reusable assets, accelerators, reference architectures, and guardrail patterns.
• Define how the Lab collaborates with partner engineering firms; evolve the balance as the permanent team scales.
• Shape and scope opportunities with AI Managing Directors across Europe; position the capability with clients and practices; turn demand into delivery.
• Maintain a single, accurate view of the pipeline; match capacity to demand; be accountable for growth and performance of the capability as a business.

Qualifications

• You have built something from the ground up (team, practice, delivery center, product organization) and owned its success.
• Technical credibility without being the day-to-day architect—able to challenge designs, judge quality, and spot what won’t survive in client environments.
• Commercial fluency—able to build the business case for the capability, run it, and be accountable for performance.
• Executive presence—credible alongside AI Managing Directors with CIOs, CFOs, and PE operating partners; comfortable delivering hard messages.
• Motivation for the blank page—owning the playbook, team, and standards within an approved, funded, and sponsored build.
• Based in Madrid, with frequent travel across Europe; forward-deployed with clients.
• Fluent English; a second European language is a strong advantage; further languages welcome.
• Right to work in the EU strongly preferred; exceptional candidates requiring sponsorship considered, with longer timelines.

Desirable:

• Professional services/consulting background, ideally with private equity value creation, transformation, or turnaround exposure.
• Experience running offshore/nearshore delivery centers or managing third-party engineering capacity at scale.
• A hire-ready network to accelerate founding team recruitment.
• Depth in enterprise AI platforms and practical experience putting AI into production in regulated environments.

Your journey at A&M

We recognize that our people are the driving force behind our success, which is why we prioritize an employee experience that fosters each person’s unique professional and personal development. Our robust performance development process promotes continuous learning, rewards your contributions, and fosters a culture of meritocracy. With top-notch training and on-the-job learning opportunities, you can acquire new skills and advance your career.

We prioritize your well-being, providing benefits and resources to support you on your personal journey. Our people consistently highlight the growth opportunities, our unique, entrepreneurial culture, and the fun we have together as their favorite aspects of working at A&M. The possibilities are endless for high-performing and passionate professionals.

Culture & Values

At Alvarez & Marsal, our core values of Integrity, Quality, Objectivity, Fun, Personal Reward, and Inclusive Diversity guide everything we do, shaping a culture rooted in entrepreneurship, impact, and integrity. We trust our people to take ownership early, contribute to meaningful challenges, and drive results that matter. We empower growth and champion diverse perspectives. Above all, we value doing the right thing. For those ready to roll up their sleeves, lead with integrity, and be difference makers, this is where it starts.

Equal Opportunity Employer

It is Alvarez & Marsal’s practice to provide and promote equal opportunity in employment, compensation, and other terms and conditions of employment without discrimination because of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, sex or gender, gender identity or gender expression (including transgender status), sexual orientation, marital status, military service and veteran status, physical or mental disability, family medical history, genetic information or other protected medical condition, political affiliation, or any other characteristic protected by and in accordance with applicable laws. Employees and Applicants can find A&M policy statements and additional information by region here.

Unsolicited Resumes from Third-Party Recruiters

Please note that as per A&M policy, we do not accept unsolicited resumes from third-party recruiters unless such recruiters are engaged to provide candidates for a specified opening. Any employment agency, person or entity that submits an unsolicited resume does so with the understanding that A&M will have the right to hire that applicant at its discretion without any fee owed to the submitting employment agency, person or entity.