AI and Automation Lead

About the Role

Role purposeTo lead the AI and automation transformation agenda for Publicis Production India by identifying, developing, and scaling technology-enabled solutions that improve the efficiency, quality, speed, and economics of creative production.The AI & Automation Lead will work closely with Production, Operations, Technology, Quality, and client-facing teams to convert existing production workflows into streamlined, AI-enabled processes.The role will own the end-to-end automation opportunity pipeline—from discovery and prioritisation through business-case development, solution deployment, adoption, and benefits realisation—ensuring that automation delivers measurable business value while maintaining creative quality, brand integrity, and appropriate human oversight.

Responsibilities

• Key responsibilities

A. AI & automation strategy and roadmap

• Develop and own the AI and Production Automation strategy for Publicis Production India, aligned with business priorities and global technology direction.
• Build and maintain a prioritised automation roadmap across digital, print, moving image, shopper/POS, audio, localisation, transcription, master asset creation, and adaptation/versioning.
• Identify opportunities to eliminate repetitive work, augment production talent, reduce turnaround times, and improve delivery scalability.
• Establish a phased implementation plan covering pilots, validation, deployment, and industrialisation.
• Translate business priorities into a clear portfolio of automation initiatives with defined objectives, timelines, investment requirements, and expected outcomes.

B. Production process transformation

• Work with production teams to map existing workflows, identify inefficiencies, and assess automation potential.
• Evaluate opportunities based on production volumes, human effort, repeatability, complexity, cost, and technical feasibility.
• Redesign workflows to incorporate AI, automation, and human review at appropriate stages.
• Identify opportunities to standardise and reuse automation components across production disciplines, clients, and markets.
• Partner with Production Operations to ensure that new workflows are embedded into day-to-day delivery rather than remaining isolated technology pilots.

C. Solution development and deployment

• Lead the AI and Automation team in translating production requirements into practical, scalable solutions.
• Oversee the development of AI-enabled workflows, production agents, system integrations, and automation tools.
• Work with the Automation Architect and technical team to select appropriate AI models, platforms, APIs, and workflow technologies.
• Ensure that solutions are designed for reliability, scalability, maintainability, security, and integration with existing production systems.
• Own the transition of successful pilots into production-ready capabilities, with documented processes, support models, and performance monitoring.

D. Commercial accountability and value realisation

• Develop business cases for automation initiatives, including implementation costs, expected productivity gains, capacity release, and financial benefits.
• Establish baseline production hours, costs, turnaround times, and quality metrics before deployment.
• Track actual benefits against approved business cases and ensure that productivity improvements translate into measurable business outcomes.
• Identify opportunities to improve revenue capacity, reduce cost-to-serve, and support business growth without proportional increases in headcount.
• Provide regular reporting on automation performance, realised savings, adoption, and return on investment.

E. Governance, quality and responsible AI

• Establish and maintain AI governance principles, approval mechanisms, and responsible-use guidelines in coordination with global technology, security, legal, and client teams.
• Ensure that AI-enabled workflows meet brand, creative, technical, and regulatory requirements.
• Embed appropriate human-in-the-loop controls, quality checks, and escalation mechanisms into production workflows.
• Work with Quality and Production teams to monitor output accuracy, consistency, and compliance.
• Identify operational, technology, data, intellectual property, and brand-safety risks and ensure that appropriate controls are in place.

F. Stakeholder management and change adoption

• Build strong working relationships with Production, Operations, Technology, Quality, Finance, HR, and client-facing leadership.
• Act as the bridge between production teams and technology teams, translating business needs into actionable technical requirements.
• Drive adoption of AI-enabled workflows through training, communication, demonstrations, and structured change management.
• Build a culture of continuous improvement, encouraging teams to identify and contribute automation opportunities.
• Represent the India capability in relevant global AI, automation, and production transformation forums.

G. Team leadership and capability development

• Build, lead, and develop a multidisciplinary AI and Automation team.
• Establish clear roles, performance expectations, delivery standards, and development pathways.
• Foster collaboration between automation developers, creative technologists, production specialists, and quality professionals.
• Develop internal AI and automation capabilities within production teams through structured training and knowledge sharing.
• Identify opportunities to leverage global Publicis technology capabilities and reusable platforms.