AI & Automation Director (FL)

Job title: AI \& Automation Director Contract Type: Freelance, 3-4x days per week, 3x months - with potential to extend Location: Shoreditch, London Reporting into: Operations Director Hybrid/ Remote: WFH Monday \& Friday. In the office Tuesday-Thursday About Us Seen Connects is one of the UK's leading influencer and social agencies. We partner with some of the world's most recognisable brands to create campaigns that drive real business results. We're entering the next phase of our growth and are making a significant investment in AI, automation and operational excellence. Our ambition is not simply to adopt AI tools, but to continue building an AI-enabled agency that operates smarter, moves faster and scales more efficiently than our competition. We're looking for an experienced AI \& Automation Director to lead that work on a freelance basis. THE ROLE This is a senior role, helping us shape and deliver the agency's AI and automation agenda. You'll partner with the Operations Director to set the strategy, then take ownership of making it real: leading tool adoption across the agency, supporting Heads of Teams building workflows that drive genuine efficiency, working with IT to get the right foundations in place, and building the external relationships that keep us ahead of the curve on new platforms and tools. This role sits at the intersection of technology, operations and business transformation, and requires someone who can operate credibly with senior leadership while also rolling up their sleeves to get things built and adopted. Success won't be measured by how many tools we buy. Success will be measured by the productivity gains, efficiencies and operational improvements you help create across the business. KEY RESPONSIBILTIES AI \& Automation strategy * Work with the Operations Director to shape, evolve and deliver the agency's AI and automation strategy and implementation plan * Identify opportunities to automate repetitive and manual processes across the agency * Work with leadership teams to prioritise the highest-impact initiatives * Stay up to date with emerging AI technologies and recommend practical, commercially-minded applications Claude Adoption \& AI Enablement * Lead on Claude uptake and integration across the agency, ensuring departments and individuals are set up correctly - and set up for success * Train and support teams to effectively use AI tools * Develop best practice guides, documentation and training materials * Run workshops and coaching sessions across the business * Monitor adoption and identify opportunities for further improvement Workflow \& Efficiency * Support Heads of Teams in building workflows that drive efficiencies (e.g. template generators, client report generators, etc) * Support the marketing team in identifying and implementing efficiencies * Design and build automations that improve productivity and reduce manual effort * Improve workflows across client services, campaigns, strategy, finance and new business teams * Develop dashboards and reporting that provide better business visibility Systems \& Integrations * Manage and optimise the agency's AI and technology stack * Work closely with IT to ensure the right processes and permissions are in place * Implement new platforms and tools where appropriate * Design and maintain integrations between key business systems * Ensure systems are scalable, secure and well documented Platform \& Partner Relationships * Lead on relationship building with industry platforms and AI/tech vendors * Research emerging tools and platforms relevant to the agency's needs * Set up trials and manage new contracts as needed * Act as the agency's main point of contact for platform and technology partners Continuous Improvement: * Measure the impact of implemented solutions * Track time savings, efficiency gains and ROI * Continuously optimise systems and workflows * Help embed a culture of innovation and operational excellence WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE Success in this role will be defined by clear, deliverable-based outcomes rather than tenure. Within the agreed contract period, you will: * Have delivered a clear, agreed AI and automation roadmap alongside the Operations Director * Have led Claude adoption to a defined standard across departments, with individuals and teams set up correctly and confidently using it * Have supported Heads of Teams to build and embed at least 3 workflows with a measurable efficiency gain * Have put the right processes and permissions in place with IT to support safe, scalable AI and tech use * Have established or progressed relationships with key industry platforms, including at least one active trial or new contract * Have left the agency with clear documentation, training materials and handover so progress is sustained beyond the contract Specific deliverables, milestones and reporting cadence to be agreed with the Operations Director at the start of the contract. Skills \& Experience Essential: * Significant senior-level experience in automation, operations, RevOps, systems, AI enablement or a similar leadership role * Previous experience working within a creative agency, ideally within the social and creator space * A track record of implementing business systems and workflow automations at scale * Strong understanding of AI tools and practical business applications, including Claude or comparable LLM platforms * Experience with platforms such as Zapier, Make, Monday.com, HubSpot, Notion, Airtable or similar * Strong problem-solving and analytical skills * Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with the credibility to influence at senior leadership level * Comfortable working independently and owning projects from idea to implementation, with minimal oversight Desirable * Knowledge of APIs and system integrations * Experience building low-code or no-code solutions * Familiarity with data visualisation and reporting tools * Experience delivering training and change management programmes YOU'LL BE * Curious and commercially minded * Obsessed with finding smarter ways of working * Practical rather than theoretical * Comfortable challenging existing processes * Equally capable of speaking to senior leaders and supporting junior team members * Excited by building something from the ground up Most importantly, you'll understand that technology is only valuable when people actually use it. WHY JOIN US? This is a rare opportunity to help us build an AI-enabled operating model from the ground up within a growing agency. You'll have significant autonomy, direct access to senior leadership and the opportunity to shape how the business operates for years to come. If you're excited by solving problems, driving change and helping a business unlock the power of AI, we'd love to hear from you. THE INTERVIEW PROCESS * If you are shortlisted, we will invite you to join a 30 minute virtual call for us to get to know you better and for us to tell you more about the role and agency, and answer any initial questions. * If we think you'd be a great fit, we will then invite you to do a short questionnaire task, which we wouldn't expect to take more than one hour. A final decision will be made following this. Benefits 💰 Salary reflective of your experience and in line with internal benchmarks 🏠 Hybrid working, working from our Shoreditch HQ on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and from home on Mondays and Fridays. 🕙 Core Hours of 10:00 - 17:00 with the flexibility to start anytime between 08:00 - 10:00 and finish between 17:00 - 19:00. ☕ Snacks and drinks in the office, and free lunch provided when we have lunch and learns 🥳 Regular team and company socials *At Connects we are committed to providing an inclusive environment where everyone feels seen, heard and celebrated. We welcome applications from everyone. If you are invited to an interview, please let us know if there are any reasonable adjustments we can make to best accommodate your needs.*