Sephora AI Strategy Director
- Location
- ParisÎle-de-FranceFrance
- Employment
- Full-Time
- Seniority
- Director
- Posted
- Jul 16, 2026
About Sephora
Sephora is a global prestige beauty leader, renowned for redefining the retail experience through creativity, inclusivity, and expert service. Founded in France and now part of LVMH, the company brings together an exceptional portfolio of beauty brands with a distinctive culture of discovery and innovation. As an employer, Sephora offers a dynamic, customer-centered environment where talent is encouraged to learn, experiment, and grow across retail, digital, merchandising, operations, and corporate functions. Its teams are united by a passion for beauty, entrepreneurship, and belonging, making Sephora a compelling workplace for professionals seeking impact within a fast-moving international brand.
Sephora seeks an AI Strategy Director in Paris to lead enterprise AI initiatives across 35 countries, defining measurement frameworks and scaling high-impact use cases within the beauty retail sector.
Role & Responsibilities
- Define robust measurement frameworks to estimate potential impact and track delivered value of AI initiatives
- Map existing AI initiatives across regions (North America, Europe/Middle East, Southeast Asia, Latin America, China) and assess business potential
- Identify and champion the most promising AI use cases for enterprise-wide scaling, establishing clear rollout milestones
- Orchestrate AI initiatives deployment in collaboration with business stakeholders and AI experts, translating business objectives into data requirements
- Manage data collection in compliance with AI prerequisites and Data Governance team guidelines
- Ensure AI solutions align precisely with business expectations and measurable outcomes
- Lead adoption and change management strategies, measuring usability and delivered value across implementations
- Establish continuous improvement backlogs and feedback mechanisms
- Provide strategic leadership to AI specialists, data scientists, and related teams, setting direction and fostering high delivery standards
- Champion ethical AI practices, data privacy compliance, and regulatory adherence throughout all projects
- Foster innovation to establish Sephora as a reference organization in enterprise AI application
Qualifications
- Minimum 10 years of experience in artificial intelligence, machine learning, advanced analytics, or related disciplines, with significant leadership exposure
- Multiple years of experience within a top-tier consulting firm
- Demonstrated expertise in piloting and scaling data or AI strategies within complex, large-scale organizations
- Proven experience leading multidisciplinary teams across functions and geographies
- Strong understanding of data governance, technology infrastructure, and organizational requirements for enterprise AI adoption
- Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, including senior leadership engagement at C-level
- Business-oriented mindset with a results-driven approach
- Experience in retail, consumer goods, digital transformation, or omnichannel environments preferred
Skills
Experience
Minimum 10 years in artificial intelligence, machine learning, advanced analytics, or closely related fields, including substantial leadership responsibilities. Multiple years of consulting experience in a recognized consulting firm is required. Demonstrated track record of managing and scaling AI or data strategies within large, complex organizations is essential.
Education
Not specified; bachelor's degree in mathematics, computer science, engineering, or related quantitative discipline is typical for this level, though this is not explicitly stated in the source.
Workplace
The successful candidate will be located in Paris, Île-de-France, France.
Benefits
Community-driven culture embracing authenticity and diversity; culture of empowerment, learning, and growth with tools and opportunities for continuous innovation and leadership development; fulfilling work with measurable impact.
Culture
Sephora fosters a dynamic, inclusive workplace where creativity, curiosity, and a passion for beauty are encouraged at every level. As an employer, it is distinguished by its focus on empowerment, continuous learning, and a collaborative retail culture that celebrates individuality and client-centric innovation.
About Cerulean
Cerulean is the definitive career portal for the global luxury industry. We match exceptional professionals with exclusive opportunities at the world's most prestigious brands. From haute couture and fine watchmaking to prestige beauty, hospitality, and boutique retail, Cerulean centralises luxury employment to help you find the career for which you were destined.
Frequently Asked Questions
The luxury industry is characterised by a diverse and nuanced nomenclature. Esteemed houses frequently employ proprietary terminology, and even within a single organisation like Sephora, titles may vary across global markets to reflect local conventions. To ensure absolute clarity, Cerulean assigns a standardised, industry-coherent canonical title to every listing. However, it is worth noting that this role is functionally synonymous with «Head of AI Strategy», «AI Strategy Lead», «Director of Data & AI Strategy», «Enterprise AI Strategy Director», and other variations. Our sophisticated search architecture anticipates these variations, ensuring that inquiries using related terms will seamlessly yield the exact roles you desire.