Domain Lead – AI Governance & Security

About the Position

We are looking for a Domain Lead – AI Governance & Security to join our team at xelerate.tech in Porto, Portugal. This role is pivotal in ensuring that our global market leader in chemical and ingredients distribution adopts Artificial Intelligence responsibly, securely, and in compliance with regulations such as the EU AI Act.

Responsibilities

• AI Governance Framework & Policy: Define, build, and maintain the AI governance framework, including the AI risk taxonomy, assessment methodology, and control requirements. Contribute to AI policies, standards, and guidelines, and align AI governance with enterprise risk management, security policies, and applicable regulations.
• AI Use Case Intake & Oversight: Run the intake process for new AI initiatives, classify use cases by risk, determine the level of review and controls needed, embed governance checkpoints across the AI lifecycle, and help bring unsanctioned AI usage under governance.
• AI Risk Assessments & Security Controls: Design and execute AI-specific risk assessments covering data privacy, data leakage, model security, model drift, bias, fairness, explainability, human oversight, and licensing, IP, and third-party model dependencies. Define and validate controls and technical test cases for AI systems.
• Vendor AI Risk & Due Diligence: Design AI-specific due diligence questionnaires and assessment criteria for AI vendors and models. Evaluate vendor AI offerings for security, compliance, model documentation, and contractual safeguards, and maintain a risk-rated inventory of AI vendors.
• Monitoring, Reporting & Continuous Improvement: Report AI risk posture, key incidents, and governance metrics to the CISO and relevant committees. Continuously improve the AI governance program based on incidents, regulatory changes, and industry best practices.
• Integration with Enterprise GRC: Ensure AI risks and controls are reflected in the enterprise risk register, policy suite, and audit programs, and aligned with broader GRC tooling, workflows, and reporting. Support customer AI questionnaires, RFPs, and regulatory inquiries related to AI.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in GRC, risk management, information security, or model risk roles, including at least 2 years focused on AI governance, responsible AI, and AI risk management.
• Working knowledge of the EU AI Act and ISO/IEC 42001 (AI management systems), plus familiarity with the NIST AI Risk Management Framework (AI RMF) and other emerging AI regulations.
• Proven experience assessing AI vendors, models, and use cases.
• Solid understanding of AI security threats and the practical mitigations and guardrails that address them.
• Ability to translate policy and legal requirements into practical, testable controls and workflows.
• Experience working with data science, ML engineering, or product teams.
• Relevant certifications such as ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Implementer or Lead Auditor, IAPP AIGP, CISM, or CRISC are an advantage.
• Experience with GRC platforms such as Archer or ServiceNow is a plus.
• Experience in the chemical, distribution, or supply-chain industry is a plus.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to explain AI risks and controls clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Fluency in English (spoken and written) is essential; German is a plus.

We Offer

• Remote-flexible environment
• Highly attractive salary and benefits
• Great work-life balance and flexibility
• Find meaning and purpose in your day-to-day work; your expertise has a visible impact on the digitalization of a global industry leader
• You will be part of a company where commitment, quality, and continuous improvement are core principles of our culture
• Highly engaged tech community
• International career opportunities
• Focus on individual development

About the Company

xelerate.tech is passionate about software, tech, and people. We aim to attract the most talented engineers to deliver high-quality software products through highly performant teams.

A Note from Our Team

We know that applying for a new job can be a big step in your life and a bit intimidating, but also an opportunity to improve your professional and personal life. Don’t worry, we’ve got you. We will be with you every step of the way. If you have any questions or concerns before applying, feel free to reach out to us at [email protected]. We look forward to your application!