Lead Productmanager AI

Do you want to help shape the future of AI in Dutch education and research? In this key strategic role, you will develop SURF’s AI vision, translate international innovations into concrete services, and connect stakeholders at the highest level. This is a position that offers impact, substance, and clear societal relevance.

Where you will work

SURF is the ICT cooperative for Dutch educational and research institutions. Together with them, we work on digital services and complex innovation challenges to enhance the quality of education and research. As Lead Product Manager for AI, you will play a key role in shaping SURF’s AI strategy, accelerating innovation, and creating lasting value for education and research in the Netherlands.

The team you will join

You will be part of the Advanced Solutions for Research business unit within the Applications and Technologies department and will report to the department head. In this role, you will work closely with the AI professionals at SURF and maintain close contact with research departments, educational institutions, and strategic partners both in the Netherlands and abroad.

You will be part of a dynamic environment where innovation, knowledge sharing, and societal impact are central. Within the team, collaboration at a strategic level is paramount: you will connect ongoing AI initiatives, create coherence between projects, and bring internal and external stakeholders together. The atmosphere is professional, substantively strong, and focused on collective progress. From this position, you will have a direct influence on the direction of AI within SURF and its members.

What you will do

As Lead Product Manager AI, you are responsible for developing and implementing SURF’s AI vision and strategy. You identify national and international developments, translate these into opportunities and concrete proposals, and ensure that AI becomes a sustainable part of SURF’s services and portfolio. In doing so, you play a coordinating and connecting role between innovation, strategy, and execution.

Your other responsibilities include:

• Developing and refining the AI vision and strategic direction;
• Identifying national and international AI trends and translating them into opportunities;
• Initiating, coordinating, and providing substantive guidance for innovation projects;
• Building and maintaining strategic networks and partnerships;
• Connecting and aligning all ongoing AI activities within SURF;
• Advising stakeholders on strategic choices and the impact of AI;
• Contributing to the positioning of AI within SURF’s service portfolio.

Your skills and experience

You are a strategic thinker with in-depth knowledge of AI and a keen eye for innovation. You can grasp complex issues, carefully weigh the various interests involved, and translate vision into concrete results. With your collaborative approach, you build support and bring people, ideas, and initiatives together.

In addition, you have:

• Demonstrable and in-depth knowledge of AI
• A clear vision of AI, innovation, and digital transformation;
• Several years of experience in a comparable strategic role;
• University-level education and thinking;
• Strong strategic insight and a clear helicopter view;
• An understanding of interests and relationships within SURF and the education sector;
• Leadership experience and excellent analytical skills;
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, in both Dutch and English.

Prior to starting this job, a VOG must be presented.

SURF takes pleasure in doing its recruitment itself; acquisition is therefore not appreciated.