Director AI Innovation & Incubation (m/f/d)

As part of the Data Insights & AI Department (DIA), you will lead Hapag-Lloyd's AI transformation journey by establishing and operating our AI Lab. This space will serve as the centre for AI discovery, ideation, and incubation across our global organization. You will work in close collaboration with the AI Hub and the Hapag-Lloyd Academy to identify high-impact AI opportunities, help mature promising ideas into solid business cases, and ensure our AI investments deliver measurable value. You will facilitate targeted awareness & ideation sessions, rigorously filter AI opportunities for real business impact, and guide the most promising ideas through to a decision stage - with a compelling business case and, where appropriate, a Minimal Viable Product (MVP) together with the AI Hub.

Hapag-Lloyd is one of the world's leading liner shipping companies, connecting businesses and people across more than 600 ports worldwide. With a fleet of over 300 modern container ships and a vessel capacity of 2.5 million TEU, we keep global trade moving reliably every day.
Our global network spans 140 countries, 400 offices, and a growing portfolio of terminal and infrastructure investments. This scale enables us to deliver consistent, highquality service across continents and to support our customers in even the most complex supply chains.
When you join us, you become part of more than 18,000 colleagues working across borders, functions, and cultures, to not only to deliver quality for our customers, but to create innovation and opportunities across roles, regions, and perspectives.
We believe that every exploration is a chance to grow, and every port is a place to belong.

• Several years of leadership experience in innovation or transformation roles, with proven ability to inspire and educate diverse audiences
• Ability to rethink business processes and set ambition levels along technological capabilities together with relevant stakeholders
• Experience in workshop design and change management
• Understanding of AI technologies, applications, and business integration with ability to translate complex concepts for non-technical audiences
• Exceptional presentation and facilitation skills, with ability to engage stakeholders including C-suite executives
• Strong experience in project management and in managing concurrent initiatives
• Background in shipping, logistics, or similar operational industries preferred
• Fluency in English; additional languages advantageous

• Establish, operate, and continuously evolve the AI Lab as Hapag-Lloyd's AI incubation, incubation, and innovation space
• Build AI awareness and adoption through targeted workshops, demo days, and hands-on experiences for diverse audiences: from frontline employees up to the Executive Board
• Systematically identify and filter AI opportunities for real business impact - applying rigorous evaluation criteria to separate high-potential ideas from noise and focusing resources on initiatives that can deliver measurable value
• Mature promising AI ideas into solid, investment-ready business cases - partnering with Hapag-Lloyd departments to quantify impact, define success metrics, and validate feasibility through MVP development where appropriate
• Build and strengthen external partnerships to scale the AI Lab's reach and impact