Chief Director, AI Platform & Solutions

Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) is founded in 2000 by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. As Hong Kong’s largest government-funded research and development centre, ASTRI is a key force and super-connector driving innovation and technology advancement in Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area, and the global innovation ecosystem. This role is strengthened through its merger with Nano and Advanced Materials Institute (NAMI).

Committed to bringing high-impact research from lab to market, ASTRI advances interdisciplinary, market-driven R&D that delivers practical innovations for industry and meaningful benefits for society.

Its technological strengths and capabilities enable AI-powered, cross-disciplinary ICT and advanced materials solutions across Smart City, Financial Technologies, Digital Health and Life Sciences, New Industrialisation and Intelligent Manufacturing, Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC) and Advanced Electronics, New Energy and Energy Storage, and Green and ESG Technologies.

Over the years, ASTRI has cultivated a strong pool of I&T talent and earned numerous international awards for its pioneering innovations and contributions to industry and the community. Following the merger with NAMI, ASTRI’s cumulative global patent portfolio has grown to over 1,500, with more than 2,200 technologies successfully transferred to industry.

With enhanced scale and capabilities, ASTRI is uniquely positioned to elevate Hong Kong’s innovation capacity, accelerate technology commercialisation, and drive societal and economic progress through world-class applied research.

To support our constant endeavour to position Hong Kong as a world-class smart city and an international hub of innovation and technology, we are seeking qualified professionals to fill the following position(s):

The Opportunity

ASTRI is a publicly funded applied research institute dedicated to driving economic growth and societal impact through technological innovation. Our research and development is on technologies that have strong application prospects, by focusing on the development of "0-to-1" technologies and shepherding them through the "1-to-10" validation phase to ensure market readiness.

Our key technologies work synergistically to solve complex, real-world problems. We are now seeking a visionary and operationally excellent leader to head our AI, Trusted Technology, Digital Health & Education, Intelligent Manufacturing and FinTech TD-the engine room of our institute's future.

Reports To: Chief Technology Officer (CTO)

Location: Hong Kong

Job Responsibilities:

1. Strategic Vision & Technology Roadmap

• Develop and maintain a forward-looking research strategy and technology roadmap for the sector, with a core focus on LLM/LVLM, Agentic AI, and Generative AI technologies, as well as their application within Digital Health, Intelligent Manufacturing, Trusted Tech and FinTech.
• Identify emerging trends and translate them into actionable research programs that ensure the institute remains at the cutting edge of trusted and responsible AI.
• Champion the adoption of AI advancements across the entire institute, enabling other TDs to enhance their research productivity and solution capabilities.

2. Research and Solution Leadership & Team Management

• Lead, mentor, and grow a large, multidisciplinary team of top-tier AI researchers, engineers, and domain experts, fostering a culture of technical excellence and collaboration.
• Oversee the design and development of a core base Agentic AI platform. This platform will serve as the foundational layer for all solution teams, ensuring reusability, scalability, and robustness.
• Guide solution teams in building vertically integrated AI applications for Trusted Technologies and FinTech, ensuring technical alignment with the core platform.
• Possess a working knowledge of system deployment architectures and methodologies to guide the team in building solutions that are not only innovative but also feasible for real-world piloting and integration.

3. Commercialization & Impact Acceleration (0→1→10)

• Help guide the technology commercialization, ensuring that research outputs are not only innovative but are developed with a clear path to market.
• Possess a deep understanding of the "1-to-10" phase. While not responsible for full-scale productization, you will ensure that the "0-to-1" research planning explicitly incorporates the requirements, constraints, and feedback from early-stage validation, pilot projects, and customer engagements.
• Work closely with the business development and partnerships teams to identify and secure opportunities for pilot deployments and market validation.

4. Stakeholder & Ecosystem Management

• Serve as the primary technical ambassador for the sector to a diverse range of stakeholders, including:
  • Government Funding Agencies: Articulate the technical merit, strategic alignment, and potential economic impact of research programs to secure funding.
  • Strategic Clients: Understand their operational challenges and translate them into technological requirements, building trust in the ASTRI’s ability to deliver secure and trusted solutions.
  • Commercial Customers & Solution Integrators: Effectively communicate the value proposition of our technologies, build strong relationships, and secure their interest and trust as partners in the "1-to-10" journey.
• Navigate complex multi-party collaborations, ensuring alignment of interests and smooth project execution.

Job Requirements:

Academic qualification:

• PhD degree in Computer Science, Electronic Engineering, Information Engineering, Mathematics, or a related discipline.

Required Experience:

• Proven Leadership: A minimum of 15+ years of experience in technology research and solution development, with at least 8+ years in a senior leadership role managing large, high-performing, and multidisciplinary teams in an applied research, corporate R&D, or advanced solution development environment.
• Technical Depth: A strong technical background in AI/ML with a demonstrated ability to keep pace with the latest advancements in Agentic AI and GenAI. Experience architecting and building scalable AI platforms and solutions.
• Domain Application: Proven experience applying AI to enterprises and financial services. Experience in other verticals like Digital Health and Intelligent Manufacturing is a plus.
• Deployment Acumen: A solid working knowledge of modern software/system deployment practices. Hands-on experience with solution development and system deployment is strongly preferred.
• Commercial Acumen: Demonstrated success in taking technologies from the lab to the market. You must have a track record of navigating the "0-to-1" to "1-to-10" transition, working with commercial partners, and understanding product requirements.
• Stakeholder Management: Exceptional ability to communicate complex technical concepts to non-technical audiences, including government officials, funding bodies, and C-level executives. Experience in a publicly funded or highly regulated environment is a strong plus.

The appointment will be on renewable contract terms with a competitive salary and performance-linked gratuity. Fringe benefits include paid leave, medical, insurance coverage and contribution to MPF. The incumbent will normally work a five-day week.

For interested parties, please submit your application with detailed CV within two weeks of the post date. Applicants are encouraged to submit their applications as soon as possible. The review of applications will continue until the post is filled.

The resume should not include any sensitive personal information such as ID card no. or travel document number, etc.

Position offer is subject to the applicant’s experience and academic qualification. Only short-listed candidates will be notified. ASTRI reserves the right not to fill the position.

ASTRI is an Equal Opportunities Employer. Personal data provided by job applicants will be used exclusively for recruitment only. For details, please refer to ASTRI Privacy Policy Statement.