Director of AI

Shift: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Are you ready to work making the world a safer, healthier place? Join our mission to continuously move science forward; to innovate and advance all aspects of our business to improve the health and safety of our communities and lives. Compensation: $100,000 per year IT Director of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Position Summary The Director of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is responsible for leading the organization’s AI strategy, development, and implementation. This role combines strategic leadership with technical expertise to identify opportunities where artificial intelligence can drive operational efficiency, improve customer experience, enhance decision-making, and create new capabilities across the organization. The Director of AI will lead a team of AI specialists—including developers, analysts, and data professionals—to design, build, and deploy AI-driven solutions that deliver measurable business value. This role will establish the vision and roadmap for AI initiatives, ensure responsible and effective use of data and machine-learning technologies, and work cross-functionally with leadership, IT, and business units to integrate AI into organizational processes. As a member of the IT senior leadership team, the Director of AI is responsible for providing leadership for overall IT operations and administration of corporate information management and services, including vision and leadership of enterprise applications, technology infrastructure, information technology policies and cybersecurity, including the development of strategic and tactical plans for emerging information technologies. Key Responsibilities AI Strategy and Leadership Develop and lead the organization’s AI strategy aligned with business goals and long-term innovation objectives. Identify opportunities where AI and machine learning can improve operations, decision-making, customer experience, and organizational performance. Establish and maintain a prioritized roadmap for AI initiatives across the organization. Serve as the organization’s subject-matter expert on artificial intelligence and related emerging technologies. Advise executive leadership on AI capabilities, opportunities, risks, and investment priorities. AI Solution Development Lead the design, development, and deployment of AI and machine-learning solutions. Oversee the full lifecycle of AI initiatives including opportunity assessment, solution design, model development, testing, deployment, and ongoing optimization. Ensure AI solutions are scalable, secure, and integrated with existing data and technology systems. Guide the selection and implementation of AI tools, platforms, and technologies. Measure adoption and business impact resulting from AI solution implementation. Team Leadership and Management Build, lead, and mentor a team of AI specialists including developers, data scientists, machine learning engineers, and analysts. Establish best practices for AI development, model management, and data workflows. Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning within the AI team. Manage staffing, professional development, and performance of AI team members. Data Strategy and Engineering Collaborate across IT and data teams to ensure the organization has the data infrastructure required to support AI initiatives. Promote strong data governance, data quality, and data management practices. Ensure AI models are built on reliable, well-governed, and properly structured data sources. Support the development of scalable data pipelines and AI-ready data architectures. Organizational Integration Work with department leaders to identify business problems that can be addressed using AI and advanced analytics. Translate business needs into technical AI solutions and implementation plans. Lead cross-functional collaboration between technical teams and operational stakeholders. Drive adoption of AI capabilities across the organization and measure ongoing business impact. Governance, Ethics, and Risk Management Establish policies and best practices for responsible and ethical AI use. Ensure compliance with relevant data privacy, security, and regulatory requirements. Implement model governance, transparency, and monitoring processes. Assess and mitigate risks associated with AI systems and automated decision-making. Innovation and Continuous Improvement Monitor emerging AI technologies, tools, and industry trends. Evaluate new AI capabilities and platforms for potential adoption. Promote experimentation and innovation in AI applications. Measure and communicate the impact of AI initiatives across the organization. Qualifications Education Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Engineering, Mathematics, or a related field required. Master’s degree or advanced technical training preferred. Experience 8+ years of experience in data science, machine learning, artificial intelligence, or advanced analytics. 4+ years of leadership or management experience overseeing technical teams. Proven experience developing and deploying AI or machine-learning solutions in a production environment. Experience working with large datasets and modern data infrastructure. Technical Skills Strong familiarity with many of the following technologies and methodologies: Machine-learning frameworks Data science and analytics tools (Python, R, SQL) Generative AI and large language models Data engineering and data pipeline development Cloud platforms (MS Azure) Model lifecycle management and MLOps Data architecture and data governance AI solution integration with enterprise systems Leadership and Professional Skills Strong leadership and team-development capabilities. Ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear business insights. Strategic thinking with the ability to align technology initiatives with business objectives. Excellent communication and collaboration skills across technical and non-technical teams. Strong project management and organizational skills. Key Success Indicators Success in this role will be measured by: Successful deployment of AI solutions that deliver measurable business impact. Adoption and effective use of AI capabilities across departments. Development of a high-performing AI team. Establishment of strong data governance and AI development practices. Alignment of AI initiatives with organization strategies and priorities. Find Your Place at Pace - We need you - your curiosity, your talents, and your drive - to help us advance this important work. Benefits When you join Pace®, you commit to work that makes a positive impact on our communities and our world. We commit to supporting you with benefits and perks that make a positive impact on your life. Full-time roles are eligible for our comprehensive benefits program which includes competitive salaries, medical, dental vision, 401K retirement savings plan (100% vested immediately in the employer match), life, disability and voluntary benefits, paid time off for holiday, sick and vacation days, HSA, wellness program, flexible spending accounts, tuition reimbursement, Employee Assistance program, parental leave, optional legal coverage and ID theft. Equal Opportunity Employer Pace® provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, creed, color, religion, genetics, protected veteran status, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, citizenship, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training. Pace® makes the world a safer, healthier place. We partner with clients to provide the service, science, and laboratory data needed to make critical decisions that benefit us all. Through a nationwide laboratory network, Pace® advances the science of businesses, industries, consulting firms, government agencies, and others. More at PACELABS.com.