AI Business Partner Senior Principal

Role Purpose The Senior Principal AI Business Partner (AIBP) is a senior technical and product leader who shapes AI investment, portfolio prioritization, and delivery standards across business units. This role combines executive problem framing with enterprise solution design—setting direction for complex, multi-stakeholder AI programs while remaining credible in architecture and early-stage delivery. Senior Principal AIBPs operate at portfolio and cross-BU scope: they align SBU sponsors, technology leaders, and AI IO delivery teams on where to invest, how to structure engagements, and how to scale what works. They mentor Principal AIBPs and contribute reusable patterns to the enterprise AI operating model. AI-native practice is expected at a leadership level—spec-driven development, agentic tooling, and the judgment to know when to engage hands-on versus when to orchestrate teams and forums. Enterprise Problem Framing & Portfolio Prioritization

• Partner with SBU executive sponsors and functional leadership across domains to identify fundamental business problems with enterprise-scale AI potential.
• Frame AI opportunities with financial, strategic, and technical rigor to enable confident investment decisions at portfolio and SteerCo forums.
• Stack-rank and socialize AI initiatives across the portfolio based on value potential, feasibility, execution risk, and strategic alignment.
• Enterprise AI Solution Design & Standards
• Engage CIOs and technology leaders as a credible AI solution architect—contributing to architectural decisions, trade-off analysis, and solution design for the most complex initiatives.
• Define and evolve reusable AI patterns, engagement models, and reference architectures adopted across AIBPs and delivery teams.
• Shape enterprise build, buy, and adapt decisions with accountability for scale, security, and responsible AI.

Ensure solutions align with enterprise AI frameworks—not only local strategic fit. Lead or oversee the most complex POCs, pilots, and early production efforts—engaging hands-on when risk or novelty requires it, and orchestrating cross-functional teams when scale requires it. ~ Normalize AI-first development practices across business units; Guide business units through the full AI lifecycle—from discovery and qualification through value realization and transition to run-state. Co-lead portfolio management with PMO and AI Enablement—owning prioritization views, value realization tracking, and escalation paths for at-risk initiatives.

• contribute to hiring bar, onboarding, and capability development for the AIBP function.
• Communicate progress, risk, and impact to C-suite and technology executive stakeholders.
• Champion adoption of enterprise AI frameworks, governance, and best practices across business and technology teams.

Demonstrated technical foundation with at least two of the following:

• Formal education in engineering, computer science, data science, or related field
• Professional training in AI/ML
• Hands-on experience building AI or data-intensive systems
• Proven experience working in an AI-first way, actively using modern agentic development tools.
• Senior product management, product engineering, or technical program leadership experience—from executive narrative to portfolio outcomes and shipped solutions at scale. Experience partnering with engineering and data science leaders as a technical peer and thought partner.
• Financial and analytical acumen to assess portfolio-level value, trade-offs, and execution risk.
• Typically 12+ years of relevant experience, including leading AI or digital initiatives in complex enterprise environments.
• Experience spanning multiple business units, domains, or enterprise portfolio governance.
• Familiarity with LLM application design, enterprise AI architecture patterns, and responsible AI principles at scale.
• Track record of taking multiple AI initiatives from POC to production and transitioning ownership to business operations.
• AI-Native Technical Leadership: Deep practitioner understanding plus judgment on when and how to apply AI at enterprise scale.
• Executive Problem Framing: Identifies enterprise-worthy problems and structures AI opportunities for investment forums.
• Balances value, feasibility, risk, and capacity across a multi-initiative portfolio.
• The enterprise AI portfolio is prioritized, visible, and progressing with clear ownership and value tracking.
• Complex POCs and pilots reach production with measurable business impact and clean transition paths.
• Enterprise AI frameworks and AI-first practices are adopted consistently across business units.

If you will be working at home occasionally or permanently, the internet connection must be obtained through a cable broadband or fiber optic internet service provider with speeds of at least 10Mbps download/5Mbps upload.This role is also anticipated to be eligible to participate in an annual bonus and long term incentive plan. Starting on day one of your employment, you’ll be offered several health-related benefits including medical, vision, dental, and well-being and behavioral health programs. We also offer 401(k), company paid life insurance, tuition reimbursement, a minimum of 18 days of paid time off per year, paid holidays, and leaves of absence. Through our divisions Cigna Healthcare and Evernorth Health Services, we are committed to enhancing the lives of our clients, customers and patients. Qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, age, disability, sex, childbirth (including pregnancy) or related medical conditions including but not limited to lactation, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran or military status, religion, national origin, ancestry, marital or familial status, genetic information, status with regard to public assistance, citizenship status or any other characteristic protected by applicable equal employment opportunity laws. If you need a reasonable accommodation to complete the online application process, please email View email address on click.appcast.io note that this email inbox is dedicated to accommodation requests only and cannot provide application updates or accept resumes. The Cigna Group has a tobacco-free policy and reserves the right not to hire tobacco/nicotine users in states where that is legally permissible. Qualified applicants with criminal histories will be considered for employment in a manner consistent with all federal, state and local ordinances.