Lead Director - Software Development Engineering (AI & Automation)

We’re building a world of health around every individual — shaping a more connected, convenient and compassionate health experience. At CVS Health®, you’ll be surrounded by passionate colleagues who care deeply, innovate with purpose, hold ourselves accountable and prioritize safety and quality in everything we do. Position Overview The Lead Director – AI Software Engineering is a pivotal role within a dynamic organization, partnering with both business and IT leaders. The position provides the opportunity to make a significant impact for customers utilizing Pharmacy Benefits and involves managing engineering teams focused on testing, automation, and production operations. Responsibilities Lead testing and automation strategies across IT and Business Operations using AI platforms, ensuring high-quality, scalable delivery aligned with business objectives and customer experience goals. Own end‑to‑end execution of quality assurance processes across AI model validation, automation, and manual testing to drive consistent quality outcomes and timely release cycles. Oversee the development and adoption of AI‑Driven Operations (AIOps) and automation capabilities for proactive issue detection, alert noise reduction, and predictive failure prevention. Implement AI‑assisted incident triage, automated runbooks, root‑cause analysis, and self‑healing systems. Collaborate with the AI Platform team to integrate Large Language Models (LLMs) and Machine Learning (ML) models into operational workflows, including log summarization, anomaly detection, and remediation. Champion modern testing and operational practices, including agile testing methodologies, automation frameworks, and AI‑specific testing tools. Work closely with product, engineering, and leadership teams to identify quality risks, communicate insights and metrics, and proactively enhance the customer experience. Provide strategic and tactical engineering and architecture leadership, develop delivery and resource plans, create roadmaps, and drive operational excellence. Optimize operating costs and budgets by reducing technical debt, offering improved risk visibility through executive‑level reporting, and coordinating all program‑related activities. Guide planning and execution of projects and programs, establish technical and functional standards and practices, and oversee processes, procedures, career development, and skillset mapping. Define objectives and key results (OKRs), return on investment (ROI), and key performance indicators (KPIs) and deliver reports on metrics with recommendations for improved delivery. Collaborate with business stakeholders to ensure a clear and actionable engineering backlog and remove blockers for senior leadership. Participate in annual budgeting, capital processes, and quality improvement activities for the organization. Provide guidance on principles, practices, and techniques relevant to the application area and organization. Provide feedback to address performance gaps, including functional, technical, and soft skills. Actively participate in recruitment and selection processes for both CVS and vendor candidates, and lead relationships with onsite and offshore vendors. Ensure all teams adhere to the highest standards of integrity and the Code of Conduct. Required Qualifications 10+ years of Information Technology experience across various technological platforms, including leadership and development management experience. 10+ years of experience translating complex testing and automation strategies into strategic business outcomes. 5+ years of experience leveraging AI technologies and testing and automation techniques for validating these technologies, including unit, integration, quality and model testing, regression, and performance validation in a high‑performance Agile environment. 5 years focused on cloud‑native environments (i.e. IBMi AS400, GCP, and Azure highly preferred). 4+ years of hands‑on development experience across multiple technological platforms. Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience. Preferred Qualifications Executive‑level communication skills with the ability to effectively articulate strategic concepts to multiple stakeholders. Background in Health Care and Pharmacy Benefit Management (PBM). Experience with IBMi AS400 and GCP‑Azure platforms. Hands‑on experience with Large Language Models (LLM) and their practical applications in AI. At least 7 years of experience with API testing tools such as Postman, Swagger, or similar tools. Pay Range The typical pay range for this role is $144,200.00 – $288,400.00. The actual base salary offer will depend on a variety of factors including experience, education, geography and other relevant factors. This position is eligible for a CVS Health bonus, commission or short‑term incentive program in addition to the base pay range listed above, and includes an award target in the company’s equity award program. Benefits This full‑time position is eligible for a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision coverage, paid time off, retirement savings options, wellness programs, and other resources, based on eligibility. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with all federal, state and local laws. Application window closes on 05/31/2026. #J-18808-Ljbffr