Director of Data and AI

Director of Data and AI

RCN Capital is a national, direct private lender supporting real estate investors across the country. We're seeking a Director of Data and Artificial Intelligence to define, own, and lead the company's enterprise data, governance, and AI strategy. This role is responsible for transforming data and AI from fragmented tools and isolated efforts into a cohesive, governed, business critical capability that drives operational efficiency, better decision making, and competitive advantage.

RCN has reached a point where data quality, analytics, and AI cannot be implemented by committee. This role serves as the single point of accountability for enterprise data management, governance, and AI—ensuring initiatives are strategically aligned, responsibly governed, and deliver measurable business value.

Responsibilities:

• Enterprise Data & AI Strategy • Define and own RCN Capital's enterprise data and AI vision, strategy, and roadmap, aligned to business priorities and long term growth objectives. • Serve as the central authority for data governance and AI adoption across the organization. • Partner with executive leadership to identify how data and AI can transform lending, operations, analytics, and customer experience.
• Data Governance, Ownership & Quality • Establish and enforce an enterprise data governance framework, including principles, policies, standards, and operating model. • Define clear data ownership, stewardship, and accountability across critical domains (e.g., loans, borrowers, properties, servicing, finance). • Develop and maintain governance policies covering: - Data quality (accuracy, completeness, timeliness) - Data security and access controls - Data privacy and regulatory compliance - Data retention and lifecycle management • Ensure governance is embedded into systems and workflows, preventing bad data at the source rather than correcting it downstream. • Establish data quality metrics, controls, escalation paths, and dashboards to track improvement over time.
• AI Use Case Development & Delivery • Identify, evaluate, and prioritize high value AI use cases across origination, servicing, capital markets, finance, operations, and corporate functions. • Lead the design and implementation of: - Generative AI (LLMs, copilots, agents) - Predictive and prescriptive analytics - Automation and decision support solutions • Ensure AI initiatives move from proof of concept to production grade, scalable capabilities.
• Platform, Architecture & Enablement • Partner with Data, Engineering, Security, and BI teams to ensure AI is built on a sound, governed data foundation and integrates with RCN's enterprise architecture. • Ensure consistent business definitions and canonical data models to prevent "multiple versions of the truth." • Evaluate and select data and AI platforms, tools, and vendors—balancing speed of innovation with security, governance, and sustainability. • Establish reusable patterns for data pipelines, analytics models, and AI enabled applications.
• Governance, Risk & Responsible AI • Define and enforce AI governance standards, including model usage, privacy, security, explainability, and regulatory considerations. • Ensure compliance with internal policies and external regulations appropriate to financial services. • Mitigate risks such as hallucinations, bias, uncontrolled automation, or ungoverned model usage.
• Organizational Enablement & Change Leadership • Lead cross functional change by embedding data and AI into real business workflows, not standalone tools. • Educate executives, managers, and teams on data ownership, governance responsibilities, and AI capabilities. • Chair or lead enterprise governance forums (e.g., Data & AI Governance Council). • Act as the internal translator between technical capabilities and business outcomes.

Required Qualifications

Experience

• 3-5 years of experience across data, analytics, AI, or enterprise technology leadership roles
• Proven experience implementing data governance as an operating model, not just documentation
• Demonstrated success delivering AI solutions from strategy through production
• Experience operating at an executive level in complex or regulated environments

Skills & Expertise

• Deep understanding of: data governance, quality, metadata, lineage, and lifecycle management
• Generative AI, machine learning, and advanced analytics
• Enterprise data and analytics platforms

• Strong ability to drive clarity, accountability, and execution in ambiguous environments
• Executive‑level communication and influence skills
• Pragmatic mindset focused on measurable business impact, not technology for its own sake

Preferred Qualifications

• Financial services, lending, or regulated industry experience
• Familiarity with modern cloud‑based data and AI platforms
• Experience standing up a data, AI, or analytics center of excellence
• Experience partnering with consultants, auditors, or regulators on data and AI initiatives

What Success Looks Like

• Clearly enforced ownership of RCN's most critical data domains
• Material improvements in data quality and reduction in downstream remediation
• AI embedded directly into core operations and decision‑making
• Reduced fragmentation across data and AI initiatives
• A scalable, governed data and AI foundation that supports long‑term growth

Schedule and Work Model:

• Full‑time, Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
• Hybrid work model: 2 days per week in office
• First 90 days onsite for training and onboarding

Why RCN Capital:

• Growth‑oriented environment with opportunities to expand your legal skill set
• Ongoing training and development
• Casual dress policy
• Free food and beverage program
• Competitive benefits, including 401(k)
• And many additional perks

Equal Opportunity Employer This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.