Chief AI Development Officer

Virginia Union University (VUU) is a distinguished private institution founded in 1865 that proudly upholds a legacy of academic excellence and community engagement. With a historic 86-acre campus it offers a dynamic and nurturing environment for its 1568 undergraduate and graduate students. Virginia Union University is recognized in the 2024 edition of U.S. News & World Report holding a prestigious position as #39 among Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Five fundamental principles (core values) guide Virginia Union University. Each principle is essential to our ability to provide a Best-In-Class educational experience for students faculty and staff. These principles help our community understand the right path to fulfilling our institutions mission. The principles are Innovation Spiritual Formation Integrity Diversity & Inclusion and Excellence.

The Chief AI Development Officer (CAIDO) is Virginia Union Universitys senior enterprise leader for artificial intelligence. Reporting to the Senior Vice President for Infrastructure Management & Planning / Chief of Staff with strategic access to the President the CAIDO establishes the Universitys AI strategy governance framework policies training protocols development standards and implementation roadmap. The role ensures that AI is adopted responsibly securely equitably and in direct support of VUUs mission strategic priorities student success academic excellence operational effectiveness and institutional growth.

The CAIDO is both strategist and builder. The position leads the development of AI-enabled solutions and helps divisions design build test deploy and govern AI agents that improve business processes across the University. Working across academic and administrative units the CAIDO creates a common institutional approach to AI while enabling departments to develop practical solutions within approved standards and controls.

As a senior leader the CAIDO will help position VUU as a national model for responsible applied AI in higher education - preparing students and employees for an AI-shaped future while using technology to expand access capability and institutional impact.

Reporting Relationship & Scope

Division

Infrastructure Management & Planning (IMP)

Senior Vice President for IMP / Chief of Staff

President; Cabinet and Board briefings as requested

University-wide AI strategy policy training governance development adoption and agent enablement

Academic Affairs IT Institutional Effectiveness Student Affairs Enrollment Finance Advancement HR VUU Global and other University units

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

1. Enterprise AI Strategy Policy & Governance

• Develop publish and maintain a multi-year University AI Strategy and implementation roadmap aligned with VUU strategic and institutional-effectiveness priorities.
• Establish and maintain University-wide AI policies standards acceptable-use requirements procurement criteria data protections model-risk controls and responsible-AI practices.
• Chair or lead the University AI Governance Council and establish review approval escalation and exception processes for institutional AI use.
• Advise the President Cabinet and Board on AI opportunities investments emerging risks regulatory developments and institutional readiness.
• Create standards for security privacy accessibility bias/fairness transparency human oversight records management and lifecycle governance for AI systems and agents.

2. University-Wide AI Training & Adoption

• Establish tiered AI training protocols for executives faculty staff students technical teams and other role-based audiences including required foundational training where appropriate.
• Develop an institutional AI literacy program covering responsible use prompt and workflow design data handling verification academic integrity agent use and human accountability.
• Create training standards playbooks templates office hours workshops and communities of practice that enable divisions to adopt AI consistently and safely.
• Partner with Academic Affairs to support faculty development curricular AI literacy credentials and student preparation for an AI-enabled workforce.
• Measure training completion adoption proficiency risk awareness and demonstrated business or academic impact.

3. AI Agent Development & Business Transformation

• Lead and enable the design development testing deployment and continuous improvement of AI assistants agents automations retrieval-augmented systems predictive tools and other AI solutions.
• Help business units identify high-value processes and build agents that reduce cycle time improve service strengthen decision-making increase accuracy and automate appropriate repetitive work.
• Establish a reusable enterprise agent-development framework including approved architectures templates identity/access controls data connectors testing protocols human-in-the-loop controls monitoring documentation and retirement standards.
• Create an intake and prioritization process for AI use cases based on strategic value feasibility risk cost measurable benefit and readiness.
• Partner with IT to integrate AI securely with approved enterprise platforms data sources ERP LMS CRM collaboration tools and other University systems.
• Use Lean Six Sigma / process-improvement methods to redesign workflows before or alongside automation ensuring AI improves the underlying business process rather than simply digitizing inefficiency.

4. Data Technology & Responsible AI Architecture

• Partner with IT and Institutional Effectiveness to strengthen AI-ready data architecture data quality metadata access controls integration analytics and governance.
• Establish technical standards for model selection evaluation testing observability performance security versioning auditability and lifecycle management.
• Evaluate AI vendors platforms enterprise licenses and emerging technologies in coordination with Procurement Finance IT Legal/Compliance and other stakeholders.
• Maintain an institutional inventory of approved AI systems agents use cases owners data dependencies risk classifications and performance outcomes.

5. Institutional Impact Partnerships & Leadership

• Deliver AI-enabled solutions across administrative and academic operations including student success enrollment finance advancement HR facilities communications VUU Global and other priority areas.
• Define and report enterprise AI performance measures including adoption productivity service improvement cost avoidance revenue impact student outcomes risk and return on investment.
• Cultivate partnerships with technology companies HBCU consortia government agencies foundations and research organizations; pursue grants and sponsored funding in coordination with appropriate University offices.
• Recruit develop and lead AI developers data/automation professionals student interns contractors and cross-functional project teams as the function grows.
• Represent VUU externally as a leader in responsible AI adoption HBCU innovation workforce readiness and applied institutional transformation.

Qualifications

• Masters degree in computer science data science artificial intelligence information systems engineering business/technology management or a related field.
• Progressive leadership experience in AI software data automation digital transformation or enterprise technology including experience leading complex cross-functional initiatives.
• Demonstrated ability to take AI solutions from concept through production and to translate emerging technology into practical institutional or business outcomes.
• Working knowledge of large language models agentic systems retrieval-augmented generation workflow automation cloud AI platforms APIs/integrations data governance and AI operations.
• Experience developing or implementing technology governance policy security/privacy controls training change management and responsible-AI practices.
• Executive-level communication skills and the ability to explain technical opportunities risks and decisions to trustees executives faculty staff students and external partners.

Preferred

Masters degree required; strong AI knowledge higher-education experience a plus; familiarity with ERP/LMS/CRM/student systems; grant or sponsored-funding experience; SACSCOC/institutional-effectiveness knowledge; Lean Six Sigma or comparable process-improvement credential.

Core Competencies

Enterprise AI strategy and execution AI governance and responsible innovation Training and organizational capability building Agentic AI and automation Business-process redesign Data and technology architecture Change leadership Executive communication Cross-divisional collaboration Equity access and HBCU mission alignment

Work Environment

The position is based primarily on the Richmond campus and requires regular engagement across University divisions with occasional travel to conferences partner sites and professional events. Evening or weekend availability may be required for executive/Board activities major training events or critical technology deployments. Other duties may be assigned by the Senior Vice President for IMP / Chief of Staff or the President.

Required Experience:

Chief