AI Programs Director

ROLE SUMMARY
The Director of AI Programs will lead the execution of enterprise artificial intelligence initiatives across a nationally distributed healthcare organization. This role sits at the intersection of clinical care, technology, data, and operations, with responsibility for turning AI innovation into real-world improvements in patient care, clinician experience, operational performance, and decision-making.
This is a highly visible leadership role requiring strong collaboration with executive leadership, clinical stakeholders, compliance, IT, and external partners to ensure AI solutions are scalable, ethical, secure, and clinically meaningful across diverse emergency department environments. 
This role also leverages technology to advance the company’s S.A.F.E. values (Safe, Accountable, Friendly, Efficient) and supporting the organization’s Healthcare Anywhere mission through innovation, automation, and actionable insights
This is a salaried/Exempt role. 
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Specific Duties:
Enterprise AI Strategy & Execution
•    Advise C-Suite on enterprise-wide AI strategy and lead the execution of organizational priorities in quality, safety, access, clinician efficiency, and financial performance
•    Establish AI program roadmaps, success metrics, and governance frameworks to drive consistent outcomes across multiple states and care settings
•    Hands-on leader with implementation experience delivering a portfolio of AI initiatives such as: 
•    Clinical decision support and predictive analytics
•    Generative AI for documentation and clinician workflow support
•    Operational optimization (staffing, throughput, patient flow)
•    Revenue cycle and compliance automation
•    Translate executive and clinical objectives into scalable, measurable AI programs

Operational Partnership (growth)
•    Partners with the enterprise Project Management Office (PMO) to define and implement the AI project portfolio
•    Partner closely with cross-functional company SMEs to identify high-impact AI use cases
•    Ensure AI tools integrate seamlessly into clinical workflows while preserving clinician autonomy and judgment
•    Serve as a trusted advisor to clinical leaders on AI capabilities, limitations, and best practices

AI Governance, Risk & Compliance
•    Establish and lead AI governance frameworks, including model approval, validation, monitoring, bias mitigation, and lifecycle management
•    Ensure compliance with HIPAA, CMS regulations, state-level requirements, and emerging AI regulations
•    Collaborate with Legal, Privacy, Compliance, and Information Security to manage enterprise risk

Technology, Data & Vendor Management
•    Partner with IT Infrastructure on platform and tenancy; partner with IT Security on data protection and model risk
•    Stand up the responsible AI framework: risk reviews, audit trails, human-in-the-loop, acceptable use
•    Lead vendor selection and management across AI platforms (Microsoft Copilot, Azure AI Foundry, OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.)
•    Partner with IT, data analytics, and regional operations teams to ensure high-quality, secure, and interoperable data pipelines
•    Evaluate AI tools, platforms, and vendors; make build/buy/partner recommendations to the CIO
•    Manage vendor relationships and ensure performance, security, and clinical alignment

 
Change Management & Adoption
•    Lead enterprise change management for AI adoption across multiple operations and POD divisions as required
•    Build AI literacy and trust through communication, training, and executive engagement across all levels of the organization
•    Act as an internal evangelist for responsible and pragmatic AI innovation

Measurement & Continuous Improvement
•    Define KPIs and success metrics for all AI initiatives
•    Track post-deployment outcomes and continuously refine models and workflows
•    Report on program performance to the CIO and executive leadership

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•    Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Data Science, Engineering, Healthcare Informatics, or related field
•    10+ years in technology (engineering, data, or applied ML)
•    5+ years of leadership experience in AI/ML programs, advanced analytics, digital health, or enterprise technology programs
•    Demonstrated experience leading complex, cross-functional initiatives in healthcare or other highly regulated environments
•    Strong working knowledge of modern generative AI stack: LLM APIs, RAG, agent frameworks (LangGraph, MCP, or comparable)
•    Cloud AI platform experience (Azure AI Foundry preferred; AWS Bedrock or Google Vertex acceptable).
•    Data engineering fundamentals: strong SQL, modern data warehouse (Snowflake or Databricks), pipelines, semantic layers.
•    MLOps/LLMOps: versioning, evaluation, monitoring, cost controls, prompt and agent observability.
•    Demonstrated track record moving AI from prototype to production at scale.
•    Ability to communicate effectively with executives, clinicians, and technical teams

Preferred:

•    Master’s degree in a relevant field, or MBA with a technology focus
•    Advanced certification in Artificial Intelligence or Machine Learning preferred (Microsoft, AWS, Snowflake, or GCP AI/data platforms)
•    Experience in healthcare, hospital systems, or physician services organizations
•    Familiarity with major electronic Patient Care Record (ePCR), Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) platforms, and healthcare data standards
•    Experience operationalizing AI at scale in real-world clinical environments
•    Geographic location at or near current operational locations – Knoxville, TN, Phoenix, AZ, Memphis, TN, Atlanta, GA, or Dallas, TX

 
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
•    Ability to sit, stand, walk, and use hands/fingers for extended periods while performing administrative and technology-related duties. 
•    Ability to operate computers, laptops, mobile devices, and other office equipment for prolonged periods of time. 
•    Ability to view and analyze data, reports, dashboards, and multiple computer screens for extended durations. 
•    Ability to communicate effectively in person, virtually, and by telephone with internal and external stakeholders. 
•    Ability to occasionally lift and carry office materials or equipment up to 15–20 pounds. 
•    Ability to travel by automobile and/or commercial airline as needed to support operations, meetings, and clinical sites across multiple states. 
•    Ability to work extended or non-traditional hours as business needs require.

CORE COMPETENCIES
•    Strategic Thinking & Execution
•    Cross-Functional Leadership
•    Change Management & Adoption
•    Data-Driven Decision Making
•    Executive Communication & Influence
•    Risk Management & Compliance Orientation
•    Innovation with Practical Application
•    Project Management

REPORTING RELATIONSHIP
Reports directly to the Chief Information Officer (CIO). 
WORK ENVIRONMENT & TRAVEL
Approximately 10–25% travel to corporate offices, leadership meetings, and clinical sites across 16 states.