Executive Director, AI and Data

Job Profile:

IT Administration Manager 4

Job Family:

IT Management

Time Type:

Full time

Max Pay – Depends on experience:

$200,000.00 USD Annual

Apply before 11:59 PM Arizona time the day before the posted End Date.

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree and nine (9) years of experience appropriate to the area of assignment/field including five (5) years managerial experience; OR, Any equivalent combination of experience and/or training from which comparable knowledge, skills and abilities have been achieved.

Job Description:

Executive Director, AI and DataArizona State University — Enterprise TechnologyReimagining the Future of AI, Data, and the Intelligent University

Arizona State University is seeking a visionary executive leader to help architect the next generation of the AI-enabled university.

At ASU, we believe the future of higher education will be shaped by institutions capable of combining advanced technologies, human-centered design, and public purpose at scale. As one of the nation’s leading innovation universities, ASU is advancing a bold transition from traditional “EdTech” models toward a new TechEd paradigm: intelligent, interoperable, AI-augmented systems designed around learners, discovery, and lifelong impact.  

To help lead this transformation, ASU is recruiting an Executive Director of AI and Data — a senior Enterprise Technology leader responsible for shaping the university’s AI-ready data ecosystem, enterprise integration strategy, and intelligent platform architecture.

This is not a traditional higher education IT role.

The successful candidate will help move ASU from fragmented systems and isolated data environments toward connected “data rivers” capable of powering real-time intelligence, institutional agility, and AI at scale. 

Salary Range: $132,300.00 - $200,000.00; depending on experience

Special Instructions to Apply: Please include a cover letter in your application speaking to your experience advancing AI and data transformation at an Enterprise scale.

Essential Duties:

The Executive Director of AI and Data will help shape how AI becomes embedded responsibly, securely, and strategically into the fabric of a modern public research university. This includes helping establish the technical foundations that support:

• AI-enhanced student success

• Personalized and adaptive digital experiences

• Intelligent institutional operations

• Research acceleration

• Responsible AI governance

• Human-centered automation

• Cross-functional interoperability at enterprise scale

 

This role will define and advance the enterprise architecture required to support:

• AI-enabled institutional operations

• Intelligent workflow orchestration

• Modern enterprise integrations

• Trusted and governed data ecosystems

• Semantic and analytics infrastructure

• Agentic AI systems and services

• Scalable digital experiences for students, faculty, researchers, and staff

 

This leader combines enterprise architecture, data engineering, AI platform strategy, systems integration, organizational transformation, and executive leadership to:

• Engage with executive leadership, faculty innovators, operational leaders, and cross-functional teams in conversations about institutional change, human-centered design, and the future of work in higher education.

• Advance architectures and practices that enable experimentation, interoperability, responsible AI adoption, and continuous organizational learning.

 

This leader will help ensure ASU remains at the forefront of AI innovation while aligning technology decisions with the university’s charter commitments to access, inclusion, student success, and public value.   

Desired Qualifications:

Most importantly, we are looking for a leader who understands that the future of AI is not simply about replacing human work — it is about amplifying human capability, accelerating insight, and creating more adaptive and responsive institutions. An  executive-level technology leader who combines deep technical credibility with institutional imagination.

The ideal candidate brings experience leading complex AI, data, or platform modernization initiatives within large-scale environments such as:

• Research universities

• Global enterprises

• Cloud and platform organizations

• Digital-native organizations

• Large healthcare, technology, or public-sector ecosystems

This individual should be equally capable of:

• Executing on strategic vision

• Designing modern AI-ready architectures

• Leading enterprise integration strategies

• Building trusted data ecosystems

• Scaling teams, platforms, and enterprise services 

• Driving organizational transformation

• Influencing executive stakeholders

• Bridging technical and non-technical audiences

• Developing high-performing technical teams

• Leading with empathy, curiosity, and a growth mindset

• Translating emerging technology into measurable institutional value

• Operating amid ambiguity and rapid technological change  

Successful candidates will demonstrate expertise in many of the following areas:

• Enterprise data architecture and governance

• AI/ML platforms and AI operations

• Cloud-native infrastructure and platform engineering

• Enterprise systems integration and APIs

• Semantic data models and modern analytics ecosystems

• Intelligent automation and agentic workflows

• Scalable AI deployment patterns

• Cybersecurity, privacy, and responsible AI practices

• Organizational change leadership

• Fostering a positive culture, upholding organizational values, and championing engagement

• Cross-functional collaboration in decentralized environments 

Working Environment:

• Activities primarily take place in a standard, climate-controlled office environment and may involve extended periods of sitting, standing, or moving between office spaces.

• This role involves regular use of a computer (desktop and/or laptop), including a keyboard and mouse.

• Effective communication and proficiency with a variety of technologies are essential for collaboration with the broader team.

• Frequent standing for varying lengths of time and walk moderate distances to perform work.

About ASU Enterprise Technology

ASU Enterprise Technology is advancing ET 2.6 — a university-wide evolution of enterprise technology designed around adaptability, interoperability, collaboration, and AI-enabled institutional capacity.

Enterprise Technology at ASU operates less like a traditional centralized IT organization and more like a strategic innovation partner, helping shape the future of learning, research, and institutional operations.

ASU has already emerged as a national leader in AI innovation through initiatives including:

• Enterprise AI platforms and CreateAI Builder

• AI-enabled teaching and learning experiences

• Research AI infrastructure

• Enterprise AI governance frameworks

• Partnerships with OpenAI, AWS, and industry leaders

• Institution-wide AI literacy and workforce readiness initiatives

The Executive Director of AI and Data will help shape what comes next.

Why ASU

Arizona State University has been ranked the nation’s most innovative university by U.S. News & World Report for multiple consecutive years and is widely recognized for advancing technology-enabled access, interdisciplinary research, and large-scale institutional transformation.

At ASU, innovation is not separated from mission. Technology strategy is inseparable from the university’s commitment to inclusion, student success, research of public value, and societal impact.

This role offers the opportunity to help shape one of the most visible and ambitious AI transformation efforts in higher education today.

Department Statement:

Enterprise Technology (ET) embraces its role as both an enabler and catalyst for advancing the vision and work of the New American University.  We are a values-driven organization.  Our commitments are reflected in all of the work we do in pursuit of operational excellence, the experience and delight of our community, and our strategic and innovation initiatives. Applicants must be eligible to work in the United States.

Join the team that sparks human-centered innovation

ET is a rapidly reconfigurable and entrepreneurial organization at ASU that prioritizes and executes to meet the needs of our community of learners, faculty, researchers and staff. Our work emphasizes autonomy, flexibility and distributed decision-making to leverage the strengths of individuals. Together, we embrace a culture that nurtures, engages and embraces many voices with a shared lens of positive community impact and expanded opportunities for collaboration.

Why join us?

Mission oriented. Everything we do is to advance ASU’s charter -- measuring who we include and how they succeed. We are staunch champions of learner success and put people first.

Flexibility. Our flexible work environment allows employees to explore opportunities with their supervisor beyond the traditional work schedule. Opportunities include hybrid work where staff are in person three days per week.

Culture forward. We embrace a Positive Core culture: Belonging, Relational, Authentic, Visionary and Empowered. 

Scale of impact. Our work changes the world. With 200k+ learners, faculty, researchers and staff, working with ET means you have the capacity to improve many lives and entire communities.

World-class, low cost education. Our professional development is built in! ET encourages staff to seek additional certificates and degrees via ASU’s top ranked programs with major tuition breaks.

Exposure to industry giants. ET partners with Amazon, Apple, Arista, Cox, Verizon, Salesforce, Alteryx and a diversity of technology companies to enhance our innovations and deepen their impact.

Driving Requirement:

Driving is not required for this position.

Location:

Campus: Tempe

Funding:

No Federal Funding

Instructions to Apply:

Current employees, student workers seeking staff opportunities, and students applying for student worker positions must apply directly through the Workday Jobs Hub.

Please use the link below to log in using single sign-on.

https://www.myworkday.com/asu/d/inst/1$9925/9925$24669.htmld

To be considered, your application must include all of the following attachments:

• Cover letter

• Resume or CV

Multiple documents may be uploaded in the attachments section. Alternatively, applicants may combine all required materials into a single PDF for submission. Please ensure uploaded documents are clearly labeled and include your name.

Please ensure your resume includes all employment information in month and year format, for example 6/04 to 8/14, along with job title, job duties, and employer name for each position. Your resume should clearly demonstrate how your experience and background meet the minimum and desired qualifications for this position. Incomplete applications or missing required materials may not be considered.

Important: Do not withdraw your application to make edits. Once an application is withdrawn, it cannot be edited, reactivated, or replaced with a new submission. If you have questions or need assistance, please contact The Office of Human Resources Talent Acquisition before the posting close date.

Graduate Assistant, Intern and part-time positions are counted as half time for experience equivalency, meaning one year equals six months of experience.

Only electronic applications will be accepted for this position. By submitting an application, you confirm that the information provided is accurate and complete.

ASU Statement:

Arizona State University is a new model for American higher education, an unprecedented combination of academic excellence, entrepreneurial energy and broad access. This New American University is a single, unified institution comprising four differentiated campuses positively impacting the economic, social, cultural and environmental health of the communities it serves. Its research is inspired by real world application blurring the boundaries that traditionally separate academic disciplines. ASU serves more than 100,000 students in metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona, the nation's fifth largest city. ASU champions inclusive excellence, and welcomes students from all fifty states and more than one hundred nations across the globe.

ASU is a tobacco-free university. For details visit https://wellness.asu.edu/explore-wellness/body/alcohol-and-drugs/tobacco

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other basis protected by law.

Notice of Availability of the ASU Annual Security and Fire Safety Report:

In compliance with federal law, ASU prepares an annual report on campus security and fire safety programs and resources. ASU’s Annual Security and Fire Safety Report is available online at https://www.asu.edu/police/PDFs/ASU-Clery-Report.pdf. You may request a hard copy of the report by contacting the ASU Police Department at 480-965-3456.

Relocation Assistance – For information about schools, housing child resources, neighborhoods, hospitals, community events, and taxes, visit https://cfo.asu.edu/az-resources.

Employment Verification Statement:

ASU conducts pre-employment screening which may include verification of work history, academic credentials, licenses, and certifications.

Background Check Statement:

ASU conducts pre-employment screening for all positions which includes a criminal background check, verification of work history, academic credentials, licenses, and certifications. Employment is contingent upon successful passing of the background check.

Fingerprint Check Statement:

This position is considered safety/security sensitive and will include a fingerprint check. Employment is contingent upon successful passing of the fingerprint check.