As the Principal of AI Solutions and Implementation you will be a hands-on leader, driving the tangible application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to transform our Enterprise Operations. We are seeking an individual who can drive projects from ideation all the way through post go-live. Your primary focus will be on executing a portfolio of AI initiatives that deliver measurable value across all operational functions—from order-to-cash to lab operations and customer service. This role is for a results-driven doer with a strong track record of delivering successful AI pilots and scaling them into production. Your mission is to establish a world-class AI capability within our operations.
This role requires a minimum of 25% travel.
This is a hybrid role and the selected candidate must be near-site to one of Quest Diagnostics hub locations. Preferred locations are Secaucus, NJ or Schaumburg, IL. Pay Range: $160,000-$215,000/year + 20% Annual Incentive Plan.
Salary offers are based on a wide range of factors including relevant skills, training, experience, education, and, where applicable, certifications obtained. Market and organizational factors are also considered.
Benefits Information:
We are proud to offer best-in-class benefits and programs to support employees and their families in living healthy, happy lives. Our pay and benefit plans have been designed to promote employee health in all respects – physical, financial, and developmental. Depending on whether it is a part-time or full-time position, some of the benefits offered may include:
Day 1 Medical, supplemental health, dental & vision for FT employees who work 30+ hours
Best-in-class well-being programs
Annual, no-cost health assessment program Blueprint for Wellness®
healthyMINDS mental health program
Vacation and Health/Flex Time
6 Holidays plus 1 "MyDay" off
FinFit financial coaching and services
401(k) pre-tax and/or Roth IRA with company match up to 5% after 12 months of service
Employee stock purchase plan
Life and disability insurance, plus buy-up option
Flexible Spending Accounts
Annual incentive plans
Matching gifts program
Education assistance through MyQuest for Education
Career advancement opportunities
…and so much more!
Responsibilities
Strategic AI Vision & Execution: Contribute to the broader enterprise AI strategy by identifying high-value opportunities and ensuring that practical, hands-on pilot projects align with Quest's long-term operational goals
End-to-End Project Execution: Personally lead the hands-on delivery of AI projects, from initial concept and prototyping through to full-scale implementation, monitoring, and optimization
Hands-On Development & Implementation: Act as the primary technical and operational driver for AI initiatives. You will partner with functional teams to build proof-of-concept models and manage the project lifecycle to ensure successful delivery
Proven Pilot Delivery: Leverage your hands-on experience to rapidly develop and validate AI pilots that demonstrate clear ROI and operational benefits before scaling
On-Site Deployment & Validation: Travel to physical facilities (labs, operational centers) during critical AI deployments to provide on-the-ground support. Drive go-live execution, troubleshoot real-time issues, and conduct rigorous post-go-live validation to guarantee the solution delivers the expected ROI and workflow improvements
Cross-Functional Partnership: Act as the key liaison between operational teams, IT, and external vendors, ensuring seamless collaboration to deliver robust and scalable solutions
Capability Building: While this role has no direct reports, you will coach and mentor a network of "AI Champions" embedded within functional teams, helping to build decentralized AI skills and foster a culture of practical innovation
Governance & Regulatory Compliance: Partner closely with the AI Review Board and Quest Governance teams to evaluate and safely navigate risk. Ensure all models, workflows, and AI initiatives maintain strict compliance with HIPAA, PHI regulations, and internal data security protocols
Change Management & Adoption: Go beyond the technical deployment to drive actual user adoption. Develop repeatable playbooks for rollout, monitor usage metrics, and guide operational and clinical staff through the transition to AI-enabled workflows with empathy and clear communication
Vendor & Ecosystem Management: Rapidly evaluate, pre-screen, and integrate third-party AI tools (e.g., LLMs, Copilot agents, iPaaS platforms). Act as the technical SME to ensure vendor solutions align with Quest’s enterprise architecture and strict security standards
Education: Bachelor’s degree in Business, Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, Data Science, or related field (Required). Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA), Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Analytics, or related field (Preferred).
AI Expertise: Demonstrated hands-on expertise in deploying and integrating various AI modalities, including Optical Character Recognition (OCR), Computer Vision, Large Language Models (LLMs), and Agentic AI systems.
Enterprise Delivery: Proven, hands-on experience delivering enterprise AI or generative AI solutions through successful pilots and scaled deployments (Required).
Technical Proficiency: Hands-on technical proficiency with AI tools and integrations, which may include prompt engineering, API/Webhook integrations, or experience with major cloud AI services (e.g., Azure AI, AWS).
Healthcare Integration: Experience integrating technology into complex healthcare systems (e.g., Electronic Health Records (EHR), Laboratory Information Systems (LIS), or operational platforms) is highly preferred.
Execution Style: Ability to act as a self-directed "team of one," driving complex projects from ideation to completion (Required).
Experience: 10+ years of experience leading and execution AI initiatives, 5-7 of those years must be in a hands-on role related to data science, AI implementation, or technology delivery in a large enterprise environment.
Automation & Operations: Strong familiarity with workflow automation, low-code/no-code platforms, or robotic process automation (RPA) (Required). Deep understanding of operational functions (e.g., logistics, supply chain, customer service, lab operations).
Business Acumen: Strong business acumen with experience building business cases and measuring ROI for technology initiatives.
While we appreciate and value our staffing partners, we do not accept unsolicited resumes from agencies. Quest will not be responsible for paying agency fees for any individual as to whom an agency has sent an unsolicited resume.
Equal Opportunity Employer: Race/Color/Sex/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity/Religion/National Origin/Disability/Vets or any other legally protected status.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, Data Science, or related field
- Master's degree in AI, Data Science, Analytics, or MBA
- 10+ years leading and executing AI initiatives in enterprise environments
- 5-7 years hands-on experience in data science, AI implementation, or technology delivery
- Demonstrated hands-on expertise with OCR, Computer Vision, Large Language Models, and Agentic AI systems
- Proven record delivering enterprise AI/generative AI pilots and scaling to production with measurable ROI
- Hands-on technical proficiency with prompt engineering, API/Webhook integrations, and major cloud AI services (e.g., Azure AI, AWS)
- Experience integrating technology with healthcare systems (EHR, LIS)
- Familiarity with workflow automation, low-code/no-code platforms, or RPA
- Strong business acumen and experience building business cases and measuring ROI
- Ability to act as a self-directed individual contributor ('team of one') driving projects end-to-end
- Knowledge of HIPAA, PHI regulations, governance, and data security protocols
- Willingness and ability to travel at least 25% and be near-site to a Quest hub (hybrid role, preferred Secaucus NJ or Schaumburg IL)
- Experience coaching or mentoring cross-functional teams or AI champions
What We Do
Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX) empowers people to take action to improve health outcomes. Derived from the world's largest database of clinical lab results, our diagnostic insights reveal new avenues to identify and treat disease, inspire healthy behaviors and improve health care management. Quest annually serves one in three adult Americans and half the physicians and hospitals in the United States, and our 47,000 employees understand that, in the right hands and with the right context, our diagnostic insights can inspire actions that transform lives. The company offers physicians the broadest test menu (3,000+ tests), is a pioneer in developing innovative new tests, is the leader in cancer diagnostics, provides anatomic pathology (AP) services, & interpretive consultation through its medical & scientific staff of about 900 M.D.s & Ph.D.s. The company reported 2020 revenues of $9.44 billion. Quest Diagnostics offers the most extensive clinical testing network in the U.S., with laboratories in most major metropolitan areas, & in Mexico, the UK & India. The company also operates four esoteric laboratories, 40 outpatient AP laboratories, & 160 smaller, rapid-response laboratories. Patients may have specimens collected in any of the company’s approximately 2,250 patient service centers. On a typical workday, testing is performed for about 550,000 patients. Quest Diagnostics empowers healthcare organizations & clinicians with state-of-the-art connectivity solutions. The company is the leading provider of pre-employment drugs-of-abuse screening for employers & risk assessment services for the life insurance industry. It is the world’s 2nd largest provider of clinical trials testing for new pharmaceuticals. More information is available at www.questdiagnostics.com. Language Assistance / Non-Discrimination Notice Asistencia de Idiomas / Aviso de no Discriminación 語言協助 / 不歧視通知 www.QuestDiagnostics.com/home/nondiscrimination
