AI Governance Principal

LE-1000 Blackbaud; United States; Hybrid; USD 134,000 - 174,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Remote-flexible workforce

Wellness Programs

401(k) program with employer match

Flexible paid time off

Generous Parental Leave

Donations for Doers

Pet insurance, legal and identity pro.

Tuition reimbursement program

Job summary

Blackbaud is seeking an AI Governance Principal to shape responsible AI governance across the enterprise. You will design, build, and own frameworks, policies, standards, risk methodologies, and controls guiding AI from concept through deployment and ongoing oversight.

This hands-on role requires balancing responsible innovation with risk management, collaborating across product, engineering, risk, and business teams to translate regulatory requirements into actionable guidance.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience across governance, risk, compliance, technology risk, or policy.
• Hands-on experience applying NIST AI RMF; familiarity with the EU AI Act.

Responsibilities

• Design and continuously improve enterprise AI governance frameworks, policies, and standards.
• Own the governance process for AI initiatives from intake to ongoing oversight.
• Translate regulatory requirements into clear, actionable controls for product and engineering teams.
• Evaluate proposed AI solutions and ensure controls are properly designed and implemented.
• Establish documentation, evidence, evaluation, and monitoring requirements for governance.
• Develop metrics to measure governance effectiveness and adoption.

Skills

AI governance

Risk management

Policy development

Stakeholder influence

Education

IAPP AIGP credential

Job description

About the role

Blackbaud is looking for a AI Governance Principal to help shape how AI is governed responsibly across the enterprise. In this highly visible role, you’ll design, build, and own the frameworks, policies, standards, risk methodologies, and controls that guide AI from initial concept through deployment and ongoing oversight.

You’ll work across product, engineering, risk, and business teams to translate regulatory requirements and industry frameworks into practical expectations teams can understand and apply. This is a hands‑on governance role for someone who has built programs and policies from the ground up and can balance responsible innovation with effective risk management.

What you’ll be doing

• Design, document, and continuously improve enterprise AI governance frameworks, policies, standards, and methodologies, including approaches for generative AI and agentic AI.
• Own the governance process for AI initiatives, from intake and inventory through risk classification, assessment, review, approval, and ongoing oversight.
• Translate frameworks and regulatory requirements, including NIST AI RMF and the EU AI Act, into clear, actionable controls and expectations for product and engineering teams.
• Partner with teams to evaluate proposed AI solutions, validate that applicable controls are appropriately designed and implemented, and identify areas requiring additional risk treatment.
• Establish documentation, evidence, evaluation, and monitoring requirements that create a consistent and traceable governance process.
• Develop metrics that measure the effectiveness and adoption of AI governance, including coverage, review cycle times, and exception management.
• Partner with executives, product leaders, engineers, and other stakeholders to communicate AI risks, requirements, decisions, and tradeoffs in a clear and actionable way.
• Continuously evolve the governance program as AI technologies, regulatory expectations, and industry standards change.

What we’ll want you to have

• 8+ years of experience across governance, risk, compliance, technology risk, or policy, including direct experience building or leading AI governance, responsible AI, or AI risk programs.
• Hands‑on experience applying NIST AI RMF and working knowledge of the EU AI Act; familiarity with ISO/IEC 42001, ISO 27001, ISO/IEC 42005, or similar frameworks is a plus.
• Experience building a governance program, control framework, or major governance capability from the ground up, including authoring and implementing policies and standards.
• Experience providing independent or second‑line oversight in a software, SaaS, or technology environment and partnering directly with product and engineering teams.
• Strong understanding of the AI/ML lifecycle, generative AI, and agentic AI patterns, with the technical fluency to participate effectively in design and architecture discussions.
• Ability to influence across technical and executive audiences, translate complex requirements into practical guidance, and drive adoption without relying on direct authority; IAPP AIGP or a comparable AI governance credential is a plus.

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Blackbaud powers social impact through purpose‑driven technology and responsible AI. Guided by our Intelligence for Good® vision, we’re building a culture where innovation, trust, and human expertise come together to help organizations make a greater difference in the world.

Blackbaud is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and is committed to maintaining a diverse and inclusive work environment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, physical or mental disability, age, or veteran status or any other basis protected by federal, state, or local law.

The starting base pay is $133,700.00 to $173,800.00. Blackbaud may pay more or less based on employee qualifications, market value, Company finances, and other operational considerations.

Benefits Include:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Remote‑flexible workforce
• Wellness Programs
• 401(k) program with employer match
• Flexible paid time off
• Generous Parental Leave
• Donations for Doers
• Pet insurance, legal and identity protection
• Tuition reimbursement program