Executive Director, Enterprise Data & AI Strategy

Jobtailor; New York (NY); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Jobtailor seeks a senior data leader to own and execute a segment-wide data strategy in a complex enterprise. The role unifies data engineering, governance, and AI/automation within a single operating model and aligns investments to measurable business outcomes.

The candidate will lead directors, drive multi-year roadmaps, and partner with the C-suite to translate objectives into data and AI priorities while ensuring strong governance and cost discipline.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required in related fields
• 10+ years leading data organizations at enterprise scale, including leading leaders
• Demonstrated ownership of an enterprise data strategy from definition through multi-year execution
• Proven executive-level influence with C-suite and business stakeholders
• Sufficient practical depth in data engineering and data governance to direct and challenge those teams
• AI/ML and intelligent automation applied to business processes with measurable outcomes (preferred)
• Track record operating in regulated / financial-services data environments (preferred)
• Experience establishing a modern data operating model (data products, domain ownership, or equivalent) (preferred)
• Strategic thinking & planning
• Executive level influence
• Stakeholder management
• Prioritization & decision making
• Critical thinking
• Team management & growth
• Must already be authorized to work in the United States without current or future sponsorship

Responsibilities

• Own the segment-wide data strategy, including target-state vision, operating model, domain ownership, investment sequencing, and multi-year roadmap
• Define how the value of data investment is measured and report against it
• Unify data engineering, governance, and AI/automation into a single operating model
• Establish shared intake, prioritization, and delivery cadence
• Resolve funding and capacity tradeoffs in favor of end-to-end business outcomes
• Oversee the data platform ecosystem, including architecture decisions, consumption governance, cost, and roadmap prioritization
• Position governance as a business enabler through policy, lineage, quality, and access practices
• Set strategy for applying AI and automation to business processes
• Oversee AI democratization, adoption, and the Citizen Developer program
• Lead through directors by coaching and developing senior leaders, building succession depth, managing performance, fostering cohesion, and holding leaders to a high bar
• Translate business objectives into data and AI priorities in partnership with C-suite and senior leadership
• Build stakeholder relationships and executive credibility to drive adoption
• Contribute to the broader Nelnet data management council

Skills

Executive influence

Stakeholder management

Strategic thinking

Team management

Critical thinking

Prioritization

Decision making

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Job description

Jobtailor seeks a senior data leader to own and execute a segment-wide data strategy in a complex enterprise. The role unifies data engineering, governance, and AI/automation within a single operating model and aligns investments to measurable business outcomes.

The candidate will lead directors, drive multi-year roadmaps, and partner with the C-suite to translate objectives into data and AI priorities while ensuring strong governance and cost discipline.