Head of AI Governance

Guardian Life; Bethlehem (Northampton County); Hybrid; USD 152,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

Guardian Life seeks an AI Governance Lead to drive the enterprise AI governance program, partnering with Data Science, AI Platforms, Data Management, and Risk teams to translate strategy into concrete processes and controls. You will manage risk, scale governance across models and RAG workflows, and embed controls into delivery pipelines.

The role requires cross-functional collaboration, strong communication, and the ability to influence senior stakeholders while delivering repeatable, auditable

Qualifications

• 12+ years of experience in data, analytics, AI, technology risk, or related disciplines.
• Demonstrated experience governing AI systems, including models and agentic workflows, at enterprise scale.
• Strong understanding of AI lifecycle considerations, data usage patterns, and risk management principles.
• Proven ability to develop and translate strategy into executable standards, workflows, and operating models.
• Experience influencing senior stakeholders across business, technology, risk, and legal teams.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to operate through influence rather than direct control.

Responsibilities

• Lead the execution of Guardian’s AI governance program across analytics, AI, and agentic use cases.
• Implement enterprise AI governance policies, standards, and guardrails in alignment with defined risk appetite and regulatory expectations.
• Ensure governance processes are repeatable, risk-based, and scalable—not bespoke or ad hoc.
• Own the AI governance operating model, including intake, review, escalation, monitoring, and change management processes.
• Govern AI model lifecycles and AI system behaviors across models, copilots, agents, and RAG workflows, including retrieval strategies, tool use, actions, and human‑in‑the‑loop requirements.
• Embed AI governance controls into platforms and delivery workflows so controls are observable, durable, and auditable.
• Operationalize governance standards for AI development, deployment, monitoring, and retirement.
• Implement risk-based controls and escalation paths based on use case type, data sensitivity, and impact.
• Partner with Risk, Legal, Compliance, and Security teams to ensure AI governance execution meets internal and external requirements.
• Serve as the primary AI governance partner to data science, analytics, engineering, and product teams.
• Coordinate with Data Management and Data Governance leaders to ensure AI governance aligns with data controls, quality expectations, and AI-readiness requirements.
• Support enterprise governance forums by preparing materials, surfacing risks, and enabling timely decision-making.
• Define and track operational KPIs for AI governance execution, including coverage, exceptions, monitoring effectiveness, and remediation trends.
• Identify gaps, inefficiencies, and emerging risks; recommend adjustments to processes, controls, and tooling.
• Continuously improve governance mechanisms as AI capabilities and use cases evolve.
• Provide leadership to AI governance practitioners and analysts; set priorities, manage workload, and build governance expertise.
• Influence senior stakeholders across business, technology, risk through strong execution, transparency, and practical problem‑solving.

Skills

AI governance

Enterprise risk

Stakeholder engagement

Regulatory compliance

Job description

Hybrid - In office 3 days per week

New York

Bethlehem

Holmdel

Full time

R000109264

Role Purpose

Lead the execution of Guardian’s AI governance program by operationalizing enterprise policies, standards, and guardrails across AI models, copilots, agents, and RAG‑based workflows. This role ensures AI governance is consistently implemented, scalable, and embedded into delivery and platform workflows—enabling responsible AI adoption while managing risk.

The AI Governance Lead partners closely with Data Science, AI Platforms, Data Management, Data Governance, Risk, Legal, and Technology teams to translate enterprise AI governance strategy into practical processes, controls, and day‑to‑day ways of working.

Responsibilities

AI Governance Execution & Program Leadership

• Lead the execution of Guardian’s AI governance program across analytics, AI, and agentic use cases.
• Implement enterprise AI governance policies, standards, and guardrails in alignment with defined risk appetite and regulatory expectations.
• Ensure governance processes are repeatable,risk‑based, and scalable—not bespoke or ad hoc.

Operating Model & Workflow Integration

• Own the AI governance operating model, including intake, review, escalation, monitoring, and change management processes.
• Govern AI model lifecycles and AI system behaviors across models, copilots, agents, and RAG workflows, including retrieval strategies, tool use, actions, andhuman‑in‑the‑looprequirements.
• Embed AI governance controls into platforms and deliveryworkflowsso controls are observable, durable, and auditable.

Standards, Controls & Risk Management

• Operationalize governance standards for AI development, deployment, monitoring, and retirement.
• Implementrisk‑basedcontrols and escalation paths based on use case type, data sensitivity, and impact.
• Partner with Risk, Legal, Compliance, and Security teams to ensure AI governance execution meets internal and external requirements.

Cross‑Functional Partnership

• Serve as the primary AI governance partnertodata science, analytics, engineering, and product teams.
• Coordinate with Data Management and Data Governance leaders to ensure AI governance aligns with data controls, quality expectations, andAI‑readinessrequirements.
• Support enterprise governance forums by preparing materials, surfacing risks, and enablingtimelydecision‑making.

Measurement & Continuous Improvement

• Define and track operational KPIs for AI governance execution, including coverage, exceptions, monitoring effectiveness, and remediation trends.
• Identifygaps, inefficiencies, and emerging risks; recommend adjustments to processes, controls, and tooling.
• Continuously improve governance mechanisms as AI capabilities and use cases evolve.

Leadership & Influence

• Provide leadership to AI governance practitioners and analysts; set priorities, manage workload, and build governanceexpertise.
• Influence senior stakeholders across business, technology, risk through strong execution, transparency, and practicalproblem‑solving.

Requirements

• 12+ years of experience in data, analytics, AI, technology risk, or related disciplines.
• Demonstrated experience governing AI systems, including models and agentic workflows, at enterprise scale.
• Strong understanding of AI lifecycle considerations, data usage patterns, and risk management principles.
• Proven ability to develop and translate strategy into executable standards, workflows, and operating models.
• Experience influencing senior stakeholders across business, technology, risk, and legal teams.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to operate through influence rather than direct control.

Salary Range

$152,290.00 - $250,195.00

The salary range reflected above is a good faith estimate of base pay for the primary location of the position. The salary for this position ultimately will be determined based on the education, experience, knowledge, and abilities of the successful candidate. In addition to salary, this role may also be eligible for annual, sales, or other incentive compensation.

Our Promise

At Guardian, you’ll have the support and flexibility to achieve your professional and personal goals. Through skill-building, leadership development and philanthropic opportunities, we provide opportunities to build communities and grow your career, surrounded by diverse colleagues with high ethical standards.

Inspire Well-Being

As part of Guardian’s Purpose – to inspire well-being – we are committed to offering contemporary, supportive, flexible, and inclusive benefits and resources to our colleagues. Explore our company benefits at www.guardianlife.com/careers/corporate/benefits . Benefits apply to full‑time eligible employees. Interns are not eligible for most Company benefits.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Guardian is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to age, race, color, creed, religion, sex, affectional or sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, marital status, disability, military or veteran status, or any other classification protected by applicable law.

Accommodations

Guardian is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. Guardian also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified job applicants (and employees) to accommodate the individual's known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, unless doing so would create an undue hardship. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact [e-mail] . Please note: this resource is for accommodation requests only. For all other inquires related to your application and careers at Guardian, refer to the Guardian Careers site.

Visa Sponsorship

Guardian is not currently or in the foreseeable future sponsoring employment visas. In order to be a successful applicant. you must be legally authorized to work in the United States, without the need for employer sponsorship.

Notice Regarding Guardian’s Use of Artificial Intelligence in Recruitment

As part of Guardian’s job application process, Guardian may use artificial intelligence tools (“AI Tools") to automate the sorting and filtering of information provided by applicants as part of its preliminary screening. This preliminary screening may be used to help identify applicant materials and resumes relative to their indication that the applicant meets the requirements for the specific job for which they are applying, as specified in the listing posted on Guardian’s jobs website (Careers at Guardian at https://www.guardianlife.com/careers (http://%20https://www.guardianlife.com/careers) ). At Guardian, we do not use AI Tools to substantially assist or replace human judgment or discretionary decision making in our hiring process. All hiring decisions will be made by Guardian colleagues.

Additionally, at applicable times, Guardian will make public the most recent bias audit results for such AI tools, which may be found here (https://assets.ctfassets.net/gau1nv66ynug/1M2AOzFsFCirlWeAmIh4MD/23463b78b6cdd8ebdce9410b98d7a080/Audit.pdf) .