Senior Director, AI Strategy - 141457

University of California San Diego; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 169,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

University of California San Diego seeks a Senior Director of AI Strategy to serve as a senior strategic advisor on artificial intelligence across the UC system and UC San Diego. You will shape AI strategy, investments, and the multi-year roadmap, working directly with the Chancellor and senior leaders to translate opportunities into measurable outcomes.

The role directs university-wide AI transformation initiatives, pilots, and enablement, partnering with unit leaders to set priorities and

Qualifications

• Demonstrates superior strategic-thinking and consulting skills in guiding the organization toward workable strategies and solutions.
• Superior consulting, relationship building, and strategic thinking skills.
• Knowledge of the organizational environment of higher education and large research universities to understand client priorities, issues, motivations and constraints.
• Have superior written, verbal and presentation skills for influencing and facilitating sustained change.
• Expert knowledge of the organizational development and effectiveness field, theories, models to assess, design and implement customized organizational interventions.
• Demonstrates superior analytical, problem-solving, project planning and implementation skills.
• Ability to facilitate and influence people at all levels. Ability to persuade through both logic and appeal to positive motivations.
• Demonstrates ability to learn quickly, reason, synthesize and generalize based on information obtained; sound judgment; ability to draw unbiased conclusions.
• Ability to focus on priorities, strategies, and vision.
• Knowledge of the consulting process to effectively lead highly significant engagements from inception to conclusion.

Responsibilities

• Directs programs with organization-wide impact, at times extending beyond the University, that include formulating strategies and administering policies, processes, and resources.
• Independently applies wide-ranging experience and proficiency in organizational development, effectiveness, business process analysis, and strategic planning to projects that typically carry organization-wide impact.
• Understands business needs and how both technical and non-technical systems can support them.
• Drawing on that wide-ranging experience, applies organizational development concepts and organizational objectives to resolve the most complex issues, particularly those with organization-wide impact or significant political sensitivity, where analysis of circumstances and information requires in-depth evaluation of the relevant factors. Specifically, the Senior Director of AI Strategy serves as a senior strategic advisor on artificial intelligence across the University of California system and at UC San Diego, working directly with the Chancellor, Vice Chancellors, and other senior leaders to shape AI strategy and investment.
• The role advises the UC AI Steering Committee, a UC President's initiative, helping shape its multi-year roadmap, working group structure, and systemwide convening program, including a series of AI Showcases across the UC system.
• Advises Vice Chancellors and their senior leadership teams on AI strategy and build/buy/defer decisions for their areas, and designs and leads the executive strategy sessions where those decisions are made, serving as a strategic advisor to senior campus leadership.
• Directs a university-wide AI transformation practice: selecting and overseeing pilot initiatives, working with unit leaders to define priorities and scope, and guiding the development of custom AI tools and enablement.
• Represents UC San Diego with national organizations, industry, other UC systems, and federal funding programs, converting these relationships into pilots and shared solutions that benefit UC San Diego and peer institutions.
• Establishes consistent methods for measuring AI value and total cost of ownership, including contract line items, staff time, and organizational resources. This gives leadership a clear, comparable basis for decisions about renewal, expansion, and future investment, and helps translate AI opportunities into measurable, scalable, and strategically aligned outcomes.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Consulting

Relationship building

Executive communication

Organizational development

Problem solving

Change management

Learning quickly

Prioritization

System thinking

Job description

#141457 Senior Director, AI Strategy

Filing Deadline: Thu 10/8/2026

Payroll Title: ORGANIZATIONAL CNSLT 5

Department: OPERATIONAL STRATEGIC INIT

Hiring Pay Scale: $169,350 - $200,000 / Year

Worksite: Campus

Appointment Type: Career

Appointment Percent: 100%

Union: Uncovered

Total Openings: 1

Work Schedule: Days, 8 hrs/day, Mon - Fri

UCSD Layoff from Career Appointment: Apply by 10/6/26 for consideration with preference for rehire. All layoff applicants should contact their Employment Advisor.

Reassignment Applicants: Eligible Reassignment clients should contact their Disability Counselor for assistance.

This is a UC San Diego Department-Only Internal Recruitment open to UC San Diego OPERATIONAL STRATEGIC INIT Employees Only

DESCRIPTION

DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW:

The Office of Operational Strategic Initiatives (OSI) was established as an outcome of UC San Diego's first campus-wide strategic planning process to deliver university-wide impact. OSI identifies, leads, and supports campus opportunities to improve administrative processes and enhance the University's people and service-oriented culture, with a focus on continuous improvement and operational excellence across all UC San Diego operations.

The department implements strategic initiatives and programs that directly impact all Vice Chancellor areas. This includes leading strategic planning engagements, defining and implementing business process and continuous improvement projects, conducting organizational assessments to identify opportunities for improvement, providing ad hoc support to strategic initiatives, leading university-wide operational excellence efforts, managing Chancellor initiatives and programs, and consulting on a wide range of strategic and operational topics.

By acting as an agile, strategic, and objective collaborator across all UC San Diego departments and Vice Chancellor areas, OSI:

• Aligns campus resources with UC San Diego's Mission and Strategic Plan,
• Optimizes processes,
• Improves financial effectiveness and efficiency,
• Enhances customer service, and
• Fosters innovation and growth.

OSI also serves as a key resource across the UC system, leading initiatives and consulting at other UC campuses and the UC Office of the President.

POSISTION OVERVIEW:

Broadly, this position is recognized as an organization-wide expert, exercising significant impact and influence over organizational policy and program development. It regularly leads projects of critical importance to both the university and the UC system, work that carries substantial consequences for success or failure.

Key components of the role include:

• Directs programs with organization-wide impact, at times extending beyond the University, that include formulating strategies and administering policies, processes, and resources.
• Independently applies wide-ranging experience and proficiency in organizational development, effectiveness, business process analysis, and strategic planning to projects that typically carry organization-wide impact.
• Understands business needs and how both technical and non-technical systems can support them.
• Drawing on that wide-ranging experience, applies organizational development concepts and organizational objectives to resolve the most complex issues, particularly those with organization-wide impact or significant political sensitivity, where analysis of circumstances and information requires in-depth evaluation of the relevant factors. Specifically, the Senior Director of AI Strategy serves as a senior strategic advisor on artificial intelligence across the University of California system and at UC San Diego, working directly with the Chancellor, Vice Chancellors, and other senior leaders to shape AI strategy and investment.
• The role advises the UC AI Steering Committee, a UC President's initiative, helping shape its multi-year roadmap, working group structure, and systemwide convening program, including a series of AI Showcases across the UC system.

The Senior Director of AI Strategy also:

• Advises Vice Chancellors and their senior leadership teams on AI strategy and build/buy/defer decisions for their areas, and designs and leads the executive strategy sessions where those decisions are made, serving as a strategic advisor to senior campus leadership.
• Directs a university-wide AI transformation practice: selecting and overseeing pilot initiatives, working with unit leaders to define priorities and scope, and guiding the development of custom AI tools and enablement.
• Represents UC San Diego with national organizations, industry, other UC systems, and federal funding programs, converting these relationships into pilots and shared solutions that benefit UC San Diego and peer institutions.
• Establishes consistent methods for measuring AI value and total cost of ownership, including contract line items, staff time, and organizational resources. This gives leadership a clear, comparable basis for decisions about renewal, expansion, and future investment, and helps translate AI opportunities into measurable, scalable, and strategically aligned outcomes.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Demonstrates superior strategic-thinking and consulting skills in guiding the organization toward workable strategies and solutions.
• Possesses superior consulting, relationship building, and strategic thinking skills.
• Knowledge of the organizational environment of higher education and large research universities to understand client priorities, issues, motivations and constraints.
• Have superior written, verbal and presentation skills for influencing and facilitating sustained change.
• Expert knowledge of the organizational development and effectiveness field, theories, models to assess, design and implement customized organizational interventions.
• Demonstrates superior analytical, problem-solving, project planning and implementation skills.
• Ability to facilitate and influence people at all levels. Ability to persuade through both logic and appeal to positive motivations. Ability to handle multiple constituencies, agendas, engagements and tasks, and to deal productively with ambiguity and conflict.
• Demonstrates ability to learn quickly, reason, synthesize and generalize based on information obtained; sound judgment; ability to draw unbiased conclusions.
• Ability to focus on priorities, strategies, and vision.
• Knowledge of the consulting process to effectively lead highly significant engagements from inception to conclusion.

SPECIAL CONDITIONS

• Job offer is contingent upon a satisfactory clearance based on background check results.

Pay Transparency Act

Annual Full Pay Range: $136,600 - $267,600 (will be prorated if the appointment percentage is less than 100%)

Hourly Equivalent: $65.42 - $128.16

Factors in determining the appropriate compensation for a role include experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, and other business and organizational needs. The Hiring Pay Scale referenced in the job posting is the budgeted salary or hourly range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position. The Annual Full Pay Range may be broader than what the University anticipates to pay for this position, based on internal equity, budget, and collective bargaining agreements (when applicable).

If employed by the University of California, you will be required to comply with our Policy on Vaccination Programs, which may be amended or revised from time to time. Federal, state, or local public health directives may impose additional requirements.

To foster the best possible working and learning environment, UC San Diego strives to cultivate a rich and diverse environment, inclusive and supportive of all students, faculty, staff and visitors. For more information, please visit UC San Diego Principles of Community.

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law.

For the University of California’s Anti-Discrimination Policy, please visit https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/1001004/Anti-Discrimination

UC San Diego is a smoke and tobacco free environment. Please visit smokefree.ucsd.edu for more information.

Misconduct Disclosure Requirement: As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts an offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of substantiated misconduct with a previous employer.

a. "Misconduct" means any violation of the policies governing employee conduct at the applicant’s previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, or discrimination, as defined by the employer. For reference, below are UC’s policies addressing some forms of misconduct:

• UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
• UC Anti-Discrimination Policy
• Abusive Conduct in the Workplace

Prospective employees who are ordinarily residents in Iran or who are physically located in Iran are generally not eligible to for employment per suspension of General License G on 24 August 2026. If you have ever resided in Iran or have an Iranian passport and would like to confirm your eligibility, please contact [e-mail] for consideration of your particular circumstances.