Vice President, Artificial Intelligence Research & Development

Archer; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 194,000 - 353,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical coverage

Dental coverage

Vision coverage

HSA/FSA options

Life insurance

Disability insurance

401(k) with match

ESPP

Tuition reimbursement

Paid time off

Paid holidays

Commuter benefits

Employee discounts

Volunteer time off

Job summary

TransUnion LLC is seeking a Vice President of Data Science and Analytics to lead the AI R&D strategy, guiding a team of applied scientists and ML engineers in building production-grade, agentic AI systems. The role blends classical AI with cutting-edge generative approaches to deliver scalable, differentiated products.

You will partner with product, engineering, and business leaders to identify value-driven use cases and embed AI capabilities across customer solutions, while upholding

Qualifications

• 15+ years of progressive AI/ML leadership with measurable business impact.
• Experience deploying AI-powered products combining generative and classical AI in production.
• Deep knowledge of hybrid AI system design and trade-offs between symbolic, deterministic, probabilistic, and learning-based approaches.
• Executive-level communication and cross-functional leadership with influence over senior leaders.
• PhD in AI/CS or related discipline or equivalent advanced research/industry experience.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute enterprise AI R&D strategy integrating classical and generative AI.
• Lead design and development of production-grade agentic systems and planning-based AI frameworks.
• Advance hybrid AI systems combining symbolic reasoning with learning-based methods.
• Build and scale a high-performing team of applied scientists and ML engineers.
• Translate research into production-ready platforms and reusable components.

Skills

AI leadership

Executive communication

Hybrid AI design

Generative AI

LLM orchestration

Education

PhD in AI/CS

Job description

Archer is collaborating with TransUnion to connect them with exceptional professionals for this role.

Team Overview

The Artificial Intelligence Research & Development team advances TransUnion's next-generation AI capabilities by combining classical AI methods, including planning, reasoning, optimization, and knowledge representation, with generative AI architectures. The team translates emerging research into scalable platforms and differentiated products across TransUnion's data, analytics, and customer solutions. This Vice President reports to the Senior Vice President, Artificial Intelligence Research & Development and works closely with leaders across Data Science, Engineering, Product, Solutions, and Innovation. This is a hybrid position and involves regular performance of job responsibilities virtually as well as in-person at an assigned TU office location for a minimum of two days a week.

Role Overview And Core Responsibilities

• Define and execute the enterprise AI R&D strategy, integrating classical and generative AI into cohesive architectures that support differentiated business and customer outcomes.
• Lead the design and development of production-grade agentic systems, cognitive architectures, and planning-based AI frameworks for real-world decisioning.
• Advance hybrid AI systems that combine symbolic reasoning, statistical learning, large language models, and deterministic methods such as constraint satisfaction.
• Build, lead, and scale a high-performing organization of applied scientists, machine learning engineers, and research engineers.
• Translate research in automated planning, knowledge graphs, reinforcement learning, optimization, and LLM orchestration into production-ready platforms and reusable components.
• Partner with Product, Engineering, Solutions, and business leaders to identify high-value use cases and embed AI capabilities into customer-facing products.
• Establish practices for AI experimentation, evaluation, reproducibility, and benchmarking, including performance measures for hybrid AI systems.
• Develop reusable AI capabilities, including reasoning engines, orchestration layers, agent frameworks, and shared platform components.
• Build relationships with academia and industry to keep TransUnion connected to emerging AI research and talent.
• Embed responsible AI principles, including transparency, explainability, fairness, governance, and risk management, into autonomous and AI-enabled systems.

Required Knowledge And Experiences

• 15+ years of progressive experience in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, or related technical fields, including leadership of large-scale AI R&D organizations and delivery of measurable business impact.
• Demonstrated experience building and deploying AI-powered products that combine generative AI and classical AI techniques in production environments.
• Deep knowledge of hybrid AI system design and the trade-offs among symbolic, deterministic, probabilistic, and learning-based approaches.
• Executive-level communication and cross-functional leadership experience, with the ability to influence senior leaders and guide complex AI systems from research through commercialization.
• PhD in Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science, or a related discipline with emphasis in classical AI, such as planning, search, logic, or knowledge representation, or equivalent advanced expertise gained through relevant research and industry experience.

Required Technical Skills

• Generative AI and LLM (Large Language Model) architectures, including agent orchestration and production deployment patterns.
• Classical AI methods, including automated planning and scheduling, search, logic, constraint satisfaction, and knowledge representation.
• Knowledge graphs, symbolic reasoning, and cognitive or agentic system architectures.
• Reinforcement learning, mathematical optimization, statistical learning, and ML (Machine Learning) evaluation methods.
• AI platform and engineering practices supporting scalable, reproducible, explainable, and governed production systems.

Preferred Skills

We're also looking for the preferred skills below. Whether you are proficient or could use some brushing up, we're happy to support your career development and growth in:

• Experience creating reusable enterprise AI platforms, reasoning engines, orchestration layers, or agent frameworks.
• Track record of converting advanced research into scalable, revenue-generating products or customer solutions.
• Experience establishing external research partnerships with universities, laboratories, or industry consortia.
• Familiarity with highly regulated data, analytics, financial services, credit, identity, fraud, or information-services environments.
• Experience leading globally distributed technical teams and operating effectively at both strategic and hands-on levels.

Benefits That Support Every Part Of Your Life

At TransUnion, we design benefits to help you feel well, do well, and plan well—from day one.

For Your Health

Enjoy day-one eligibility for medical, dental, and vision coverage, plus supplemental plan options. Spousal, domestic partner, and other eligible dependent coverage is available on select plans. Choose tax-advantaged HSA and FSA accounts to make everyday care more affordable.

For Your Protection

We've got your back with company-paid basic life and AD&D, optional voluntary life and AD&D for you and your family, and short-and long-term disability. You can also opt into a legal plan, pet insurance, and travel accident coverage.

For Your Family

From adoption assistance and fertility planning coverage to caregiver support, we're here for every chapter. Access Dependent Care FSA for possibility of an employer match, a complimentary Care@Work membership, and up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave with eligibility for a thoughtful, gradual return.

For Your Future

Build toward what's next with our 401(k) with employer match and Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP). Tap financial wellness resources, career coaching, and optional long-term care insurance to plan confidently.

For You

Grow and recharge with tuition reimbursement, flexible time off for exempt employees or paid time off for nonexempt employees, up to 12 paid holidays per year, commuter benefits, employee discounts, charitable gift matching, and paid volunteer time off, plus corporate volunteer events that make it easy to give back.

For Your Wellness

Access 24/7 support including professional therapy, coaching, and emotional well-being programs alongside guided meditation and resources that support physical, mental, social, and financial wellness.

We are committed to being a place where diversity is not only present, it is embraced. As an equal opportunity employer, all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability status, veteran status, genetic information, marital status, citizenship status, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other characteristic protected by law. Additionally, in accordance with Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974, TransUnion takes affirmative action to employ and advance in employment qualified individuals with a disability and protected veterans in all levels of employment and develops annual affirmative action plans. Components of TransUnion's Affluent Action Program for individuals with disabilities and protected veterans are available for review to any associate or applicant for employment upon request by contacting [e-mail].

Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with applicable law, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and the California Fair Chance Act.

Adherence to Company policies, sound judgment and trustworthiness, working safely, communicating respectfully, and safeguarding business operations, confidential and proprietary information, and the Company's reputation are also essential expectations of this position.

Pay Scale Information

The U.S. base salary range for this position is $193,500.00 - $353,250.00 annually. *The salary range for this position reflects a reasonable estimate of the range of compensation for this job. At TransUnion, actual compensation is based on careful consideration of additional factors such as (but not limited to) an individual's education, training, work experience, job-related skill set, location, and industry knowledge, as well as the scope and responsibilities of the position and market considerations. Regular, fulltime non-sales positions may be eligible to participate in TransUnion's annual bonus plan. Certain positions may be also eligible for long-term incentives and other payments based on applicable company guidance and plan documents.

TransUnion Overview

At TransUnion, we encourage and are committed to creating a real, positive impact and shared sense of purpose within our Workforce for Good, which empowers our people to grow, innovate and contribute to a better future for our communities and customers. We strive to build an environment where our associates are in the driver's seat of their professional development - while having access to help along the way. We recognize that success comes when our associates thrive both professionally and personally; that's why we prioritize work/life flexibility and offer resources for our teams across the globe to collaborate and drive excellence.

Be a part of our Workforce for Good - you'll work with great people, pioneering products and cutting-edge technology.

TransUnion's Internal Job Title

VP, Data Science and Analytics

Company

TransUnion LLC