VP, IT AI Strategy & Programs

Lincoln Financial Group; Radnor (Delaware County); Hybrid; USD 161,000 - 293,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Tuition assistance program

Financial counseling and coaching

Employee wellness resources

Job summary

Lincoln Financial Group seeks a seasoned leader to drive the IT AI agenda, aligning enterprise priorities with business outcomes and guiding high-visibility programs across IT and the AIDA organization.

You will advise senior leaders on AI opportunities and risks, shaping roadmaps, governance, and value realization while collaborating with executives to accelerate adoption and transformation.

Qualifications

• 4 Year/Bachelor's degree (or equivalent).
• 12+ years of experience in enterprise and/or technology strategy and program delivery within a highly regulated industry, including 4+ years of managerial, supervisory, and/or demonstrated leadership experience.
• Exceptional executive presence and influencing skills, with the ability to build alignment, gain commitment, and drive decisions across senior leadership teams and diverse stakeholder groups.

Responsibilities

• Defines and leads the AI strategy for the IT organization, ensuring alignment with enterprise objectives, technology priorities, and business outcomes.
• Partners with the IT Senior Leadership Team and AIDA leadership to establish strategic AI for IT priorities, roadmaps, and investment recommendations.
• Translates AI opportunities into actionable programs, guiding the development of implementation strategies that balance innovation, risk, and operational needs.
• Provides strategic thought leadership and advisory support to senior executives regarding AI trends, capabilities, risks, and business implications.
• Identifies strategic gaps, emerging opportunities, and organizational barriers to AI adoption in IT, developing actionable plans to accelerate progress.
• Directs complex, multi-disciplinary IT AI programs with enterprise visibility, managing dependencies, risks, and stakeholder alignment.
• Leads development of the strategy and coordinates execution of an integrated AI operating framework for IT, including execution oversight, success measures, and reporting mechanisms.
• Influences decision-making across multiple technology and business functions through collaboration, negotiation, and executive-level communication.

Skills

Executive presence

Influencing skills

Strategic thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Generative AI platforms

Job description

Be Aware of Fraudulent Recruiting Activities: Lincoln values the privacy and security of every applicant and urges all applicants to diligently protect their sensitive personal information from scams targeting job seekers. These scams can take many forms including fake employment applications, bogus interviews and falsified offer letters.

Lincoln will not ask applicants to provide their social security numbers, date of birth, bank account information or other sensitive information in job applications. Additionally, our recruiters do not communicate with applicants through free e-mail accounts (Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail) or conduct interviews utilizing video chat rooms. We will never ask applicants to provide payment during the hiring process or extend an offer without conducting a phone, live video or in-person interview. Please contact Lincoln's fraud team at [e-mail] if you encounter a recruiter or see a job opportunity that seems suspicious.

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Alternate Locations: Radnor, PA (Pennsylvania); Charlotte, NC (North Carolina); Fort Wayne, IN (Indiana); Greensboro, NC (North Carolina)

Work Arrangement:

Hybrid : Employee will work 3 days a week in a Lincoln office

Relocation assistance:is not available for this opportunity.

Requisition #:76482

The Role at a Glance

This role will lead and advance the strategic AI agenda for the Information Technology (IT) organization, aligning enterprise priorities, technology capabilities, and business outcomes in partnership with IT senior leadership and the AI & Data Analytics (AIDA) organization. You will lead complex, high-visibility AI programs and cross-functional initiatives exercising broad influence across the IT division to advance adoption, execution, governance, and value realization.

You will provide strategic counsel to senior leaders on AI opportunities, risks, and transformation priorities.

What you'll be doing

• Defines and leads the AI strategy for the IT organization, ensuring alignment with enterprise objectives, technology priorities, and business outcomes.
• Partners with the IT Senior Leadership Team and AIDA leadership to establish strategic AI for IT priorities, roadmaps, and investment recommendations.
• Translates AI opportunities into actionable programs, guiding the development of implementation strategies that balance innovation, risk, and operational needs.
• Provides strategic thought leadership and advisory support to senior executives regarding AI trends, capabilities, risks, and business implications.
• Identifies strategic gaps, emerging opportunities, and organizational barriers to AI adoption in IT, developing actionable plans to accelerate progress.
• Directs complex, multi-disciplinary IT AI programs with enterprise visibility, managing dependencies, risks, and stakeholder alignment.
• Leads development of the strategy and coordinates execution of an integrated AI operating framework for IT, including execution oversight, success measures, and reporting mechanisms.
• Influences decision-making across multiple technology and business functions through collaboration, negotiation, and executive-level communication.
• Develops executive presentations, strategic updates to IT Senior Leadership Team (SLT), firm-wide Strategic Management Committee (SMC), Board of Directors materials related to IT’s AI strategy, program progress, and value realization.
• Monitors regulatory, industry, and market developments impacting AI adoption within financial services and incorporating insights into strategic planning.
• Serves as a recognized AI strategy and execution thought leader within IT, fostering innovation and advancing organizational capabilities through knowledge sharing, strategic partnerships, and continuous learning.
• Maintains knowledge on current and emerging developments/trends, assesses the impact, and collaborates with executive/senior management to incorporate new trends and developments in current and future strategies.
• Leads the identification, development, and implementation of strategic process improvements that improve quality across the team, business unit, and/or the organization.
• Leads and enhances organizational initiatives by positively influencing and supporting change management and/or departmental/enterprise initiatives.
• Provides highly specialized expertise and thought leadership to internal/external stakeholders.
• Contributes to business unit/operational and enterprise strategy creation.
• Builds organizational capability and leads/executes approved strategy.

What we’re looking for

Must Haves:

• 4 Year/Bachelor's degree (or equivalent)
• 12+ Years of experience in enterprise and/or technology strategy and program delivery within a highly regulated industry, including 4+ years of managerial, supervisory, and/or demonstrated leadership experience.
• Exceptional executive presence and influencing skills, with the ability to build alignment, gain commitment, and drive decisions across senior leadership teams and diverse stakeholder groups.

Nice to Haves:

• Knowledge of Generative AI, large language models (LLMs), AI agent frameworks, and enterprise AI platforms.
• Familiarity with AI operating models, AI product delivery frameworks, and AI portfolio management practices.

Application Deadline

Applications for this position will be accepted through 9/30/26 subject to earlier closure due to applicant volume.

What’s it like to work here?

At Lincoln Financial, we love what we do. We make meaningful contributions each and every day to empower our customers to take charge of their lives. Working alongside dedicated and talented colleagues, we build fulfilling careers and stronger communities through a company that values our unique perspectives, insights and contributions and invests in programs that empower each of us to take charge of our own future.

What’s in it for you:

• Clearly defined career tracks and job levels, along with associated behaviors for each of Lincoln's core values andleadership attributes
• Leadership development and virtual training opportunities
• Free financial counseling, health coaching and employee assistance program
• Tuition assistance program
• Work arrangements that work for you
• Effective productivity/technology tools and training

The pay range for this position is$161,000 - $292,800with anticipated pay for new hires between the minimum and midpoint of the range and could vary above and below the listed range as permitted by applicable law. Pay is based