AI Programs Director

About the role

The Director of AI Programs will lead the execution of enterprise artificial intelligence initiatives across a nationally distributed healthcare organization. This highly visible leadership role sits at the intersection of clinical care, technology, data, and operations, turning AI innovation into real‑world improvements in patient care, clinician experience, operational performance, and decision‑making. The role collaborates with executive leadership, clinical stakeholders, compliance, IT, and external partners to ensure AI solutions are scalable, ethical, secure, and clinically meaningful across diverse emergency department environments. It also advances the company’s S.A.F.E. values (Safe, Accountable, Friendly, Efficient) and supports the Healthcare Anywhere mission through innovation, automation, and actionable insights. This is a salaried, exempt position.

Key Responsibilities

• Enterprise AI Strategy & Execution: Advise the C‑Suite on enterprise‑wide AI strategy; establish AI program roadmaps, success metrics, and governance frameworks; deliver a portfolio of AI initiatives including clinical decision support, predictive analytics, generative AI for documentation, operational optimization, and revenue‑cycle automation.
• Operational Partnership: Partner with the enterprise Project Management Office to define and implement the AI project portfolio; work with cross‑functional SMEs to identify high‑impact AI use cases; ensure AI tools integrate seamlessly into clinical workflows while preserving clinician autonomy; serve as a trusted advisor to clinical leaders on AI capabilities, limitations, and best practices.
• AI Governance, Risk & Compliance: Establish and lead AI governance frameworks covering model approval, validation, monitoring, bias mitigation, and lifecycle management; ensure compliance with HIPAA, CMS regulations, state‑level requirements, and emerging AI regulations; collaborate with Legal, Privacy, Compliance, and Information Security to manage enterprise risk.
• Technology, Data & Vendor Management: Partner with IT Infrastructure on platform tenancy and with IT Security on data protection and model risk; stand up responsible AI frameworks (risk reviews, audit trails, human‑in‑the‑loop, acceptable use); lead vendor selection and management for AI platforms (e.g., Microsoft Copilot, Azure AI Foundry, OpenAI, Anthropic); evaluate AI tools and make build/buy/partner recommendations; manage vendor performance, security, and clinical alignment.
• Change Management & Adoption: Lead enterprise change management for AI adoption across multiple operations and POD divisions; build AI literacy and trust through communication, training, and executive engagement; act as an internal evangelist for responsible and pragmatic AI innovation.
• Measurement & Continuous Improvement: Define KPIs and success metrics for all AI initiatives; track post‑deployment outcomes and continuously refine models and workflows; report program performance to the CIO and executive leadership.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, data science, engineering, healthcare informatics, or a related field.
• 10+ years of experience in technology (engineering, data, or applied ML).
• 5+ years of leadership experience in AI/ML programs, advanced analytics, digital health, or enterprise technology programs.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex, cross‑functional initiatives in healthcare or other highly regulated environments.
• Strong working knowledge of modern generative AI stack: LLM APIs, retrieval‑augmented generation, agent frameworks (e.g., LangGraph, MCP, or comparable).
• Cloud AI platform experience (Azure AI Foundry preferred; AWS Bedrock or Google Vertex acceptable).
• Data engineering fundamentals: strong SQL, modern data warehouse (Snowflake or Databricks), pipelines, semantic layers.
• MLOps/LLMOps expertise: versioning, evaluation, monitoring, cost controls, prompt and agent observability.
• Proven track record moving AI from prototype to production at scale.
• Excellent communication skills with executives, clinicians, and technical teams.
• Preferred: Master’s degree in a relevant field or MBA with a technology focus.
• Preferred: Advanced certification in Artificial Intelligence or Machine Learning (Microsoft, AWS, Snowflake, or GCP AI/data platforms).
• Preferred: Experience in healthcare, hospital systems, or physician services organizations.
• Familiarity with major electronic Patient Care Record (ePCR), Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) platforms, and healthcare data standards.
• Experience operationalizing AI at scale in real‑world clinical environments.
• Geographic location at or near current operational sites – Knoxville, TN; Phoenix, AZ; Memphis, TN; Atlanta, GA; or Dallas, TX.

Core Competencies

• Strategic Thinking & Execution
• Cross‑Functional Leadership
• Change Management & Adoption
• Data‑Driven Decision Making
• Executive Communication & Influence
• Risk Management & Compliance Orientation
• Innovation with Practical Application
• Project Management

Reporting Relationship

Reports directly to the Chief Information Officer (CIO).

Work Environment & Travel

Approximately 10–25% travel to corporate offices, leadership meetings, and clinical sites across 16 states. The role requires the ability to sit, stand, walk, and use hands/fingers for extended periods, operate computers and mobile devices for prolonged durations, view and analyze multiple screens, communicate effectively in person, virtually, and by telephone, lift up to 15–20 pounds occasionally, and work extended or non‑traditional hours as business needs require.