Managing Director, Data & AI

Nelnet Business Services (NBS), a division of Nelnet, Inc., provides payment technology and education services to more than 1,200 higher education institutions, nearly 12,000 K-12 schools, and millions of individual students, families, and supporters across the globe. Our culture of service enables us to form long-lasting and trusted partnerships, while our focus on creativity and innovative solutions empowers our customer communities to thrive.

About the role

The Managing Director, Data & AI owns the full data-to-AI value chain, aligning data strategy, governance, engineering, and AI/ML execution through a unified operating model. This role is accountable for setting strategic direction, advancing data readiness, enforcing governance, resolving strategic tradeoffs, and delivering dependable AI-enabled business outcomes for the segment. In addition, this role contributes to the broader Nelnet data management council.

Responsibilities

• Data Strategy - Own the segment-wide data strategy: target-state vision, operating model, domain ownership, investment sequencing, and multi-year roadmap; define how the value of data investment is measured and report against it
• Value Chain Unification - Unify data engineering, governance, and AI/automation into a single operating model, with shared intake, prioritization, and delivery cadence; resolve funding and capacity tradeoffs across the chain in favor of end-to-end business outcomes
• Data Platform - Oversee the data platform ecosystem: architecture decisions, consumption governance, cost, and roadmap prioritization
• Data Governance - Position governance as a business enabler: policy, lineage, quality, and access practices that accelerate trusted consumption rather than gate it
• AI & Automation - Set strategy for applying AI and automation to business processes; oversee AI democratization, adoption, and the Citizen Developer program
• Leadership - Lead through directors: coach and develop senior leaders, build succession depth, manage performance proactively, foster cohesion, and hold leaders to a high bar in a fast-moving domain
• Business Partnership - Translate business objectives into data and AI priorities in partnership with C-suite and senior leadership; build stakeholder relationships and executive credibility to drive adoption

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required in related fields
• 10+ years leading data organizations at enterprise scale, including leading leaders
• Demonstrated ownership of an enterprise data strategy from definition through multi-year execution
• Proven executive-level influence with C-suite and business stakeholders
• Sufficient practical depth in data engineering and data governance to direct and challenge those teams

Preferred Qualifications

• AI/ML and intelligent automation applied to business processes with measurable outcomes
• Track record operating in regulated / financial-services data environments
• Experience establishing a modern data operating model (data products, domain ownership, or equivalent)

Skills

• Strategic thinking & planning
• Executive level influence
• Stakeholder management
• Prioritization & decision making
• Critical thinking
• Team management & growth

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• HSA and FSA options
• Generous earned time off
• 401K and student loan repayment
• Life insurance & AD&D insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Employee stock purchase program
• Tuition reimbursement
• Performance-based incentive pay
• Short- and long-term disability
• Robust wellness program