Sr. Director, AI (AI Business Lead)

Lead DFA’s enterprise AI capability, owning the portfolio strategy and roadmap for AI initiatives and ensuring alignment with business goals, responsible AI practices, and measurable value. Identify and prioritize high-impact AI use cases across business units and guide products from ideation through adoption. Deploy practical, governed AI capabilities that accelerate insights, planning, and decisions. Partner with the Enterprise AI Architect, who provides technical direction, and the AI Business Relationship Manager, who coordinates execution within DFA’s IT function. Build and develop the talent and enablement model needed to scale AI across the Cooperative. Duties And Responsibilities Define and evolve the enterprise AI portfolio strategy and roadmap, aligned to business priorities and measurable valueIdentify, prioritize and manage a healthy pipeline of high-impact AI use cases across business units, from ideation through adoption and retirementOwn AI product prioritization, balancing innovation with model retraining, technical debt, and complianceEmbed responsible AI principles into product decisions and the full AI lifecyclePartner with the Enterprise AI Architect on technical direction, reusable AI assets, and standards without owning architecturePartner with the AI Business Relationship Manager on directing execution, translating priorities into plans, milestones, and delivery cadences while retaining outcome ownershipAct as a primary liaison among business leaders, technical teams, and governance bodies; translate needs into requirements and success metricsDefine and monitor KPIs tied to business outcomes; lead continuous improvement based on performance data and user feedbackPartner with legal, risk, compliance, and enterprise AI governance to meet regulatory standards and support responsible AI reviews and risk assessmentsPartner with IT on driving AI enablement and adoption—building literacy, training, and a culture of responsible AI use; lead, coach, and develop professional DFA team members as a means of building AI champions across the CooperativeThe requirements herein are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by employee, but is not a complete list of responsibilities, duties, and skills required. Other duties may be assigned as required , Undergraduate degree in business, data science, computer science, or related curriculum (or equivalent combination of education and experience); advanced degree preferred5+ years of progressive experience in business, data, or technology-driven roles, with people management experience that includes leading teams through direct and indirect managementProven experience managing cross-functional teams and enterprise-scale AI or technology initiativesFood, agriculture, consumer products, or manufacturing experience preferredCertification and/or License - may be required during course of employmentAdvanced understanding of the AI/ML lifecycle, responsible AI, and enterprise AI product management Proficient knowledge of data and AI platforms (Snowflake, Databricks, Copilot, Azure) and cloud architectures, with fluency to evaluate tradeoffs without being the architect Skill in prioritizing AI use cases by value, risk, and readiness Able to translate business needs into product requirements, success metrics, and measurable outcomes Familiarity with agile methodologies, backlog management, and roadmap planning Knowledge of AI regulatory and risk frameworks (e.g., NIST, ISO) and compliance Able to influence and negotiate with business leaders and external partners Outstanding communicator in both internal and external settings Must be able to read, write and speak EnglishAble to travel 15-25% of the time An Equal Opportunity Employer including Disabled/Veterans