Associate Vice President, Model & AI Governance

The Associate Vice President, Model & AI Governance, is the enterprise leader responsible for establishing and overseeing the organisation's framework for model governance, artificial intelligence (AI) risk management, responsible AI and AI governance.

Reporting to the Chief Audit & Risk Officer, this executive provides independent second-line oversight and challenge of the organisation's use of models, advanced analytics, machine learning, generative AI, and emerging AI technologies.

The role establishes the governance, risk-management, control, monitoring and escalation framework necessary to ensure AI models are deployed in a manner that is safe, ethical, transparent, explainable, compliant, secure and aligned with the organisation's mission and risk appetite.

Key Responsibilities

• Own and continuously enhance the enterprise model governance framework, including model identification, inventory, classification, risk tiering, development, validation, approval, implementation, monitoring, change management, retirement and documentation.
• Define model risk appetite, risk taxonomy, minimum control standards, governance requirements and escalation thresholds.
• Provide effective challenge over model development, validation, implementation, monitoring and performance.
• Oversee the enterprise model inventory and ensure appropriate ownership, accountability, documentation, and risk classification.
• Establish standards for model validation, including conceptual soundness, performance, stability, data quality, bias, explainability and ongoing monitoring.
• Ensure appropriate governance over third-party and externally developed models.
• Develop and oversee the organisation's Responsible AI framework and principles.
• Establish governance standards addressing fairness, bias, transparency, explainability, accountability, privacy, human oversight, safety, security, and appropriate use of AI.
• Establish processes for AI use-case risk intake, risk assessment, approval, monitoring, and ongoing oversight, working closely with other AI governance functions to simplify and streamline processes.
• Develop standards for responsible use of generative AI, large language models, AI agents, automated decision-making and other emerging technologies, partnering with other stakeholders to ensure cross-functional alignment.
• Establish governance mechanisms to identify and address unintended consequences, model drift, hallucination, discrimination, explainability limitations, and other AI-specific risks.
• Own the enterprise AI risk management framework and associated governance processes.
• Establish governance requirements and oversight for the enterprise AI inventory, ensuring AI applications and use cases are appropriately inventoried, classified, risk-rated, assigned accountable ownership, and monitored throughout their lifecycle.
• Develop AI risk assessments and approval requirements proportionate to the potential impact of technology.
• Establish ongoing monitoring of AI performance, effectiveness, risk indicators, incidents, exceptions and emerging threats.
• Partner with cybersecurity, Privacy, Legal, Compliance, Data Governance, and Technology Risk to address AI-specific risks.
• Establish governance for the use of external AI providers, foundation models, APIs, AI platforms, and third-party AI solutions.
• Establish policies, standards, procedures, control requirements, and governance committees necessary to manage model and AI risk.
• Define clear first-line ownership and second-line oversight responsibilities.
• Develop, maintain, and monitor enterprise model and AI risk appetite metrics, tolerance thresholds, and key risk indicators to support enterprise risk reporting and decision-making.
• Lead Model Risk and AI Risk Governance committees and provide regular reporting to executive management, Risk Committees, and Board Committees regarding model and AI risk exposure, emerging risks, policy compliance, significant incidents, exceptions, and risk trends.
• Lead a hybrid team of internal associates and specialized external partners responsible for model validation, governance administration, AI risk assessments, monitoring, and assurance activities.
• Promote a culture of responsible AI and sound model governance through training, awareness, stakeholder engagement, and enterprise-wide governance education programs.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 15+ years of progressive experience in risk management, model risk management, AI governance, technology risk, data governance, analytics, compliance, internal audit or other disciplines.
• Significant experience leading enterprise-wide model governance, AI governance, responsible AI, or technology risk programs.
• Demonstrated experience operating at an executive level within a complex, highly regulated organisation.
• Healthcare experience strongly preferred.
• Strong understanding of AI/ML technologies, generative AI, model development and validation, data governance, and technology risk.
• Knowledge of emerging AI regulatory and governance frameworks and applicable healthcare regulatory requirements.
• Strong understanding of enterprise risk management, internal controls, issue management, and risk appetite frameworks.
• Demonstrated experience presenting complex risk, technology, analytics, and AI governance topics to executive leadership and Board-level audiences.

Work Arrangements

• Remote Nationwide
• 25% Travel
• Work from home requirements: minimum download speed of 25 Mbps and upload speed of 10 Mbps, dedicated workspace.

Salary and Benefits

• Pay range: $189,400 - $260,500 per year
• Eligible for bonus incentive plan
• Competitive benefits package including medical, dental and vision benefits, 401(k) retirement savings plan, time off, short-term and long-term disability, life insurance and more