COO AI COE Program Initiative Leader – Business Execution Director

Wells Fargo•Minneapolis, MN

2d•$185,000 - $300,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Wells Fargo is seeking an AI Program Initiative Leader – Business Execution Director to join the Chief Operating Office (COO) Artificial Intelligence Center of Excellence. This senior leadership role will drive the program governance of Generative and Agentic AI (GenAI) initiatives across the COO, partnering closely with 12 business units, technology, control, independent risk management, compliance, and audit stakeholders. As artificial intelligence capabilities rapidly evolve and the regulatory landscape continues to shift, Wells Fargo is focused on accelerating AI adoption in a responsible, well‑controlled, and value‑driven manner. This role will mature the program operating model, execution discipline, and oversight required to scale GenAI safely and effectively across the COO organization.

Requirements

8+ years of Business Execution, Implementation, or Strategic Planning experience, including Management or leadership experience, or equivalent experience demonstrated through one or a combination of the following: work experience, training, military experience, education
4+ years of management or leadership experience

Nice To Haves

8+ years of experience in Strategy, Program Leadership and/or Program Governance focused on developing new or emerging capabilities/ functions/ business models that are Enterprise in nature or Divisional in nature.
Senior leadership experience operating and implementing at scale against the Software Development Lifecycle, Data Management best practices, Model Risk Management, and/or with Artificial Intelligence / Intelligent Automation Solutions.
Strong expertise in AI and model governance, including model lifecycle oversight, risk tiering, approval authorities, ongoing monitoring, and model decommissioning.
Experience developing, deploying, and continuously evolving common operating practices across a large organization.
Experience assessing and mitigating AI‑specific risks, including model bias and fairness, explainability, data quality and lineage, privacy, cybersecurity, and third‑party risk.
Demonstrated success operationalizing Responsible AI principles—such as transparency, accountability, fairness, robustness, and appropriate human oversight—within regulated banking environments.
Familiarity with policy and regulatory change management and quality control frameworks.
Strong understanding of the bank regulatory landscape as it relates to models, data, and emerging technologies, including expectations from U.S. and global regulators.
Experience developing and maintaining AI‑ and model‑related policies, standards, control requirements, and documentation designed to meet regulatory and audit scrutiny.
Familiarity integrating AI governance controls into SDLC, MLOps, Data Governance, and Technology Risk Management processes.
Ability to succinctly and simply communicate complex subjects to senior executives and external parties, where appropriate.

Responsibilities

Manage and develop multiple business functional areas with focus on implementing and delivering long-term strategies, policies, and process advancements for cross-functional stakeholders, and internal and external partners associated with the area of Business Execution or who are affected by its outcomes.
Identify Business Execution opportunities and strategies for process improvement and risk control development over the long-term to ensure operational excellence and process efficiency.
Lead Business Execution team for assigned initiatives ensuring solutions are designed, integrated, and controlled to improve effectiveness, limit risk exposure, and create efficiencies as appropriate.
Interpret and develop a range of policies and procedures for long-range and fundamental retooling of perspective, approach, culture, quality, relationships, operations, and capabilities.
Collaborate and influence functional management to obtain resources, influence outcomes, address conflict, and ensure alignment with Wells Fargo strategies or policies and business line objectives.
Manage allocation of people and financial resources for Business Execution
Develop and guide a culture of talent development to meet business objectives and strategy.
Partner with the Enterprise Gen AI program and IRM to implement oversight requirements, dimension risk profiles for fit for purpose oversight processes, and develop responsible guardrails for “citizen development” of AI.
Refine the target operating model across COO and its partners responsible for implementing and maintaining AI Solutions.
Build and implement fit-for-purpose procedures to monitor, change, and decommission AI Solutions post implementation.
Ensure changes to the AI Risk Management Policy, Model Risk Management Policy, and other related policies (e.g., SDLC, Data Management) are properly adopted into COO methodologies, procedures, and management routines.
Ensure proper change communication and awareness exists to AI Product Executives for changes to enterprise or COO expectations.