Director, AI and Analytics

UFCU Main•Austin, TX

5d•Onsite

About The Position

The Director, AI & Analytics is a collaborative & technical partner that seeks opportunities to learn and engage across the enterprise. The Director, AI & Analytics will lead, architect, and deliver UFCU’s portfolio of strategic, operational, and transformational AI solutions, impacting data usage, AI adoption, and predictive analytics impact across the enterprise. This role is a "player-coach" leadership role that requires a rare combination of business influence and deep technical proficiency. This leader will partner across the organization to deliver innovative and data driven solutions and to turn member insights into competitive advantages. This position is an exempt role, reports to the VP, Data & AI and leads the AI & Analytics team.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree, with a major in Data Science, Econometrics, Computer Science, Operations Research or relevant field or equivalent experience.
Minimum of ten (10) years of related experience in Data Science, AI & Analytics.
Minimum of seven (7) years of management and supervisory leadership experience developing and leading teams with direct reporting relationships.
Extensive experience in modern data science platforms – Databricks preferred.
Must be bondable

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Data Science, Econometrics, Computer Science, Operations Research
Minimum of five (5) years of demonstrated strategic leadership experience
Experience working in a Credit Union or financial services industry
Experience in managing multiple teams across AI, data science & Analytics delivery
Certifications, i.e. Databricks Machine Learning Professional OR Databricks Data Engineer Professional, Cloud Architect certification (Azure/AWS/GCP), or equivalent

Responsibilities

Lead the end-to-end delivery of AI use cases, from "Next Best Conversation" models to operational efficiency engines, ensuring they move beyond "lab" experiments into resilient production environments
Define the technical standards for AI delivery, influencing IT and Data Engineering teams on the evolution of the Databricks platform, Unity Catalog, and feature store requirements to ensure they meet the needs of modern data science
Manage and mentor teams across data science, machine learning engineering, and operational business analytics, fostering a culture of "Delivery over Perfection”
Serve as the primary "translator" between executive business goals and technical execution, ensuring the AI roadmap is prioritized based on business value and ROI. Partner with enterprise business function to manage operational, strategic and transformational AI & AI solutions
Establish CI/CD, MLOps, and monitoring standards for models within the Databricks environment to ensure long-term stability and accuracy
Develop and execute the organization’s AI and analytics strategy in alignment with overall business goals
Lead, inspire, motivate, and develop team members by providing guidance and training to attain departmental and individual development goals and support organizational needs
Serve as a role model in transparent communication, two-way dialogue, and proactive communication to the team
Build a successful team to operate according to UFCU guiding principles, providing guidance and resources and removing obstacles as needed. Provide team leadership based on servant leadership principles, caring for the whole person
Plan, monitor, and appraise job results with an emphasis on coaching and developing employees to achieve desired performance results
Help teams achieve their career goals. Ensure team members understand how to have an impact and are aware of that impact when they've made it
Partner with executive leadership, business units, and technology stakeholders to identify high-impact opportunities for AI and analytics, translating business needs into actionable data and technology roadmaps
Cultivate a positive, strong, lasting, and meaningful relationship and connection with others, working collaboratively with peers across the organization
Facilitate joint brainstorming and team collaboration working closely with peers to aid in creating organizational goals and strategies
Collaborate with departments across the business, supporting their needs to achieve desired operational results
Collaborate with business partners to determine future needs and support necessary to achieve business unit strategy
Collaborate with senior leaders and actively participate in the organizational strategic planning process
Develop AI & Analytics strategies in partnership with executive leadership to drive achievement of Credit Union and department goals
Monitor and evaluate department progress toward stated goals and make adjustments as needed based on business and department needs
Facilitate procurement of tools and resources necessary to achieve organizational and department strategic priorities
Establish AI & Analytics annual budget with identification of planned expenses for new or enhanced programs and services
Ensure effective control of results. Take action to guarantee achievement of departmental objectives that fall within designated budgets
Monitor expenses on a monthly basis to evaluate versus budget. Take action to make adjustments as needed based on organizational and department priorities
Collaborate with senior leaders on development of organizational annual budget in alignment with strategic objectives
Perform other duties as assigned.
Adhere to all organizational policies, procedures, and business ethics codes
Complete required regulatory training as assigned
Maintain strict adherence and compliance to all laws, rules, regulations, policies, procedures, and internal controls specific to the role, including but not limited to the Bank Secrecy Act, Anti-Money Laundering, USA Patriot Act, OFAC, and Fair Lending regulations