Director II Data Platforms & AI Governance (Hybrid)

American Medical Association•Chicago, IL

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

The American Medical Association (AMA) is the nation's largest professional Association of physicians and a non-profit organization, dedicated to promoting the art and science of medicine and the betterment of public health. The AMA fosters an inclusive, people-first culture, encouraging professional development and social responsibility. This hybrid position, located at the corporate offices in Chicago, IL, requires 3 days a week in the office and reports into the Information Technology team. The role involves leading the development and implementation of the enterprise data platforms and AI governance framework to support AMA’s mission. Key responsibilities include ensuring the secure, reliable, and cost-effective operation of AMA’s data platforms and embedding governance and risk management into engineering delivery. The Director II will partner across IT, security, legal, and data stakeholders in AMA’s business units to evolve and develop standards for responsible data and AI usage, ensuring compliance with organizational policies and regulatory obligations, and extending the Enterprise Data Office (EDO) scope to modern data platforms.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Science, Engineering, or Applied Mathematics / Statistics
10+ years of experience in Data platforms, data engineering, analytics platforms
5+ years of experience People management; able to attract and develop talent.
Experience in ownership of a large-scale data platform, preferably built on modern lakehouse architectures (Databricks preferred)
Proven expertise contributing to platform strategy, multi‑year roadmaps, and platform lifecycle management
Experience managing roadmaps, budget-related planning, multi‑workstream programs, and prioritization frameworks
Hands-on experience developing, implementing, and maturing enterprise data governance frameworks
Working knowledge of AI/ML models, lifecycle management, and AI governance frameworks
Demonstrated success leading cross-functional teams that include both engineering and governance disciplines
Strong ability to influence, negotiate, and drive alignment across stakeholders without direct authority
Ability to balance innovation with operational reliability, cost efficiency, and regulatory requirements

Responsibilities

Lead the ongoing development and maturation of the enterprise data platform strategy and AMA’s data and AI governance operating model.
Build and maintain a multi-year data platform and AI capability roadmap aligned with organizational priorities, IT leadership direction, and business-unit needs.
Define a clear vision for a scalable, secure, and governed data ecosystem that supports analytics, interoperability, and responsible AI adoption.
Establish communication structures, documentation practices, and agile prioritization methods to ensure alignment across technical, regulatory, and business stakeholders.
Develop, implement, and maintain AI governance processes covering data usage, model development, model inference and application, monitoring, drift detection, and lifecycle controls.
Ensure platform and governance strategies are adaptable to evolving regulatory, ethical, and industry best practice standards.
Oversee and partner with Data Governance Lead on fulfilling the Enterprise Data Office responsibility of developing and maintaining data standards in policy in collaboration with Risk Management, Security and the Office of the General Counsel.
Establish and manage processes for enforcing data quality, stewardship, and lifecycle management standards across the enterprise.
Collaborate with federated data and analytics teams to balance business unit autonomy with enterprise requirements.
Define and maintain technical role structures, responsibilities, and platform policies that enable efficient and compliant data operations.
Drive adoption of platform standards through enablement, training, and ongoing partnership with business units.
Oversee the reliability, performance, scalability, and security of the enterprise data platforms in partnership with the Data Platform Lead and both IT and federated business unit engineering teams.
Ensure appropriate observability tooling and monitoring practices for platform health, cost optimization, model performance, data quality, and governance compliance; drive continuous improvement initiatives.
Coordinate and facilitate enterprise governance councils and decision-making bodies, including but not limited to Enterprise Data Office, Data Privacy Team, AI Working Group, and Data Advancement Team.
Evolve data governance committees focused on standards, stewardship, access, quality, and issue escalation.
Assist in leading the AMA AI Working Group, ensuring responsible and safe AI adoption, integrating ethical frameworks, regulatory requirements, and organizational risk considerations.
Build and sustain a centralized body of AI expertise by facilitating knowledge sharing, training, and organizational capability building.
Communicate governance decisions, platform updates, risks, and performance indicators to senior leadership and executive stakeholders.
Serve as a trusted advisor to business unit leaders, helping them safely leverage data and AI for improved outcomes and innovation.
Collaborate with Legal, Compliance, IT Security, and Risk to anticipate and proactively manage data and AI related risks.
Lead, mentor and provide management oversight for a multidisciplinary team including data governance, engineering, and platform specialists.
Responsible for setting objectives, evaluating employee performance, and fostering a collaborative team environment.
Foster a culture of accountability, transparency, and continuous improvement across the data organization.
Responsible for developing staff knowledge and skills to support career development.
May include other responsibilities as assigned