Director of AI and Automation

CCU•Lake Forest, IL

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

Join Our Team as Director of AI & Automation! At Consumers Credit Union, we're committed to helping members achieve financial success through innovation, technology, and exceptional service. As we accelerate our AI journey, we're seeking a visionary and hands-on leader to help transform how we work, serve members, and scale our business. This is a unique opportunity to build AI capabilities from the ground up, shape enterprise-wide adoption, and leave a lasting impact on the future of our organization. You won't be stepping into an established AI function. You'll be creating one. Working closely with senior leadership, you'll guide strategy execution, develop intelligent solutions, establish governance standards, and lead a team focused on delivering meaningful business outcomes through artificial intelligence and automation (RPA/IPA). This position is hybrid with 3 days onsite at our corporate office in Lake Forest, IL. About the Role: As the Director of AI and Automation, you will lead the adoption and execution of Artificial Intelligence, Generative AI, agentic AI, and intelligent automation solutions across the credit union. You’ll partner with leaders throughout the organization to identify opportunities, prioritize investments, and deliver scalable solutions that improve efficiency, enhance member experiences, reduce risk, and drive business value.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Information Systems, Data Management, Business Administration, or a related field.
7+ years of experience in AI enablement, intelligent automation, data management, analytics, or closely aligned roles.
5+ years of leadership experience direct people management, setting direction, and driving cross-functional initiatives.
3+ years of hands-on experience with Generative AI and/or agent-based AI capabilities, including pilots and production implementations.
Experience working in complex, regulated, or highly governed environments.
Knowledge of cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, Snowflake), BI and visualization tools (Domo, Tableau, Power BI), and modern AI technologies.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree preferred.

Responsibilities

Guiding AI and automation initiatives from idea to pilot and finally to production, ensuring solutions are operationally ready, actively used, and supported by appropriate testing.
Accountable for ensuring agentic AI and automation solutions are tested for intended behavior, reliability, controls, and operational fit—either through hands-on testing or by working in partnership with Technology, Risk, and Data teams to define and apply testing standards and methods before deployment at scale.
Defining and maintaining enterprise standards, guardrails, and lifecycle practices for AI and automation. This includes establishing guidance for appropriate autonomy, escalation, monitoring, and lifecycle management to ensure solutions operate as intended and remain within approved boundaries over time.
Maintaining hands-on, working familiarity with modern AI tools, agent frameworks, orchestration patterns, and automation platforms. This includes staying current on how these capabilities are applied in real-world business processes, understanding their strengths and limitations, and using that knowledge to guide solution design, assess risk, evaluate vendor offerings.
Working in close partnership with Risk, Compliance, Legal, Security, and Technology teams to help ensure AI agents and automated workflows align with approved controls, auditability requirements, and defined risk thresholds.
Measuring and communicating outcomes such as productivity gains, cost savings, process improvement, and risk reduction.
Educating and advising leaders and teams on the responsible and effective use of AI and automation, helping business partners understand emerging capabilities, identify appropriate use cases, and discern when AI, automation, or a combination of both is the right solution.
Planning and directing the work of the team to meet functional and individual objectives. Coach and develop staff including overseeing new employee onboarding and providing career development guidance and opportunities. Responsible for staffing decisions, performance coaching, and documentation.