Executive Director, AI and Data

Arizona State University • Tempe, AZ

3d • $132,300 - $200,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

Arizona State University is seeking a visionary executive leader to help architect the next generation of the AI-enabled university. At ASU, we believe the future of higher education will be shaped by institutions capable of combining advanced technologies, human-centered design, and public purpose at scale. As one of the nation’s leading innovation universities, ASU is advancing a bold transition from traditional “EdTech” models toward a new TechEd paradigm: intelligent, interoperable, AI-augmented systems designed around learners, discovery, and lifelong impact. To help lead this transformation, ASU is recruiting an Executive Director of AI and Data — a senior Enterprise Technology leader responsible for shaping the university’s AI-ready data ecosystem, enterprise integration strategy, and intelligent platform architecture. This is not a traditional higher education IT role. The successful candidate will help move ASU from fragmented systems and isolated data environments toward connected “data rivers” capable of powering real-time intelligence, institutional agility, and AI at scale.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree and nine (9) years of experience appropriate to the area of assignment/field including five (5) years managerial experience; OR, Any equivalent combination of experience and/or training from which comparable knowledge, skills and abilities have been achieved.
• Demonstrate expertise in many of the following areas: Enterprise data architecture and governance, AI/ML platforms and AI operations, Cloud-native infrastructure and platform engineering, Enterprise systems integration and APIs, Semantic data models and modern analytics ecosystems, Intelligent automation and agentic workflows, Scalable AI deployment patterns, Cybersecurity, privacy, and responsible AI practices, Organizational change leadership, Fostering a positive culture, upholding organizational values, and championing engagement, Cross-functional collaboration in decentralized environments.

Nice To Haves

• Experience leading complex AI, data, or platform modernization initiatives within large-scale environments such as research universities, global enterprises, cloud and platform organizations, digital-native organizations, large healthcare, technology, or public-sector ecosystems.
• Capable of executing on strategic vision, designing modern AI-ready architectures, leading enterprise integration strategies, building trusted data ecosystems, scaling teams, platforms, and enterprise services, driving organizational transformation, influencing executive stakeholders, bridging technical and non-technical audiences, developing high-performing technical teams, leading with empathy, curiosity, and a growth mindset, translating emerging technology into measurable institutional value, operating amid ambiguity and rapid technological change.

Responsibilities

• Help shape how AI becomes embedded responsibly, securely, and strategically into the fabric of a modern public research university.
• Establish the technical foundations that support AI-enhanced student success, personalized and adaptive digital experiences, intelligent institutional operations, research acceleration, responsible AI governance, human-centered automation, and cross-functional interoperability at enterprise scale.
• Define and advance the enterprise architecture required to support AI-enabled institutional operations, intelligent workflow orchestration, modern enterprise integrations, trusted and governed data ecosystems, semantic and analytics infrastructure, agentic AI systems and services, and scalable digital experiences for students, faculty, researchers, and staff.
• Combine enterprise architecture, data engineering, AI platform strategy, systems integration, organizational transformation, and executive leadership.
• Engage with executive leadership, faculty innovators, operational leaders, and cross-functional teams in conversations about institutional change, human-centered design, and the future of work in higher education.
• Advance architectures and practices that enable experimentation, interoperability, responsible AI adoption, and continuous organizational learning.
• Ensure ASU remains at the forefront of AI innovation while aligning technology decisions with the university’s charter commitments to access, inclusion, student success, and public value.

Benefits

• World-class, low cost education. Our professional development is built in! ET encourages staff to seek additional certificates and degrees via ASU’s top ranked programs with major tuition breaks.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive