Head of Applied AI and Advanced Analytics

Newrez LLC•Coppell, TX

23h•Onsite

About The Position

Exceed the expectations of our residential mortgage borrowers & business partners through superior service, simple processes, and effective communications. We deliver on this mission by empowering our employees by encouraging and recognizing superior performance and innovative solutions, by promoting teamwork and divisional cooperation. POSITION SUMMARY The VP Applied AI & Advanced Analytics, will serve as the enterprise leader responsible for building and scaling Newrez’s AI and advanced analytics portfolio from the ground up. Reporting to the Chief Data Officer, this leader will define and execute a cohesive strategy to operationalize AI across origination, servicing, customer engagement, risk, and operations. This leader will establish enterprise-wide AI frameworks, governance, and principles that ensure ethical, explainable, and regulatory-compliant AI adoption while delivering measurable business value. The role combines visionary leadership, deep technical expertise, and strong business partnership to drive transformation at scale. DESCRIPTION Essential Functions, Duties, and Responsibilities Strategic Leadership Executive Strategy (with ROI Focus): Partner directly with executive and business leaders to architect a long-term business strategy that leverages AI as a primary growth engine that aligns with business goals, drives efficiency across the loan lifecycle (underwriting, risk, customer service), and delivers measurable business value and demonstrable Return on Investment (ROI). Leadership & Business Strategy: Foster a data-driven culture by building high-performance teams, managing change, and collaborating effectively with stakeholders and senior leadership to build business strategies and secure buy-in and investment for AI initiatives. Build the AI Center of Excellence (CoE) to enable scalable AI delivery, model reusability, and governance. AI Development & Integration: Lead the design, development, and seamless integration of AI/ML solutions (credit decisioning, fraud detection, automation) into daily workflows to boost efficiency, accuracy, and scalability. Governance & Regulatory Leadership: Serve as the strategic lead for AI ethics and data governance, ensuring all advanced analytics models meet rigorous regulatory standards and fair lending practices while maintaining technical alignment with CIO-led infrastructure. Transformational Leadership: Foster a data-first culture by mentoring high-performance teams and acting as a key executive liaison, bridging the gap between complex technical capabilities and high-level business objectives to secure investment and enterprise-wide buy-in. Governance, Ethics & Compliance Define and institutionalize AI governance frameworks, model-risk management processes, and responsible-AI principles to meet internal policy and regulatory standards (RESPA, TILA, FDCPA, GLBA, FCRA, etc.). Establish an enterprise data governance with clear data quality, lineage, and validation standards that ensure trustworthy and auditable AI outcomes. Partner with Legal, Compliance, Risk, and Audit functions to operationalize AI assurance and model transparency. Organizational Enablement Design and lead a multidisciplinary team of data scientists, ML engineers, and applied AI specialists. Advanced enterprise AI literacy maturity by cultivating organization- wide literacy through structured learning and stakeholder engagement. Create performance frameworks and KPIs to measure the business impact of AI adoption. Innovation & Technology Partnership with the CDO, CIO, and CPTO to establish the AI technology stack (cloud platforms, MLOps pipelines, data products, and APIs). Stay ahead of emerging trends in GenAI, LLMs, and cognitive automation to continuously evolve the portfolio. Establish strategic partnerships with academia, fintechs, and AI vendors to accelerate innovation. Ability to effectively and accurately convey information to others. Performs related duties as assigned by management.

Requirements

12+ years’ experience in data science, AI, or advanced analytics, with at least 7+ years in senior leadership roles in large enterprise
Proven track record of developing AI and analytics programs from inception to scaled enterprise value.
Strong executive presence and communication skills; ability to translate AI strategy into business outcomes.
Deep understanding of mortgage or financial services domain, including credit, servicing, and regulatory dynamics.
Hands-on familiarity with ML frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch, Scikit-learn) and cloud environments (AWS, GCP, Azure).
Demonstrated success building and leading cross-functional teams and establishing governance in regulated environments.
Strong verbal communication skills; strong writing and composition abilities.
Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to develop and maintain effective and professional relationships across the organization and with customers.
Strong influencing and negotiation skills; consultative and collaborative work style.
High learning agility with the ability to learn and integrate business variables and learn new systems and platforms.
Strong analytical skills & problem-solving abilities; solid decision-making abilities coupled with sound judgment.
Effective at managing multiple priorities under tight deadlines in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
Strong project management and time management capability.
Self-directed and comfortable working with ambiguity and uncertainty.
High degree of professional maturity, integrity, ability to maintain confidential data and information.
All employees are required to have smart phones that meet Company security standards with the ability to install apps such as Okta Verify and Microsoft Authenticator. Employment will be contingent on this requirement.

Responsibilities

Partner directly with executive and business leaders to architect a long-term business strategy that leverages AI as a primary growth engine that aligns with business goals, drives efficiency across the loan lifecycle (underwriting, risk, customer service), and delivers measurable business value and demonstrable Return on Investment (ROI).
Foster a data-driven culture by building high-performance teams, managing change, and collaborating effectively with stakeholders and senior leadership to build business strategies and secure buy-in and investment for AI initiatives.
Build the AI Center of Excellence (CoE) to enable scalable AI delivery, model reusability, and governance.
Lead the design, development, and seamless integration of AI/ML solutions (credit decisioning, fraud detection, automation) into daily workflows to boost efficiency, accuracy, and scalability.
Serve as the strategic lead for AI ethics and data governance, ensuring all advanced analytics models meet rigorous regulatory standards and fair lending practices while maintaining technical alignment with CIO-led infrastructure.
Foster a data-first culture by mentoring high-performance teams and acting as a key executive liaison, bridging the gap between complex technical capabilities and high-level business objectives to secure investment and enterprise-wide buy-in.
Define and institutionalize AI governance frameworks, model-risk management processes, and responsible-AI principles to meet internal policy and regulatory standards (RESPA, TILA, FDCPA, GLBA, FCRA, etc.).
Establish an enterprise data governance with clear data quality, lineage, and validation standards that ensure trustworthy and auditable AI outcomes.
Partner with Legal, Compliance, Risk, and Audit functions to operationalize AI assurance and model transparency.
Design and lead a multidisciplinary team of data scientists, ML engineers, and applied AI specialists.
Advanced enterprise AI literacy maturity by cultivating organization- wide literacy through structured learning and stakeholder engagement.
Create performance frameworks and KPIs to measure the business impact of AI adoption.
Partnership with the CDO, CIO, and CPTO to establish the AI technology stack (cloud platforms, MLOps pipelines, data products, and APIs).
Stay ahead of emerging trends in GenAI, LLMs, and cognitive automation to continuously evolve the portfolio.
Establish strategic partnerships with academia, fintechs, and AI vendors to accelerate innovation.
Ability to effectively and accurately convey information to others.
Performs related duties as assigned by management.

Benefits

Medical, dental, and vision insurance
Health Savings Account with employer contribution
401(k) Retirement plan with employer match
Paid Maternity Leave/Parental Bonding Leave
Pet insurance
Adoption Assistance
Tuition reimbursement
Employee Loan Program
The Newrez Employee Emergency and Disaster Fund is a new program to support our team members
Newrez NOW: Our Corporate Social Responsibility program, Newrez NOW, empowers employees to become leaders in their communities through a robust program that includes volunteering, philanthropy, nonprofit grants, and more
1 Volunteer Time Off (VTO) day, company-paid volunteer day where all eligible employees may participate in a volunteer event with a nonprofit of their choice
Employee Matching Gifts Program: We will match monetary employee donations to eligible non-profit organizations, dollar-for-dollar, up to $1,000 per employee
Newrez Grants Program: Newrez hosts a giving portal where we provide employees an abundance of resources to search for an opportunity to donate their time or monetary contributions