NDS Program Office IT Program Administrator - Governance

Nelnet Servicing•Lincoln, CO

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

This position is within the Nelnet Diversified Services (NDS) Program Office, focusing on IT Process Governance & Atlassian Products. Initially, the role will own NDS's AI governance capability, ensuring processes meet AI-specific policy requirements and that development teams understand their obligations. This is a compliance-focused role where you will hold teams accountable. The role is designed to grow, with the expectation of absorbing broader IT Program Administrator responsibilities within the first 30 days, including Atlassian platform health, change management, CMMI process documentation, and SDLC process governance. While prior experience in these growth areas is not required, a willingness to learn is essential. Nelnet operates on a hybrid work model, balancing in-office collaboration with remote work benefits, typically requiring 24 hours in the office per week for those within 30 miles of an office, subject to manager discretion.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
2+ years in a role combining process, compliance, governance, or audit work with meaningful exposure to AI or emerging technology.
Genuine, demonstrable fluency in the current AI landscape.
Conceptual understanding of how agentic AI systems work — what agents are, how they use tools and memory, and what makes them different from traditional software from a governance standpoint.
Ability to evaluate an AI system description or impact assessment and identify what's missing, understated, or inaccurate.
Follow AI news, model releases, and regulatory developments without being asked.
Comfortable telling a team they're not meeting a requirement, in a way that results in compliance, not conflict.
Strong written and verbal communication skills across all organizational levels.
Excellent interpersonal, consensus-building, and analytical skills.
Highly self-motivated and proactive, with a strong sense of ownership.
Low ego about what you don't know, high confidence about what you do.
Must be a United States citizen due to government security clearance requirements for work supporting the Department of Education.

Nice To Haves

Hands-on experience with Jira, Confluence, or Atlassian products, including platform health monitoring and troubleshooting.
Experience in financial services or another heavily regulated industry.
Familiarity with NIST AI RMF, ISO 42001, or similar AI governance frameworks.
CMMI process area knowledge.
Exposure to CFPB, FCRA, UDAAP, or FSA regulatory requirements.
Relevant certifications: AIGP, CIPP, CISA, CRCM, or equivalent AI/compliance credentials.
Experience building or reviewing agentic AI systems, LLM integrations, or AI-assisted workflows.
Change management experience or certification (Prosci, CCMP, or equivalent).

Responsibilities

Ensure NDS SDLC stages include AI-specific gates, artifact requirements, and approval checkpoints as per Nelnet AI Governance Policy and Acceptable Use Policy.
Maintain and update the NDS AI-extended SDLC (AISDLC) based on changes in policy, regulation, or technology.
Ensure all NDS AI development and deployment initiatives complete the AI Registry & Impact Assessment process, evaluating submissions for accuracy and completeness.
Verify AI-specific requirements are met at defined SDLC checkpoints.
Verify NDS associates are using approved AI tools at correct data classification levels.
Build and maintain the NDS AI compliance evidence package, ensuring it is current and audit-ready.
Maintain a current inventory of all AI systems in development, deployed, and retired within NDS, including owners, risk tier, and system type.
Ensure development teams understand their AI governance obligations and hold them accountable for meeting requirements.
Represent NDS in enterprise AI governance conversations and working groups.
Monitor and maintain the health of NDS Jira and Confluence environments, diagnosing and resolving platform-level issues and configuration problems.
Partner closely with development teams and leadership to support active products and ensure adherence to standards.
Document, measure, and improve system and software lifecycles to meet business objectives across NDS IT programs.
Interpret contractual and regulatory documentation (CMMI, NIST, FSA Contract, RFPs) to identify gaps in lifecycles, policies, and procedures, and work with stakeholders to close those gaps.
Document processes and procedures in an organized, user-friendly format.
Provide clear and concise verbal and written communication tailored to the appropriate audience — technical and non-technical.
Research, assess, and train others on non-development tools used across the segment.
Perform value stream mapping for processes owned within NDS IT to streamline workflows and eliminate waste.