Sr AI Governance Analyst II

Principal Financial Group • Des Moines, IA

2d • Hybrid

About The Position

We're looking for a Senior AI Governance Analyst to join our Ethical and Responsible AI (ERAI Governance) Program within Enterprise Data & Analytics. In this high-impact role, you'll help shape how we safeguard the organization while enabling responsible AI innovation. You'll lead the operationalization, management, and continued maturation of the AI risk assessment process, helping ensure AI use across the organization is appropriately assessed, inventoried, monitored, and governed. Working closely with teams across Risk, Governance, Enterprise AI Enablement, Data & Analytics, and Technology, you'll translate regulatory requirements into practical, scalable processes that support innovation and effective risk management. This will include managing a consistent set of policies, standards, and principles to enable the strategic, ethical, and responsible development, deployment, and use of artificial intelligence, data, and analytics while articulating the value of AI governance.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience.
• 8+ years of professional experience in risk management, data governance, privacy, compliance, legal, or related disciplines, with 3+ years focused on AI governance, responsible AI, AI risk management, or related AI oversight activities.
• Demonstrated experience leading transformational change initiatives, including designing and implementing new frameworks, processes, operating models, or organizational capabilities while driving stakeholder adoption and measurable business outcomes.
• Skilled at collaborating with diverse stakeholders and influencing outcomes without formal authority.
• Strong mentorship skills and the ability to lead and guide others without direct leadership responsibilities.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to present to audiences ranging from executive leadership to individual contributors and translate complex topics into clear, actionable insights.

Nice To Haves

• Previous AI Governance experience
• Experience with Credo.AI and/or ServiceNow
• Experience designing, building, or implementing AI solutions
• Previous experience in a highly regulated industry
• Experience with Data Governance and/or Analytics Governance tools

Responsibilities

• Co-lead the design of the AI use case risk assessment process. Operationalize and continuously mature assessment methodologies, scoring criteria, workflows, controls, guardrails, monitoring requirements, and training to ensure quality, consistency, and adherence to service level agreements (SLAs).
• Drive the effectiveness and continuous improvement of the AI risk assessment program by overseeing the quality, consistency, completeness, efficiency, and transparency of assessment activities. Monitor assessment queues and turnaround times, remediate at-risk or overdue assessments, identify opportunities to streamline processes, and ensure assessments are conducted in a scalable and reliable manner.
• Partner with IT, Risk, Privacy, Compliance, AI Enablement, Technology, Data Science, Data Governance, and business teams to research and resolve AI risk concerns, support AI innovation, and ensure emerging capabilities are implemented ethically, safely, responsibly, and with appropriate governance and oversight.
• Develop and deliver dashboards, reporting, and insights related to risk exposure, mitigation effectiveness, regulatory compliance, program performance, operational effectiveness, and governance outcomes. Identify opportunities for improvement across business units and present findings to senior leaders and business partners.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to business and technical teams on AI risks, governance requirements, and the AI risk assessment process. Host office hours, deliver training, provide guidance on requirements, and promote the adoption of governance practices.
• Mentor and coach junior analysts by sharing governance expertise, best practices, and risk assessment techniques. Foster a collaborative culture focused on continuous improvement, critical thinking, respectful challenge, and leveraging diverse perspectives to achieve the best outcomes.
• Develop and maintain training materials, playbooks, and guidance for enterprise-wide adoption of the AI risk assessment process. Demonstrate curiosity and a growth mindset by exploring AI technologies, understanding their opportunities and risks, and identifying responsible ways to improve team outcomes.
• Manage the Principal AI Policy and Standards and measure governance compliance and maturity across the enterprise.
• Follow all security policies and procedures to ensure the highest level of system and data confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Benefits

• Flexible Time Off (FTO) is provided to salaried (exempt) employees and provides the opportunity to take time away from the office with pay for vacation, personal or short-term illness.
• Pension Eligible
• Comprehensive, competitive benefit offerings crafted to protect their physical, financial, and social well-being.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Associate degree