SVP, Head of AI Governance

Synchrony • Stamford, CT

2d • $200,000 - $330,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

The SVP, Head of AI Governance leads Synchrony’s enterprise AI Governance function within the AI Office, establishing the operating discipline, controls, oversight routines, and execution capabilities needed to manage AI risk responsibly across the organization. Reporting to the Chief AI Officer, this first-line leader translates AI strategy, policies, standards, regulatory expectations, and risk framework requirements into practical governance processes, durable controls, measurable standards, and repeatable execution routines.

The role partners closely with second-line and third-line stakeholders to strengthen Synchrony’s AI risk management framework, support independent challenge and assurance, prepare for regulatory and oversight activities, and demonstrate disciplined governance throughout the AI lifecycle. It also works with engineering, program management, legal, compliance, risk, information security, model risk management, supplier management, business owners, and technology leaders to deliver, adopt, document, monitor, and continuously improve AI governance capabilities.

This position calls for a strategic governance leader able to work across AI, technology delivery, risk management, controls, regulatory readiness, and enterprise execution. The role requires sound judgment, executive presence, structured problem solving, stakeholder influence, and the ability to turn complex and evolving AI risk expectations into clear processes, controls, accountabilities, and outcomes. The position is eligible for an Annual Incentive Plan target of 25% of salary and an Annual Equity target of 25% of salary. The posted annual salary range is $200,000–$330,000; actual compensation depends on experience, skills, and knowledge, and salaries are adjusted for markets in California, New York Metro, and Seattle.

Synchrony’s flexible way of working allows the employee to work from home near a Hub or from an office, with required travel to the nearest virtual or physical Hub for in-person business or team meetings, training, and culture events. Business travel may also be required. Legal authorization to work in the United States is required; visa sponsorship is not available for this opening.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a related discipline and 10 or more years of experience in risk management, technology governance, AI governance, data governance, compliance, audit, controls, regulatory readiness, technology delivery, or strategic program leadership.
• Proven experience leading governance, risk, control, compliance, or oversight programs in a complex enterprise environment.
• Strong understanding of AI, generative AI, agentic AI, machine learning, automation, data, technology platforms, and responsible AI concepts sufficient to lead governance across technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Experience designing or operating governance or control frameworks, lifecycle processes, risk-tiering processes, approval workflows, inventories, monitoring routines, issue management, or assurance-ready reporting.
• Experience partnering with second-line risk and compliance functions and third-line audit or assurance teams in a regulated environment.
• Ability to translate policy, standards, regulatory expectations, risk frameworks, and audit findings into operating models, procedures, controls, evidence routines, and execution plans.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills to align senior leaders, technology teams, control partners, business owners, and delivery teams.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including executive-level storytelling, regulatory-ready documentation, concise risk articulation, and simplification of complex AI governance topics.
• Strong execution discipline and experience managing complex initiatives, dependencies, risks, milestones, and cross-functional deliverables.
• Data-driven orientation and experience defining governance metrics, control performance indicators, risk reporting, adoption measures, and continuous-improvement insights.
• Comfort operating in ambiguity and at pace, with sound judgment, prioritization, resilience, and the ability to bring structure to fast-moving AI governance work.
• Ability and flexibility to travel for business as required.
• Must be at least 18 years old and have a high school diploma or equivalent.
• Must be willing to take a drug test, submit to a background investigation, and submit fingerprints as part of onboarding.
• Must be able to satisfy the requirements of Section 19 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act.
• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States; employment visa sponsorship is not available for this opening.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in financial services, banking, payments, credit, consumer finance, or another highly regulated industry.
• Experience with AI governance, model risk management, technology risk, operational risk, third-party risk management, data governance, information security, privacy, compliance, or internal audit.
• Familiarity with AI risk management frameworks, responsible AI principles, regulatory expectations, risk-based controls, model validation concepts, supplier oversight, and audit evidence practices.
• Experience with enterprise governance tools, GRC platforms, workflow tools, AI or model inventories, technology control repositories, reporting dashboards, SharePoint, Jira, ServiceNow, Power BI, or similar platforms.
• Experience building governance capabilities for generative AI, agentic AI, AI platforms, AI gateways, AI control planes, model registries, agent registries, evaluations, monitoring, logging, or policy enforcement.
• Demonstrated ability to establish a new enterprise function, mature an existing governance capability, or drive a transformation agenda across multiple functions and lines of defense.

Responsibilities

• Lead Synchrony’s enterprise AI Governance function within the AI Office, including its operating model, governance routines, standards, controls, reporting, and oversight activities.
• Design, implement, and continuously improve the AI governance framework in alignment with enterprise risk management expectations, AI policy and standards, regulatory requirements, and industry practices.
• Partner with second-line risk, compliance, legal, technology risk, model risk management, supplier management, privacy, information security, and other control partners to strengthen AI risk processes and clarify ownership across the lines of defense.
• Partner with Internal Audit and other third-line assurance stakeholders on monitoring, reviews, audits, evidence requests, issue management, and validation of AI governance processes and controls.
• Define and execute governance approaches for AI intake, use-case registration, risk tiering, inventory management, approval workflows, lifecycle gates, control validation, monitoring, recertification, and exception management.
• Lead the development and enhancement of AI controls that are practical, risk-based, measurable, auditable, and embedded in delivery processes where possible.
• Translate AI policies, standards, and regulatory expectations into procedures, job aids, playbooks, control requirements, decision frameworks, and governance artifacts.
• Maintain an enterprise view of AI use cases, tools, agents, models, patterns, approvals, risk ratings, ownership, lifecycle status, control evidence, and governance outcomes.
• Prepare materials, evidence packages, issue responses, remediation plans, and executive-ready updates for regulatory activities, executive oversight, audits, and risk reviews.
• Lead direct first-line risk management and governance interactions with regulators.
• Provide governance reporting to the Chief AI Officer and senior stakeholders on portfolio status, risk themes, control maturity, regulatory readiness, open issues, dependencies, decisions, and progress against priorities.
• Work with AI engineering, architecture, security, cloud, data, and platform teams to deliver technical governance capabilities, including registries, gateways, policy enforcement, logging, monitoring, evaluation, guardrails, and evidence generation.
• Partner with program management to plan, prioritize, resource, sequence, track, and execute governance initiatives with clear milestones, dependencies, owners, risks, and escalation paths.
• Support intake and review of AI use cases and patterns, helping teams understand applicable requirements, approvals, risks, controls, and responsible delivery paths.
• Ensure governance processes appropriately differentiate among internal productivity use, business process transformation, customer-facing capabilities, third-party AI solutions, agentic AI, model-like use cases, and high-risk or regulated activities.
• Coordinate with legal, compliance, and regulatory change stakeholders to monitor emerging AI laws, rules, standards, and supervisory expectations and translate applicable requirements into governance actions.
• Continuously improve AI governance by identifying gaps, simplifying processes, improving transparency, reducing friction, strengthening evidence quality, and supporting delivery within risk appetite.
• Perform other duties and special projects as assigned.

Benefits

• Annual Incentive Plan target of 25% of salary.
• Annual Equity target of 25% of salary.
• Flexible work arrangement allowing work from home near a Hub or from an office, with required in-person engagement at a Hub.

What This Job Offers

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