Director of AI Center of Excellence
Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey empowers our members to achieve their best health. For over 90 years, we have been New Jersey's health solutions leader driving innovations that improve health care quality, affordability, and member experience. Our members are our neighbors, our friends, and our families. It is this understanding that drives us to better serve and care for the 3.5 million people who place their trust in us. We pride ourselves on our best-in-class employees and strive to maintain an innovative and inclusive environment that allows them to thrive. When our employees bring their best and succeed, the company succeeds.
The Director of the AI Center of Excellence will lead the strategic vision, development, and execution of enterprise-wide Artificial Intelligence initiatives within the organization. This role is responsible for driving innovation, ensuring compliance with healthcare regulations, and delivering AI solutions that enhance operational efficiency, improve member experience, and support clinical and financial outcomes. The Director serves as a thought leader and advisor to senior leadership, ensuring the CoE delivers measurable value and operational efficiency.
Strategic Leadership & Vision
- Guide the strategic vision, roadmap, and execution of the AI CoE, ensuring the delivery of measurable business value in alignment with organizational priorities
- Communicate the AI strategy and roadmap to stakeholders at all levels of the organization in a collaborative and consultative manner; build strong relationships with key stakeholders to drive AI adoption and alignment
- Partner with business and IT stakeholders to identify high-value AI technology enabled use cases, assess feasibility, and prioritize initiatives based on impact and ROI
- Stay current with emerging trends in AI and healthcare technologies to guide future innovation
- Influence and navigate the corporate landscape to secure resources and support for AI initiatives
- Assess and quantify AI-related risks, including potential business losses and human impacts
- Ensure stakeholders are informed (e.g. explainable AI and bias detection) and promote ethical use of AI
- Promote the value of AI to all levels of the organization; drive enterprise change management, including training programs to upskill staff and foster an AI-first culture
AI Project Execution & Delivery
Oversee AI project lifecycle, from ideation to proof-of-concept, MVP, production deployment, and maintenance; ensure successful execution of AI initiatives, on time, within budget, and in adherence to quality standardsEnsure responsible and ethical AI deployment, including explainability, bias mitigation, and secure data handlingManage global resources, including FTEs, contractors, and external partnersDevelop business cases, manage budgets, and track AI investment ROITechnology & Innovation
Maintain a strong understanding of digital technologies and trends, with a focus on AI, machine learning, data analytics, and cloud computing; participate in industry forums and working groups to help shape future AI business technologyCollaborate with IT, architecture, and cloud teams to design scalable AI infrastructure leveraging technologies such as AWS, Azure, Databricks, Snowflake, etc.Ensure that security and appropriate guardrails are in place for AI systems and dataOperational Excellence & Governance
Define AI governance and ethics frameworks, policies and processes to ensure responsible and compliant AI practicesEstablish and maintain performance metrics, KPIs, and dashboards to track AI solution performance and adoptionLead development and maintenance of AI architecture and development artifacts, roadmaps, blueprints, patterns other best practices; drive simplification and efficiency in AI operationsIdentify opportunities for application, technology rationalization to reduce redundancy and obsolescenceOversee the selection and implementation of tools and processes that support the effective delivery of AI servicesOversee IT risk, security, and controls related to AI systems and data; develop standards, exception process and manage technology lifecycle and obsolescence riskWork to continually mature the AI PracticeLeadership & Talent Development
Build, develop and mentor a high-performing AI CoE team of AI Architects and Engineers; develop and implement talent planning strategies to attract, retain, and develop top AI talentFoster a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement within the AI COE, encouraging knowledge sharing and experimentationRFP / RFI Support & Vendor Management
Oversee vendor selection, evaluation, and integration for AI platforms, models, and tools while managing strategic partnerships and staying current on vendor roadmapsSupport development and evaluation of RFP, RFI, RFQ process and support AI vendor contract negotiations and renewalsEducation / Experience :
Requires bachelor's degree in technical discipline (computer science, engineering or data sciences) or 12 years of relevant experience in lieu of degreeHigher degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, MIS or equivalent preferred (or equivalent work experience)15+ years of relevant overall experience in enterprise technology strategy, architecture and governance rolesExperience in AL / ML, data science and at least 5 years in leadership or strategic rolesProven track record in implementing AI solutions in health care industryExperience in evaluating, selecting emerging technologies, assessing potential impacts and developing adoption strategiesHealthcare Industry experience and knowledge of Payer domain preferredAdditional Licensing, Certifications, Registrations :
AI / ML certifications (e.g., AWS, Azure, Google Cloud AI)Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities :
Expertise in AI / ML principles, techniques, technologies and lifecycle managementDeep knowledge of Generative AI, LLMs, RAG pipelines, NLP and advanced ML techniquesStrong technical knowledge of cloud environments (AWS, Azure), LLMOps and MLOps practices and tools, and enterprise data ecosystemsKnowledge of AI ethics and responsible AI principlesProven ability to translate business needs into scalable, secure, and ethical AI solutionsStrong leadership skills, along with exceptional soft and interpersonal skills, including teamwork, facilitation and negotiationStrong consulting skills, such as in targeted communications, engagement management, stakeholder management, and business developmentExcellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to convey complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholdersStrong collaboration and interpersonal skills to work effectively with cross-functional teams and external partnersA self-starter with strong consulting, communication, and influencing skillsStrong leadership and management skills with the ability to mentor, motivate, and lead a team of technology professionalsHorizon BCBSNJ employees must live in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, or Delaware.
Salary Range : $152,500 - $208,110
This compensation range is specific to the job level and takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions, including but not limited to : education, experience, licensure, certifications, geographic location, and internal equity. This range has been created in good faith based on information known to Horizon at the time of posting. Compensation decisions are dependent on the circumstances of each case. Horizon also provides a comprehensive compensation and benefits package which includes :
Comprehensive health benefits (Medical / Dental / Vision)Retirement PlansGenerous PTOIncentive PlansWellness ProgramsPaid Volunteer Time OffTuition ReimbursementDisclaimer : This job summary has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by colleagues within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of colleagues assigned to this job. Horizon will consider reasonable accommodation requests as part of the recruiting and hiring process.
Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status or
