Director Of The 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.
- 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 standards.Ensure responsible and ethical AI deployment, including explainability, bias mitigation, and secure data handling.Manage global resources, including FTEs, contractors, and external partners.Develop business cases, manage budgets, and track AI investment ROI.Technology & 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 technology.Collaborate 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 data.Operational Excellence & Governance
Define AI governance and ethics frameworks, policies, and processes to ensure responsible and compliant AI practices.Establish and maintain performance metrics, KPIs, and dashboards to track AI solution performance and adoption.Lead development and maintenance of AI architecture and development artifacts, roadmaps, blueprints, patterns, and other best practices; drive simplification and efficiency in AI operations.Identify opportunities for application, technology rationalization to reduce redundancy and obsolescence.Oversee the selection and implementation of tools and processes that support the effective delivery of AI services.Oversee IT risk, security, and controls related to AI systems and data; develop standards, exception process, and manage technology lifecycle and obsolescence risk.Work to continually mature the AI Practice.Leadership & 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 talent.Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement within the AI COE, encouraging knowledge sharing and experimentation.RFP / 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 roadmaps.Support development and evaluation of RFP, RFI, RFQ process and support AI vendor contract negotiations and renewals.Education / Experience :
Requires bachelor's degree in technical discipline (computer science, engineering or data sciences) or 12 years of relevant experience in lieu of degree.Higher 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 roles.Experience in AL / ML, data science and at least 5 years in leadership or strategic roles.Proven track record in implementing AI solutions in health care industry.Experience in evaluating, selecting emerging technologies, assessing potential impacts and developing adoption strategies.Healthcare Industry experience and knowledge of Payer domain preferred.Additional 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 management.Deep knowledge of Generative AI, LLMs, RAG pipelines, NLP and advanced ML techniques.Strong technical knowledge of cloud environments (AWS, Azure), LLMOps and MLOps practices and tools, and enterprise data ecosystems.Knowledge of AI ethics and responsible AI principles.Proven ability to translate business needs into scalable, secure, and ethical AI solutions.Strong leadership skills, along with exceptional soft and interpersonal skills, including teamwork, facilitation, and negotiation.Strong consulting skills, such as in targeted communications, engagement management, stakeholder management, and business development.Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to convey complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.Strong collaboration and interpersonal skills to work effectively with cross-functional teams and external partners.A self-starter with strong consulting, communication, and influencing skills.Strong leadership and management skills with the ability to mentor, motivate, and lead a team of technology professionals.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 ReimbursementHorizon BCBSNJ employees must live in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, or Delaware.
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 status as an individual with a disability and any other protected class as required by federal, state, or local law.
