AI Director Data Engineering

Overview

We are seeking an experienced Director to lead the AI platform engineering

and enablement functions within our expanding Cloud Data and AI Platform organization. This role is instrumental in building, operationalizing, and governing the next-generation AI and machine learning ecosystem that powers advanced analytics and responsible AI adoption across the bank. You will lead multiple engineering teams responsible for designing and

maintaining

secure, scalable, and compliant AI environments that connect enterprise data, model development, deployment, and monitoring capabilities.

As a seasoned technology leader, you will bring your

expertise

in enterprise AI architecture, model operations, and platform engineering to partner with key business, technology, and governance stakeholders—ensuring AI initiatives are responsibly implemented, well-controlled, and deliver measurable value.

Responsibilities

Lead the design, implementation, and continuous evolution of the bank’s enterprise AI platform

, including infrastructure, model lifecycle management, observability, and integration with Snowflake, AWS, and cloud-native toolchains.

Manage and mentor cross-functional engineering teams

re

sponsible for

AI enablement, automation, and platform services supporting data scientists, engineers, and analysts across the organization.

Define and enforce standards, patterns, and guardrails

for model deployment, explainability, lineage, and monitoring in alignment with enterprise risk, compliance, and security frameworks

Partner closely

with leaders across Responsible AI Governance, AI Portfolio Management, AI Fluency & Engagement, and Applied Data Science & GenAI

, in

collaboration

with enterprise risk partners, to implement a responsible AI framework that embeds audit-ready control evidence and governance mechanisms directly into the platform’s core design to ensure

the platform supports scalable, ethical,

compliant,

and high-impact AI delivery.

Build and

maintain

integrations

with enterprise platforms for data ingestion, metadata management, tokenization, and control evidence generation.

Continuously enhance the platform

’s automation, resilience, and observability, ensuring robust end-to-end telemetry for both model and data pipelines.

Drive innovation

enablement by

establishing

secure sandbox environments, reusable components, and APIs that accelerate experimentation while

maintaining

compliance.

Collaborate

with Enterprise Risk, Legal, Compliance, and Model Risk partners to embed Responsible AI principles and audit-ready control evidence directly into platform design.

Oversee technical due diligence

, onboarding, and management of strategic AI and GenAI vendors and tools, ensuring compatibility with enterprise architecture and control frameworks.

Develop and mentor engineering talent

, championing Agile practices, continuous learning, and adoption of emerging AI and data engineering technologies.

Qualifications

Bachelor's Degree and 8 years of experience in Information Technology including application development, support roles, and management. OR High School Diploma or GED and 12 years of experience in Information Technology including application development, support roles, and management.

Preferred :

Experience implementing ML or GenAI systems on major cloud

platforms

preferably AWS.

Knowledge of LLMs, vector

databases,

and orchestration frameworks.

Bachelor’s Degree and 8 years of experience in Information Technology, Data Engineering, or AI / ML Platform Engineering including leadership roles.

OR High School Diploma or GED and 12 years of experience in Information Technology or AI platform delivery, including management of cross-functional engineering teams.

Preferred Area of Experience : Financial services with

focus

on AI / ML delivery, data platforms, and regulated environments.

License or Certification Type : AWS Certified Solutions Architect, Google Professional ML Engineer, Project Management Professional (PMP), or Certified Agile Project Manager (IAPM / PMI-ACP).

Strong understanding of AI / ML pipelines,

MLOps

frameworks, and Responsible AI controls.

Experience integrating third-party AI and data solutions within secure on-prem and cloud ecosystems.

Knowledge of information security, data governance, and regulatory compliance frameworks related to AI.

Demonstrated ability to develop both strategic and tactical plans, manage vendor partnerships, and build technical teams that deliver enterprise-scale AI capabilities.

LI-XG1

Benefits are an integral part of total rewards and First Citizens Bank is committed to providing a competitive, thoughtfully designed and quality benefits program to meet the needs of our associates. More information can be found at https : / / jobs.firstcitizens.com / benefits.

Company Description :

Founded in 1898 and headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., First Citizens Bank serves customers in 18 states and the District of Columbia. For over 100 years, customers have trusted First Citizens with their money … and their futures. Today, First Citizens is the largest family-controlled bank in the nation and the sixth-largest bank franchise headquartered in the Southeast with more than $30 billion in assets. We employ more than 6,000 associates who are focused on helping our customers achieve a lifetime of success. First Citizens operates more than 570 branches in Arizona, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Maryland, New Mexico, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia.

First Citizens Bank. Forever First®. Member FDIC.

Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer / Minority / Female / Disability / Veteran

If you need special assistance or an accommodation in applying for employment at First Citizens Bank, please contact our Human Resources department.