Director, Data & AI Architecture

**Overview** Under general direction, the Director of Data and AI Architecture will drive the evolution of our hybrid data strategy and AI architecture to enhance our industry leading SaaS healthcare payer products and corporate data management products. This hands-on leader will be responsible for actively leading and mentoring a team of data architects responsible for defining scalable, secure, and compliant data architecture and patterns. This role will also lead the effort to establish and maintain a strategic data and AI roadmap, data and AI standards, best practices, and reference models that will guide our product and engineering teams to deliver consistent, scalable, and maintainable products that enable our customers. This leader will partner with key vendors/partners, product management, and our data engineering team to ensure effective data architecture and AI patterns are applied. The role communicates with technology leadership regarding strategic direction, outcomes, staffing, and other assignments. The Director is a trusted advisor to technology and product leadership, customers, and teams to align efforts, collaborate, and achieve desired outcomes. This leader uses their expertise in hyperscaler cloud and hybrid data design and implementation, analytics strategy, platforms and patterns, AI/ML governance, and U.S. healthcare payer regulatory compliance (e.g., HIPAA, HITRUST, CMS). This person leads Data Architects, AI Architects, and Data Scientists while collaborating with product and engineering teams to deliver data-driven SaaS solutions that enhance healthcare payer operations, risk management, and member engagement. **Responsibilities** Governance + Manages governance for AI implementation including ethics, model management and explainability, bias mitigation, and compliance with evolving regulations + Reviews and gains approval of data and AI driven technical solutions through the architecture governance process. Proposes and communicates data driven innovation initiatives through governance processes to influence evolving technology standards Data Strategy & Architecture + Develops and refines the enterprise hybrid data strategy and roadmap, optimizing cloud and on-premise data assets for scalability, security, compliance, and performance + Actively leads the effort to architect highly scalable, multi-customer data solutions that support AI-driven analytics within a SaaS environment while driving the modernization of data platforms, data lakes, and data streaming architectures for advanced insights and automation + Provides actionable guidance for data pipeline patterns and industry standard data models to ensure interoperability with healthcare payer ecosystems + Defines and enforces data security, privacy, and governance policies aligned with industry standards. Partners with compliance and legal teams to anticipate and address regulatory changes impacting AI and data usage AI Strategy & Responsible AI Architecture + Defines and implement responsible AI standards, data-driven patterns and best practices to ensure fairness, transparency, and compliance in AI-enabled SaaS products + Oversees the design and deployment of AI/ML (Machine Learning) and agentic models for payer analytics, risk adjustment, fraud detection, and personalized member engagement + Collaborates with product and engineering teams to embed AI-driven automation and decision intelligence into SaaS offerings Leadership & Cross-Functional Collaboration + Works closely with Product Management, Engineering, and Customer Success teams to align data and AI strategies with our growth strategy and payer market needs + Develops and maintains external and internal relationships to influence strategy, standards, and processes + Represents the company to as a thought leader in data-driven healthcare SaaS solutions, contributing to industry discussions and innovation + Leads by example and mentors teams of Data Architects, AI Architects, and Data Scientists, fostering innovation and technical excellence. Responsible for items including talent acquisition, coaching, training needs assessment, performance evaluation, goal setting, and ongoing feedback + Creates, manages and adheres to an annual departmental budget while optimizing the mix of contractors and associates to ensure steady work + Drives department strategic objectives and business outcomes in alignment to the organizational strategy. Adapts and supports the enterprise business strategy, gains executive approval and support, and oversees successful execution of initiatives **Qualifications** **Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:** + Strong expertise in cloud and hybrid data architectures (AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud) + Awareness of the U.S. healthcare payer market, regulatory requirements, and industry standards (HIPAA, HITrust, CMS, FHIR, HL7, EDI) + Hands-on experience with AI/ML model deployment, data governance, and responsible AI practices + Proven ability to define and execute a hybrid data strategy and investment plan in a commercial SaaS environment + Effective communication skills, both verbal and written, including the ability to communicate appropriately across all levels of an organization + Ability to be innovative, adaptable, positive, and motivating during difficult situations, projects and/or corporate and client landscape changes + Effective change management skills + Effective financial management skills **Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:** + Experience developing multi-customer, scalable data architectures for SaaS products and platform models + Familiarity with US Healthcare payer analytics use cases (e.g., risk stratification, claims analytics, provider network optimization) + Certifications in cloud technologies (AWS Certified ML Engineer, Data Engineer, Azure Data Engineer, etc.) **Experience:** + 10 years of experience in Information Technology, with a focus on data design and management + 8 years of experience in enterprise data architecture and/or commercial SaaS product data architecture, using AI/ML, and analytics + 5 years in a leadership role, leading cross-functional teams of Data Architects, Data Scientists, and AI Architects + 5 years' experience in a leadership role managing data and AI resources + 5 years of experience with technical product lifecycle approaches and technologies + 5 years agile IT product development and deployment experience + 3 years of experience successfully managing/leading data architecture / technical teams through transformations + 3 years of financial budget management and forecasting **Required Training, Certification and Education:** + Bachelor's degree in computer science, information systems, engineering, business administration or a related field or equivalent work experience **Preferred Training, Certification and Education:** + Master's degree in computer science, data management or data science, information systems, engineering, business administration or a related field **Working Conditions:** + Remote/Home Office + Well-lighted, heated and/or air conditioned indoor office setting with adequate ventilation + Must be able to use equipment at workstation for up to 8 hours daily + Flexibility to travel approximately 10% of the time **Benefits Overview** At NASCO, we trust our workforce to be fully remote, **_working from their home_** . This benefit offers significant, personalized outcomes for each associate including work/life balance, savings on commuting, work clothing, and increased time to spend on personal activities. Our full benefit package is designed to support the physical, mental, and financial health of our associates. We offer: **Physical and Mental Health Benefits** + Choice of Blue Cross Blue Shield Medical, Dental, and Vision Plans + Telehealthcare - for Medical and Behavioral visits + Generous PTO with buy/sell options + 9 Company holidays, a floating day off, and a day off for volunteering + Employee Assistance Program + Wellness program - earn insurance discounts or credit towards health-related items **Financial Health Benefits** + 401K Plan with employer matching contributions + Company-funded spending/reimbursement accounts to help with out-of-pocket medical expenses + Bonus and Recognition programs + Tuition Assistance + Consultation with financial planner + Basic Life & AD&D Insurance, Short and Long-Term Disability Insurance provided, and Supplemental Term Life Insurance is available + Group Discount programs - mobile, technology services, etc., to help you save money **Other Benefits** + E-Learning - Comprehensive and current library of e-learning and performance support assets, available on demand and at no cost NASCO is an Equal Opportunity Employer/veterans/disability/race/color/religion/sex/sexual orientation/gender identity/national origin. Must have legal authority to work in the US. _We will not accept applicants that use AI when answering the screening questions._ _Applicants who use AI to answer any questions or to complete their application will not be considered for employment._ **Location** _US-Home Office/ Remote_ **\# Positions** _1_ **Category** _Information Technology - All Openings_ **Travel Requirements** _0-20%_