Director, Data & AI Risk Management

Location: Remote within the United States; occasional travel may be required for leadership meetings, governance sessions, audits, stakeholder engagement, or business planning.

Base salary: $215,000–$245,000 USD per year, plus performance-based bonus and a U.S.-based benefits package.

Company

Salas O’Brien is an employee-owned engineering and professional services firm providing integrated engineering and consulting services across sectors including data centers, healthcare, science and technology, clean energy, education, robotics, and infrastructure.

What you will do

• Build, maintain, and improve data and AI policies, standards, procedures, and implementation guidance.
• Lead the cross-functional Data and AI Risk Management Committee, documenting decisions and escalating key matters to senior leadership.
• Assess AI use cases, approve or condition adoption, decline requests where necessary, and communicate decisions clearly.
• Maintain inventories of models, agents, AI-enabled tools, vendors, and acquired technologies.
• Define control ownership, evidence requirements, review cadences, and audit-readiness processes.
• Review third-party AI tools, manage exceptions, and translate requirements into employee guidance, training, and resources.

Requirements

• 12 or more years of experience in risk management, governance, compliance, audit, or a related discipline, with substantial focus on data, analytics, or artificial intelligence.
• Experience developing and implementing policies, standards, and procedures aligned with legal, audit, regulatory, or client expectations.
• Working knowledge of model risk management, including inventory, validation, monitoring, and documentation.
• Experience mapping regulatory and contractual obligations to controls using NIST, ISO, or an equivalent framework.
• Experience running governance committees, maintaining decision records, testing controls, and tracking remediation.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, a related field, or equivalent experience; strong written communication skills.

Nice to have

• Experience with regulated or controlled-data environments, federal contracting, CUI, CMMC, defense, or critical infrastructure.
• Background in financial services, healthcare, or another sector with mature model governance practices.
• Certifications such as CIPP, CISA, CRISC, or CISM.
• Legal or regulatory training, data governance tooling experience including Unity Catalog, or governance integration during acquisitions.

Culture & Benefits

• Employee-owned organization with a people-first approach and a focus on sustainable, long-term impact.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• 401(k) with company match.
• Paid time off, company holidays, wellness programs, and employee assistance resources.
• Professional development support.