Compensation: $148,000 - $274,200 per year
Posted Jun 14, 2026
Leads AI governance program execution at one of the nation's largest Medicaid managed care organizations, overseeing bias mitigation, risk assessment, and ethical AI deployment across clinical and operational AI systems for 28 million members.
What AI systems or risks this role involves
This role governs AI systems deployed across Centene's managed care operations, including models that influence clinical decision support, member risk stratification, care management, and operational workflows at scale. The most pressing AI risks here include algorithmic bias with direct health equity consequences, opacity in models affecting coverage or care decisions, and third-party model risk from vendor AI tools integrated into clinical pathways. Applicable frameworks include HIPAA, the NIST AI RMF, and emerging HHS guidance on AI in healthcare, with the EU AI Act increasingly relevant for high-risk AI system classification. The governance challenge is specific: AI errors at Centene do not just carry reputational risk -- they affect health outcomes for predominantly low-income and vulnerable populations. This role carries a Director title but is fundamentally a build-and-run operational position; practitioners at the Senior or Lead level with domain background in healthcare compliance, GRC, or privacy should not self-select out based on title alone.
About the role
About Centene Corporation
Centene is one of the largest managed care organizations in the United States, serving approximately 28 million members primarily through Medicaid, Medicare, and marketplace health plans. The company deploys AI across clinical, operational, and administrative functions at significant scale, making AI governance a direct patient safety and health equity concern rather than an abstract compliance exercise. The breadth of AI use cases -- from care management to claims processing to member risk scoring -- creates a complex, high-stakes governance environment.
The Role
This Director-level position is the operational engine of Centene's AI governance program, translating the framework set by the VP of AI Governance into running processes, trained teams, and measurable controls. The person in this role owns the day-to-day management of AI risk assessments, bias mitigation protocols, and compliance monitoring across internally developed and third-party AI systems. They manage a team of AI governance professionals and hold accountability for ensuring that AI deployments meet ethical, regulatory, and organizational standards before and after going live.
Why This Role Matters
Centene's AI systems touch clinical and coverage decisions for millions of members who have limited ability to contest or navigate AI-driven errors. Bias in a risk stratification model or opacity in a care recommendation system is not a theoretical problem here -- it has direct consequences for health access and equity. The person who takes this role will shape how one of the country's largest healthcare organizations operationalizes responsible AI, and their work will have measurable impact on both regulatory standing and member outcomes.
Responsibilities
• Execute the enterprise AI governance framework, translating policy into operational workflows, guidelines, and accountability structures across the organization
• Lead AI risk assessments across internally developed and third-party AI systems, identifying ethical, legal, and societal risks and reporting findings to the VP of AI Governance
• Implement and maintain AI ethics guidelines covering bias mitigation, transparency, fairness, and accountability in AI development and deployment
• Manage a team of AI governance professionals, ensuring consistent application of governance standards across business units and AI use cases
• Conduct project-level risk analysis for AI model development initiatives, establishing success criteria and identifying risks before deployment
• Develop and deliver AI governance training and awareness programs for employees and stakeholders across the organization
• Establish metrics and benchmarks to assess the effectiveness of AI governance controls and drive continuous improvement
• Monitor and evaluate the performance and impact of deployed AI systems on members, clinical outcomes, and regulatory compliance
Requirements
Required:
• 7+ years of leadership experience in AI governance, technology risk, healthcare compliance, or a directly adjacent field
• Deep working knowledge of AI governance frameworks, ethical AI principles, and responsible AI best practices
• Strong understanding of the healthcare regulatory environment, including HIPAA and its implications for AI-driven clinical and operational systems
• Demonstrated ability to assess and mitigate risks associated with AI systems at an enterprise scale
• Experience managing cross-functional teams and driving accountability across departments without direct authority over all stakeholders
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Law, Healthcare Management, or a related field -- or equivalent professional experience
Preferred:
• Experience developing or implementing formal AI compliance programs
• Familiarity with AI model development and deployment lifecycles (sufficient to govern, not necessarily to build)
• Knowledge of data governance frameworks and their intersection with AI governance
Relevant credentials such as AIGP (IAPP), CIPP, CISSP, CRISC, or equivalent
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