Director of Artificial Intelligence and Data

Director of Artificial Intelligence and Data Duties:

The Director of Artificial Intelligence and Data is responsible for designing, executing and maintaining the comprehensive transformation and ongoing development of our lending applications using AI-driven solutions. This role will own the evolution of our modern data architecture, including the design and implementation of a scalable enterprise data warehouse to enable analytics, reporting and business intelligence across the organization.

They will evaluate processes, identify opportunities for automation and improvement, and implement AI-enabled solutions that boost operational efficiency, enhance decision accuracy, increase scalability and deliver exceptional customer experiences while meeting stringent regulatory standards and managing risk.

Pay Range

USD $170,000.00 - USD $200,000.00 /Yr.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

• Collaborate with leaders across the end-to-end lending lifecycle (origination, underwriting, risk, servicing, collections, compliance, finance) to assess, redesign, and modernize business processes.
• Identify and execute high-impact opportunities to reduce manual effort, cycle time, cost and operational risk through AI, advanced analytics and intelligent automation.
• Translate complex business challenges into clearly defined AI and data use cases with measurable outcomes tied to growth, efficiency, risk mitigation and customer experience.
• Define and lead a pragmatic AI and advanced analytics strategy aligned with the company’s lending objectives, risk appetite and regulatory requirements.
• Oversee the design, development and deployment of AI-enabled solutions, including credit risk and propensity models, detection of suspicious or illicit activity, intelligent document processing, decision support tools and selective AI capabilities to support servicing and contact center operations.
• Ensure all AI and analytical solutions are explainable, auditable, monitored, and production-ready in accordance with model risk management standards.
• Own the enterprise data strategy and modern data architecture, including data ingestion, integration, modeling and implementation of a centralized enterprise data warehouse.
• Establish and enforce data governance standards covering data quality, lineage, privacy, security and access controls while enabling trusted analytics and BI.
• Partner closely with risk, compliance, legal and audit teams to ensure adherence to regulatory expectations (e.g., fair lending, data privacy, model governance).
• Act as a strategic advisor to senior leadership; build and mentor high-performing teams across data science and analytics, and drive adoption through change management and training.
• Other duties as assigned by management. Must be able to come to work promptly and regularly. Must be able to take direction and work well with others. Must be able to work under the stress of deadlines. Must be able to concentrate and perform accurately. Must be able to react to change productively.

Supervisory Responsibilities

Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization's policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering or related field; master’s degree preferred.
• Minimum 10 years' of experience in data, analytics, AI or automation.
• Minimum 5 years in leadership role.
• Demonstrated experience applying AI, analytics or automation in consumer or personal loan lending.
• Experience designing or leading modern data platforms and enterprise data warehouses is required.
• Strong understanding of lending operations, credit risk and regulated environments.
• Experience in fintech or unsecured consumer lending with cloud-based data platforms, MLOps, and data governance frameworks.
• Experience leading remote or distributed teams preferred.

About Foundation Finance

Foundation Finance Company (FFC), a Great Place to Work® certified company since 2017, is a fast-growing consumer finance company working with home improvement contractors across the U.S. to drive sales through flexible, customer-focused financing options.

Available Benefits

· Day-one Health Benefits (medical, dental, vision, and flexible spending options like HSA or FSA accounts).

· 401(k) with company match enrollment on day-one.

· Paid, Sick and Volunteer Time Off

· Paid Parental Leave Options

· Employer Paid Life and Disability

· Wellbeing on Demand Program

· Flexible Work Environment with a casual dress code

• Employment status (full-time or part-time) may affect eligibility for certain benefits. Some benefits become available only after a specified period of employment. Please refer to our Benefits page for details.

Office environment with significant time spent sitting, typing and talking on the telephone.

Foundation Finance Company provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

If you reside in the state of Colorado, please click on the following link to review our benefits: Foundation Finance Benefits

These benefits are designed to support our employees in their professional growth, health, and overall well-being. Eligibility, coverage details, and enrollment processes will be provided during the onboarding process. At Foundation Finance Company, we are committed to fostering a positive work environment where employees can thrive both personally and professionally.

Remote Work Disclaimer

Foundation Finance Company LLC requires that remote employees must reside in one of the following states to be considered for any of our remote positions: AL, AR, AZ, CO, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, LA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NJ, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, and WI.