Vice President, Applied AI & Automation

The work we do has an impact on millions of lives, and you can be a part of it.

We help protect our customers against life’s uncertainties. Regardless of where you work within the company, you’ll be helping provide protection and peace of mind when our customers need it most.

The VP of Applied AI and Automation will lead the strategy, development, and deployment of advanced AI solutions. In partnership with technology and business leaders, define what can be achieved through AI and scale high-performing solutions across the organization that transform business processes and unlock new value streams.

Key Responsibilities:

·       AI & Agentic Automation Leadership: Champion the identification, evaluation, and deployment of AI and agentic automation solutions, including large language models (LLMs), autonomous agents, and generative workflows.

·       AI Strategy & Roadmap: Develop and execute a comprehensive AI and automation strategy, integrating AI and agentic automation into the enterprise roadmap.

·       Solution Development & Deployment: Build a robust pipeline of AI and agentic automation use cases. Oversee the end-to-end lifecycle from ideation through deployment, change management, and value realization.

·       Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with Data to design, validate, and operationalize GenAI and agentic automation solutions. Foster collaboration with IT, business leaders, and vendor partners.

·       Portfolio Management: Oversee the AI project portfolio, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives, ROI, and business outcomes. Track performance metrics and drive continuous improvement of AI solutions.

·       AI Governance & Risk Management: Collaborate with Legal, Compliance, and Information Security to manage risk, data privacy, and ethical AI principles.  Establish governance frameworks and best practices for responsible adoption

·       Thought Leadership & Enablement: Serve as an internal and external thought leader on AI and agentic automation. Represent the organization in external forums, publications, and speaking engagements.  Oversight of AI champion network, supporting AI fluency, adoption, and sustainability of AI solutions enterprise-wide

·       Change Management & Adoption: Drive adoption and sustainability of GenAI and agentic automation solutions through training, communication, and stakeholder engagement.

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Business, or related field (Master’s or MBA preferred).
• 12+ years of experience in technology, strategy, or business transformation roles, with significant leadership in AI, analytics, or automation.
• Proven track record of implementing enterprise solutions in regulated environments and leading cross-functional initiatives.
• Deep expertise in machine learning, NLP, LLMs, agent orchestration, generative AI, and automation frameworks.
• Familiarity with enterprise AI platforms (e.g., Azure AI, Snowflake, Databricks, Power BI, OpenAI APIs) and cloud data architectures.
• Experience with automation platforms (UiPath, Blue Prism, Power Automate).
• Strong business acumen, stakeholder management, and communication skills.
• Experience with budget planning, compliance frameworks, and performance metrics.
• Ability to thrive in fast-paced, ambiguous environments and drive initiatives from concept to value realization.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, mentor, and develop high-performing teams.

Employee Benefits:  

We aim to protect the wellbeing of our employees and their families with a broad benefits offering. In addition to offering comprehensive health, dental and vision insurance, we support emotional wellbeing through mental health benefits and an employee assistance program. Work/life balance is important and Protective offers a variety of paid time away benefits (e.g., paid time off, paid parental leave, short-term disability, and a cultural observance day). The financial health of our employees is just as important as physical and emotional health.  Some of the financial wellbeing benefits include contributions to healthcare accounts, a pension plan, and a 401(k) plan with Company matching. All employees are encouraged to protect their overall wellbeing by engaging in ProHealth Rewards, Protective’s platform to improve wellbeing while earning cash rewards.   

Eligibility for certain benefits may vary by position in accordance with the terms of the Company’s benefit plans.

Accommodations for Applicants with a Disability:

If you require an accommodation to complete the application and recruitment process due to a disability, please email eric.hess@protective.com. This information will be held in confidence and used only to determine an appropriate accommodation for the application and recruitment process.

Please note that the above email is solely for individuals with disabilities requesting an accommodation.  General employment questions should not be sent through this process.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to being inclusive and attracting, retaining, and growing an inclusive workforce.