University Executive Director of Operational AI Strategy

University Executive Director of Operational AI Strategy

The Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Operating Officer (EVC/COO) provides strategic leadership in all aspects of the City University of New York (CUNY) operations in the University’s Central Office and 26 campuses. The EVC/COO advances CUNY’s strategic goals and long-term plans by fostering operational excellence, accountability, innovation, and service quality. This work ensures the effective and responsible use of University resources in support of CUNY’s core academic mission.

CUNY seeks an Executive Director of CUNY Operational Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy to serve as the principal advisor and operational strategist for AI adoption in CUNY Operations. Reporting to the Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Operating Officer, the Executive Director will lead the development and execution of a CUNY-wide AI Operations Strategy that modernizes administrative and operational services across the University’s 26 campuses.

The Executive Director will develop a comprehensive AI governance framework that enhances efficiency, strengthens decision-making, and ensures compliance, security, and ethical stewardship of AI use in CUNY Operations. This Executive Director role will lead the strategy to equip CUNY campuses with approved AI use cases, common standards, shared configurations, and implementation guidance, while limiting the fragmented use of unapproved, standalone AI tools.

The Executive Director will collaborate across departments – Information Technology, Human Resources, Facilities Management, Finance, Procurement, and Public Safety – to embed AI-enabled workflows in existing enterprise systems, support automation, establish governance, and modernize operational processes aligned with CUNY’s mission and values.

• Develop and launch a CUNY-wide AI Operations Strategy that defines priority use cases and establishes a governance and implementation plan.
• Establish a governance framework and operational guidelines for AI use in CUNY Central Office Operations and campus administration services across all 26 campuses, including risk management protocols, ethical standards, data quality controls, model evaluations, audit processes, and clear human-in-the-loop decision requirements.
• Develop and maintain a strategic AI roadmap, prioritizing phased use cases that deliver measurable efficiency.
• Prepare multi-year roadmaps, measurable success metrics, and business cases for AI investments.
• Establish University-wide AI standards and guardrails while enabling campus-level adoption within approved frameworks.

• Identify and document high-value workflows for AI streamlining.
• Create an inventory of how campuses are using AI in their operational and administrative functions, including use cases, maturity levels, and gaps.
• Lead the evaluation and implementation of AI-enabled automation, analytics, and decision-support capabilities within approved enterprise platforms.

• Partner with the CUNY operational business owners and strategic platform providers to enable, configure, and govern AI capabilities within enterprise applications.

• Advise senior leadership on AI readiness, risks, opportunities, and resource needs.
• Develop and manage a university-wide AI training and literacy program emphasizing responsible, secure, and ethical use of enterprise-system AI capabilities.

Until further notice, this position is eligible for a hybrid work schedule.

Minimum:

This position is in CUNY's Executive Compensation Plan. All executive positions require a minimum of a bachelor's degree and eight years' related experience.

• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in enterprise systems, operations modernization, automation, or AI-enabled transformation.
• Proven track record of deploying automation or intelligent workflow systems at scale within large and complex organizations.
• Strong understanding of operational,…