AI Program Director

Job Title: AI Program Director

• Position Summary:
• The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research ("the Foundation") is seeking top talent for its AI Program Director role. This position at The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (“the Foundation”) is responsible for defining, advancing, and scaling the Foundation’s enterprise AI strategy. This role will guide the Foundation from experimentation to coordinated, responsible, and measurable adoption of AI, enabling greater organizational effectiveness, accelerating mission impact, and proactively managing risk.

Working in close partnership with organizational leaders and cross-functional teams, this position establishes the strategy, governance, operating model, performance metrics, investment priorities, budget, roadmap, and execution cadence required to embed AI thoughtfully and sustainably across the Foundation.

The role will identify and prioritize high-value use cases, drive adoption and change management, and ensure AI initiatives align with organizational goals, responsible-use principles, and regulatory/ethical expectations. By connecting strategy with execution, this position will help the Foundation build a scalable AI ecosystem that strengthens decision-making, improves staff experience, and expands the organization’s ability to advance its mission.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategy, Prioritization & Program Maturity

Maintain an enterprise-wide view of AI initiatives, pilots, investments, and dependencies across the Foundation

Partner with organizational leaders to identify and prioritize high-impact opportunities aligned with mission, strategic, and operational goals

Develop and manage a sequenced, enterprise AI roadmap that balances near-term value, organizational readiness, risk, and long-term capability building

Define program objectives, performance indicators, maturity benchmarks, and reporting mechanisms to measure outcomes and inform investment decisions

Establish prioritization criteria and resource-allocation recommendations for AI initiatives, platforms, and enabling capabilities

Manage the AI program budget, track performance against plan, and recommend adjustments based on results and evolving priorities

Incubation, Adoption & Knowledge Sharing

Design and operationalize a repeatable incubation model that moves opportunities from intake and prototyping through evaluation, scaling, or retirement

Guide teams in testing, refining, and validating AI solutions before broader implementation

Build adoption plans that address workflow integration, training, communications, change management, and ongoing support

Facilitate knowledge-sharing forums and cultivate a cross-functional AI community of practice

Develop and maintain reusable resources, including prompt libraries, implementation playbooks, evaluation tools, and leading practices

Capture and share lessons learned to improve future initiatives and accelerate responsible adoption across the Foundation

Program Execution & Technical Enablement

Lead cross-functional AI initiatives from initial concept and business case through design, launch, measurement, iteration, and enterprise rollout

Translate business needs into clear requirements, success criteria, review processes, and acceptance standards for AI-enabled workflows and solutions

Coordinate internal and external partners to ensure initiatives are delivered on time, within scope, and against defined outcomes

Identify technical, data, process, and organizational dependencies that could affect implementation and proactively drive resolution

Partner with technology and business teams to assess platforms, tools, architectures, and reusable capabilities that support the AI roadmap

Governance, Responsible Use & Risk Management

Develop, maintain, and operationalize guidelines and standards for AI, including acceptable use, privacy, security, transparency, and ethical safeguards

Define practical controls and review processes proportionate to the risk and impact of each AI use case

Monitor evolving regulations, sector practices, technology risks, and ethical considerations, translating them into actionable guidance for a nonprofit research organization

Coordinate Legal and Cybersecurity, stakeholder reviews of new AI capabilities, vendors, and use cases

Promote accountability and responsible decision-making by ensuring appropriate human oversight, documentation, and escalation pathways

Qualifications & Skills:

Proven experience leading technology, digital transformation, data, innovation, or enterprise change initiatives, with increasing responsibility for strategy, execution, and organizational outcomes

Demonstrated success building and scaling new programs, including defining objectives, success measures, and reporting that demonstrate value and inform investment decisions

Proven experience developing strategic roadmaps, investment priorities, performance measures, and execution plans for complex, cross-functional initiatives

Proven ability to lead organizational change, drive adoption, build alignment, and influence senior leaders, technical teams, and business partners

Working knowledge of AI technologies, including generative AI, machine learning, and intelligent automation, and the ability to translate technical capabilities into practical, responsible, and high-value solutions

Experience designing and operationalizing governance frameworks, decision rights, policies, controls, and risk management practices for technology-enabled programs

Ability to identify and manage dependencies across data, technology, business processes, workforce readiness, privacy, cybersecurity, legal, and change management

Strong strategic, analytical, and systems-thinking skills, with the ability to connect mission priorities, organizational readiness, data maturity, technology investments, and adoption

Exceptional communication, facilitation, and relationship management skills, with the ability to explain complex technical and risk considerations to diverse audiences

Experience implementing or scaling AI, data, digital transformation, or emerging technology programs in a complex organization is strongly preferred

Experience in nonprofit, healthcare, biomedical research, philanthropy, or another mission-driven environment is preferred

• Compensation & Benefits
• Individual compensation for this role is dependent on a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, qualifications, skillsets, and applicable laws. In addition to salary, the Foundation offers a comprehensive benefits package, including:

15+ options for medical insurance (with the Foundation paying 90 percent of the premiums)

Competitive dental and vision plans

401(k) plan with 6 percent employer contribution

Flexible spending accounts

Employer paid life and disability insurance

18 Vacation Days; 12 Well-Being (Sick) Days; 2 Personal Days; summer Fridays (office closure at 2pm) and a summer holiday week over July 4

Flexible work environment. We trust all employees to work closely with their manager and colleagues to determine when, where and how programs and projects get done.

Employees are also eligible for a discretionary bonus on an annual basis. The Foundation provides staff and leadership cultivation through regular training courses and events.

Salary Range

$165,000 — $185,000 USD

• How to Apply:
• Interested candidates should submit a resume and thoughtful cover letter describing through examples, their specific qualifications and interest in the position. If you think that your skills are transferable and can add value to this role, please apply. Applicants who best match the position’s needs will be contacted.

• About Us:
• The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research was founded in 2000 with one clear objective: accelerating meaningful therapeutic advance