AVP, AI Accelerator

AVP Data Science - GD05AE

We’re determined to make a difference and are proud to be an insurance company that goes well beyond coverages and policies. Working here means having every opportunity to achieve your goals – and to help others accomplish theirs, too. Join our team as we help shape the future.   

Are you ready to disrupt the future of insurance with the power of Artificial Intelligence and Generative AI? The candidate will build a practice on par with leading AI research laboratories that focuses on practical AI use cases for The Hartford. We are looking for visionary leaders who can effectively nurture, challenge and inspire our teams, push boundaries enterprise-wide, and revolutionize how we underwrite, assess risk, process claims, and create standout customer experiences in the fast-changing world of AI! 
 

This role requires a strategic innovator and execution-focused leader with a deep scientific and implementation-focused understanding of the latest AI technologies, use cases, data engineering practices, and the ability to lead cross-functional teams across an enterprise. In this pivotal role, you will oversee the establishment of a world-class, leading-edge applied AI  team that leads in AI acceleration and supports scaling and productization of the solutions with built in scalability, security, and self-service features.

The ideal candidate will have a deep AI  background and a proven track record leading cross-enterprise teams to integrate the latest AI capabilities and deliver solutions related to real-time multimodal streaming, complex agentic frameworks, LLM foundational models, and knowledge graphs, data APIs, etc.

This role can have a Hybrid or Remote work arrangement.  Candidates who live near one of our office locations will have the expectation of working in an office 3 days a week (Tuesday through Thursday)  Candidates who do not live near an office will have a remote work arrangement, with the expectation of coming into an office as business needs arise. Must be eligible to work in the US without company sponsorship.

Key Responsibilities:

• Define and lead The Hartford’s AI acceleration strategy with particular emphasis on GenAI to identify and implement high-end use cases, ensuring alignment with business objectives and emerging industry trends.
• Develop and execute cutting-edge AI vision and roadmap for the enterprise to make The Hartford a leader in using AI for the insurance industry.
• Partner with stakeholders internal to the Data Science organization, Technology organization and business organization, aligning with business objectives and driving innovation to improve productivity and efficiency of underwriting, claims, sales, marketing andcustomer service efforts.
• A leader with strong engineering skills – who can partner with engineering team scale and productionize solutions
• Lead end-to-end AI projects from problem formulation to model deployment, integrated into a broader portfolio of advanced analytics.
• Drive the development of state-of-the-art AI/ML models with a focus on, AI, GenAI, Agent architecture-based chat solutions, Automated scenario simulation and model optimization.
• Drive applied AI innovation and integrate the solutions with in Hartford portfolio to enable business transformation
• Develop LLM models and data-driven decision enhancing solutions to optimize business processes, improve process transparency and drive data-driven decision making.
• Design and conduct experiments, tests, and causal inference analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions and initiatives.
• Champion the integration of AI solutions within The Hartford’s AI platform to maximize reuse, scalability, and governance.
• Closely work with cross-functional teams to define, prioritize, and implement features, infrastructure, processes, and workflows.
• Stay up to date with the latest developments in AI, Large Language Models, Machine Learning, and related fields. Evaluate emerging technologies for potential adoption.
• Build and lead a high-performing enterprise AI team, fostering individual growth and technical excellence. Provide strategic AI leadership, influence stakeholders across the organization, and drive transformative AI initiatives that enhance decision-making, automation, and business impact.
• Building and maintaining relationships with external partners, vendors to leverage best practices and emerging technologies in AI and GenAI.
• Provide training and mentoring to team members on AI & GenAI technologies, agentic workflows, and implementation strategies. Share knowledge and best practices to foster a culture of innovation and continuous improvement.

Qualifications:

• PhD in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Engineering or a related field is preferred with 7+ years of professional experience in AI with strong foundation in Machine Learning. Masters or Bachelors in Computer Science or related areas with 15+ years of industry experience would also be considered. 
• Professional experience leading major AI transformations.
• Strong understanding of GenAI, machine learning, and related technologies along with business acumen. 
• Proven strategic AI vision development and execution and business acumen: Ability to develop a vision for AI initiatives and align them with business objectives. Strong understanding of AI trends and how to position AI as a strategic asset within the organization.
• Experience in Data Science, Agent architecture (CrewAI, Semantic Kernel, Autogen, Prompt Flow), Large Language Models (Commercial and Open Source), LangChain, Retrieval Augmented Generation, Vector Databases, and Machine Learning models.
• Proficiency in one or more general purpose programming languages like Python, Java and Machine learning libraries, e.g., PyTorch and scikit-learn.
• Experience with cloud platforms and services, such as Google Cloud, AWS, Azure and their offerings for generative AI
• Sound Knowledge of Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud based ML/LLMOps tools like SageMaker / ML Studio / Vertex AI. Experience with GCP, Cloud AI, Vertex AI, and Big Query strongly preferred.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders across the enterprise.
• Experience creating production environment data analytics and applications.
• Insurance industry experience would be a plus.

Compensation

The listed annualized base pay range is primarily based on analysis of similar positions in the external market. Actual base pay could vary and may be above or below the listed range based on factors including but not limited to performance, proficiency and demonstration of competencies required for the role. The base pay is just one component of The Hartford’s total compensation package for employees. Other rewards may include short-term or annual bonuses, long-term incentives, and on-the-spot recognition. The annualized base pay range for this role is:

$182,400 - $273,600

Equal Opportunity Employer/Females/Minorities/Veterans/Disability/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity or Expression/Religion/Age

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