This position is open to candidates residing in Kansas, Missouri, Colorado or North Carolina. 

Are you energized by connecting people, building partnerships, and helping broadband providers strengthen the way they serve their communities?

As the Executive Director – AI COE and Enterprise Data, you will be responsible for leading NCTC's Artificial Intelligence Center of Excellence (“AI COE”) and its enterprise data initiatives. This unique, non-Senior Leadership Team role, provides strategic leadership to ensure the success of the AI COE. The role oversees strategic and operational leadership for enterprise business intelligence and data analytics, cybersecurity, and AI COE program delivery while ensuring technology investments and well-governed and directly support NCTC's business strategy and member success. The Executive Director AI COE and Enterprise Data establishes technology governance, exercises supervision of AI COE Staff, directs contractor work, oversees operational excellence, and drives innovation through the successful execution and growth of the AI COE.

About NCTC

NCTC is a not-for-profit buying cooperative supporting hundreds of entrepreneurial broadband and telecom companies nationwide. We utilize our collective buying power to generate transactional efficiencies, providing our members with better deals on innovative technology, streaming services, video content, mobile services, hardware, and connectivity – so they can focus on serving their customers and connecting with their communities. This opportunity will help NCTC broaden the adoption of AI-related solutions across its member base. 

Why You’ll Love Working Here

Our team shares a passion for helping members compete and succeed in a fast-changing telecommunications industry. As the Executive Director – AI COE and Enterprise Data, you will be at the forefront of bringing practical, well-governed AI and data solutions to an industry seeking effective ways to adopt and support transformative technology. You’ll work with people who care deeply about what they do and support each other along the way. As you build meaningful relationships, you’ll be playing a real part in helping communities across the nation stay connected and thrive. 

Compensation Range:

· This is a salaried position ranging from $160,000 to $215,000 annually.

· Bonus Eligible. 

· Candidates expecting compensation at the higher end of this range should demonstrate multiple years of direct experience in telecom or broadband, demonstrable success in business development, relationship management, or other customer-facing roles.

· This is a non-commissioned position. 

Generous Benefit Package Includes:

· Choice of subsidized healthcare plans for individuals and families.

· Health Savings Accounts with significant employer contributions.

· 401K Plan with up to a 10% match. 

· 100% company paid vision and dental insurance.

· 100% company paid Short Term and Long-Term Disability Insurance.

· 100% company paid group life insurance and opportunity to buy additional coverage.

· Competitive Paid Time Off.

What You’ll Do:

As Executive Director – AI COE and Enterprise Data, you will lead the strategy, execution, and growth of NCTC’s Artificial Intelligence Center of Excellence while strengthening the organization’s enterprise data and technology capabilities. In this role, you will help turn AI, analytics, and emerging technology into practical solutions that create measurable value for NCTC and its members.

Lead the AI Center of Excellence

· Serve as the operational leader for NCTC’s AI COE, guiding its strategy, governance, day-to-day execution, and continued growth.

· Build and manage the AI COE operating model, including intake, prioritization, milestones, risk management, governance, and lifecycle management of member AI initiatives.

· Develop and manage a portfolio of AI use cases, evaluating opportunities based on member value, technical feasibility, strategic alignment, and return on investment.

· Establish practical AI implementation standards, best practices, reusable tools, and governance frameworks that support responsible and scalable AI adoption across NCTC’s membership.

· Coordinate cross-functional AI delivery teams, including product, data, engineering, vendors, contractors, and member stakeholders, to deliver successful outcomes.

· Define adoption metrics and dashboards that measure member engagement, platform utilization, business impact, and operational performance.

· Partner with Member Success, Product, Sales, and Marketing to increase awareness, adoption, and value realization of AI COE services.

· Evaluate emerging AI technologies, vendors, and strategic partnerships and recommend investments that strengthen the AI COE portfolio.

· Promote responsible AI practices, including appropriate attention to governance, security, privacy, compliance, and ethical use.

· Represent the AI COE in executive discussions, member advisory councils, industry events, and board presentations.

Advance Enterprise Data and Business Intelligence

· Lead NCTC’s enterprise business intelligence and data analytics strategy to ensure the organization has trusted, useful, and actionable information to support business decisions.

· Oversee the architecture for NCTC’s core business systems, data pipelines, reporting layers, and analytics capabilities.

· Define and execute a company-wide approach for how data is curated, modeled, governed, and consumed across the organization.

· Establish data quality standards, common metric definitions, and governance practices that support reliable reporting and informed decision-making.

· Enable self-service reporting across NCTC by working with subject matter experts and business leaders to convert available datasets into decision-ready insights.

· Translate business data into reporting and analytics that improve organizational performance and support strategic priorities.

Shape Technology Strategy and Innovation

· Develop and maintain NCTC’s enterprise data and AI roadmap, aligning technology priorities with NCTC’s strategic goals, operational needs, and member experience.

· Monitor emerging technologies, automation opportunities, and industry trends to identify practical ways to improve efficiency, enhance services, and support innovation.

· Evaluate and recommend technology investments that support NCTC’s long-term strategy and the evolving needs of its members.

· Encourage a culture of experimentation, knowledge sharing, and continuous improvement across technology and data initiatives.

Support Cybersecurity and Technology Governance

· Partner with internal and external security resources to help maintain a secure and well-governed technology environment.

· Support access management, endpoint protection, vulnerability remediation, disaster recovery planning, and compliance with organizational security policies and vendor requirements.

· Help ensure that AI, data, and technology initiatives are implemented responsibly, with appropriate attention to security, privacy, compliance, and operational risk.

Manage Vendors, Budgets, and Operations

· Manage relationships with technology vendors, managed service providers, software vendors, cloud providers, and platform partners that support the AI COE and enterprise data initiatives.

· Support the financial and operational performance of the AI COE, including maintaining the AI COE profit and loss statement as approved by the NCTC Board of Directors.

· Optimize software licensing, infrastructure costs, and technology resources to support business priorities and responsible growth.

What You’ll Bring:

· BA/BS equivalent in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field.

12–15+ years leading enterprise IT operations, infrastructure, or technology organizations.

· Experience managing Microsoft 365, Azure, cloud infrastructure, enterprise networking, identity management, endpoint management, and collaboration platforms.

· Demonstrated success delivering enterprise technology and AI initiatives.

· Strong knowledge of cybersecurity principles and operational IT governance.

· Experience managing vendors, budgets, and cross-functional technology teams.

· Excellent executive communication and stakeholder management. 

· Valid driver’s license.

The Details:

· Annual salary $160,000-$215,000 + annual bonus eligibility

· 25% travel required to support NCTC business needs which may include weekends.

Additional Duties:

· This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed. You will be expected to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform other job-related duties as requested by your supervisor.