Senior AI Governance Lead

Why RTI

RTI International is an independent, scientific research institute dedicated to improving the human condition. Our vision is to address the world's most critical problems with technical and science-based solutions in pursuit of a better future. Clients rely on us to answer questions that demand an objective and multidisciplinary approach—one that integrates expertise across social, statistical, data, and laboratory sciences, engineering, and other technical disciplines to solve the world’s most challenging problems.

We believe in the promise of science and technical solutions, and we push ourselves every day to deliver on that promise for the good of people, communities, and businesses in the US and around the world. If you are looking for the opportunity to make a real difference, RTI is the place for you.

About the Hiring Group

In May 2025, RTI launched the Office of Data and AI Strategy (ODAS) and appointed its first Vice President of Data & AI Strategy to lead a transformative, enterprise-wide initiative advancing RTI’s data and AI capabilities. Building on the Institute’s foundation in data governance, infrastructure, and talent, ODAS is integrating these strengths across the organization to shape a comprehensive strategy aligned with RTI’s mission, operational priorities, and long-term vision for innovation and responsible AI adoption.

We are currently seeking an AI Governance Lead to work closely with other teams (e.g. legal, compliance, security, engineering, and research) to translate regulatory requirements and risk frameworks into actionable policies, technical controls, and review processes. You will also advise on responsible development and deployment, conducts AI risk and security assessments, and leads red‑teaming and adversarial testing efforts for high‑impact AI systems.

What You'll Do

The AI Governance Lead is responsible for establishing and operationalizing governance frameworks that ensure artificial intelligence (AI) systems are responsible, secure, compliant, and trustworthy. This role partners closely with cross-functional teams, including legal, compliance, security, engineering, and research, to translate regulatory requirements and risk frameworks into actionable policies, technical controls, and review processes.

You will provide guidance on the responsible development and deployment of AI solutions, conduct risk and security assessments, and lead red-teaming and adversarial testing efforts for high-impact systems. Additionally, this role drives the development and implementation of governance policies, risk management practices, and oversight mechanisms across the full AI lifecycle, with a strong emphasis on federal compliance, security, and risk mitigation.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and maintain AI governance policies and standards covering responsible use, risk management, security, documentation, and lifecycle oversight.
• Establish governance processes such as AI inventories, risk tiering, and ongoing monitoring for AI systems across the enterprise.
• Ensure alignment with federal compliance and regulatory requirements, including NIST frameworks, FISMA, and FedRAMP.
• Leverage AI risk assessments, bias and impact evaluations, and mitigation planning for high‑impact or regulated AI use cases.
• Promote AI security best practices, including threat modeling, secure architecture guidance, and protections against misuse, data leakage, and model exploitation.
• Plan and execute AI red‑teaming and adversarial testing activities, including evaluation of generative AI systems for robustness, misuse, and emergent risk scenarios.
• Partner with technology, data, and innovation teams to embed governance and security controls into AI platforms, workflows, and tooling.
• Contribute to enterprise knowledge sharing by developing guidance, templates, and training materials that make compliant and secure AI practices easier to adopt.

What You'll Need

• Bachelor’s degree in information security, computer science, public policy, data science, or a related field
• 8+ years of experience in AI governance, security, risk management, compliance, or related domains.
• Demonstrated experience creating and operationalizing governance policies, standards, or oversight frameworks for technology systems.
• Working knowledge of federal compliance and risk frameworks and how they apply to AI systems.
• Experience conducting AI risk assessments, security reviews, or threat modeling for advanced analytics or AI/ML systems.
• Ability to translate regulatory and security requirements into practical guidance for technical and non‑technical stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

• Hands‑on experience with AI security, including adversarial attack prevention, model misuse detection, and mitigation of risks such as prompt injection, data leakage, and model exploitation.
• Experience leading or participating in structured AI red‑teaming exercises, particularly for generative AI systems.
• Familiarity with the NIST AI Risk Management Framework and emerging federal AI governance expectations.
• Experience supporting AI systems in regulated or federal environments (e.g., healthcare, justice, defense, public sector research).
• Security or privacy certifications (e.g., CISSP, CISM, CIPP) are a plus.

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EEO & Pay Equity Statements

For San Francisco, CA USA Job Postings Only: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. Further information is available here.

RTI accepts applications to our job openings from candidates with criminal histories or conviction records in accordance with all applicable laws, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act.

For Applicants in Massachusetts Only: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

The anticipated pay range for this role is listed below. Our pay ranges represent national averages and may vary by location as a geographic differential may be applied to some locations within the United States. RTI considers multiple factors when making an offer including, for example: established salary range, internal budget, business needs, and education and years of work experience possessed by the applicant. Further, salary is merely one element to our offer.

At RTI, we demonstrate our commitment to rewarding individual and team achievement through a total rewards package. This package includes (among other things) a competitive base salary, a generous paid time off policy, merit based annual increases, bonus opportunities and a robust recognition program. Other benefits include a competitive range of insurance plans (including health, dental, life, and short-term and long-term disability), access to a retirement savings program such as a 401(k) plan, paid parental leave for all parents, financial assistance with adoption expenses or infertility treatments, financial reimbursement for education and developmental opportunities, an employee assistance program, and numerous other offerings to support a healthy work-life balance.

Equal Pay Act Minimum/Range

$175,000.00-$200,000.00