Director of Artificial Intelligence Governance (Remote)

The SouthState story is one of steady growth, deep community roots, and an unwavering commitment to helping our customers move forward. Since our beginnings in the 1930s to becoming a trusted financial partner across the South and beyond - we are known for combining personal relationships with forward-thinking solutions.

We are committed to helping our team members find their success while maintaining the integrity of our values: building trust, fostering lasting relationships and pursuing excellence. At SouthState, individual contributions are recognized, potential is cultivated and team members are inspired to achieve their greater purpose. Your future begins here!

SUMMARY/OBJECTIVES

It is the responsibility of the Director of AI Governance to take ownership of all tasks and challenges that they encounter in the operation of their assigned position.  As an experienced and visionary Director of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Governance, this role will develop, lead, and scale our bank’s enterprise AI governance framework. This role will be instrumental in establishing the policies, controls, and oversight mechanisms needed to safely and responsibly deploy AI technologies across the bank’s operations. The ideal candidate will also play a strategic role in shaping the bank’s AI roadmap, driving responsible use case evaluation, and guiding the onboarding of AI-enabling technologies in collaboration with key stakeholders.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

AI Governance Framework Development

• Assist in the design and implementation of the bank's AI governance operating model aligned with regulatory expectations, internal policies, and ethical standards.

• Define roles and responsibilities across the first, and second lines of defense for AI lifecycle oversight.

• Establish risk-based policies, standards, and procedures for AI and machine learning (ML) model development, deployment, and monitoring.

AI Strategy & Use Case Oversight

• Provide guidance in the strategic planning process of the AI adoption across business units, ensuring alignment with the bank’s digital transformation goals and risk appetite.

• Help create a structured use case intake and evaluation framework to assess potential AI projects for value, risk, feasibility, and compliance.

• Guide cross-functional reviews of AI use cases, ensuring appropriate second-line challenge and business case validation.

• Help define success criteria, KPIs, and risk acceptance conditions for experimental and production AI use cases.

Technology Enablement & Onboarding

• Partner with IT and Vendor Management to evaluate, select, and onboard AI-enabling technologies (e.g., model development platforms, governance tools, explainability and fairness testing tools).

• Ensure technology onboarding aligns with governance standards, cybersecurity requirements, and third-party risk policies.

• Maintain awareness of emerging AI vendors, platforms, and tools and their applicability to financial services operations.

Regulatory Compliance & Risk Management

• Ensure compliance with evolving regulatory frameworks such as: OCC Bulletin 2011-12 / SR 11-7 (Model Risk Management), FFIEC AI & ML guidance, NIST AI RMF, EU AI Act (as applicable).

• Lead risk assessments for AI use, addressing model bias, explainability, data privacy, cyber risk, and operational impact.

• Control monitoring and testing

AI Ethics and Responsible Use

• Promote responsible AI principles: transparency, fairness, accountability, human-in-the-loop oversight.

• Develop methods to monitor AI model behavior over time, including bias detection, drift monitoring, and ethical safeguards.

Training & Awareness

• Work with corporate and cyber training to build an awareness of AI governance policies through enterprise-wide training and communication programs.

• Educate stakeholders on the roles and expectations in AI adoption and oversight.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

COMPETENCIES

• Strategic and pragmatic leader who can balance innovation with control.

• Ability to drive enterprise change while embedding trust and accountability in AI systems.

• Skilled at navigating complex regulatory landscapes and managing emerging risks.

• Capable of translating technical AI concepts for executive and regulatory audiences.

Qualifications, Education, and Certification Requirements

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Data