Vice President Data & AI

POSITION SUMMARY

The Vice President, Data & Artificial Intelligence (VP, Data & AI) is a senior executive reporting directly to the Chief Information Officer and responsible for shaping and executing Vessco Water’s enterprise strategy for data management, analytics, and applied artificial intelligence.

This individual will serve as both a strategic business partner and a technology leader, building a modern data foundation and establishing an innovation pipeline that delivers measurable business outcomes across the enterprise’s family of operating companies.

The VP, Data & AI will define the data and AI vision, architecture, and multi-year roadmap, build the internal and external delivery ecosystem, and chair cross-functional governance bodies that align initiatives with business priorities.

Key Duties:

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and execute a 3-year enterprise Data & AI strategy and roadmap, aligned with corporate objectives, digital transformation, and value creation plans.

• Partner with business unit leadership, finance, operations, and IT to identify high-impact use cases for data and AI, supported by well-defined business cases and ROI metrics.

• Establish a data-driven culture by promoting literacy, democratization, and responsible use of analytics and AI throughout the organization.

• Serve as the executive sponsor and chair of the Enterprise Data & AI Steering Committee, ensuring prioritization, funding, and success measurement for initiatives.

Data Strategy & Governance

• Lead the definition and implementation of the enterprise data architecture, including data lakehouse, master data management (MDM), data integration, and governance frameworks.

• Oversee policies and standards for data quality, security, lineage, privacy, and compliance (aligned with NIST, GDPR, CCPA, and industry-specific requirements).

• Establish and lead the Data Governance Council, ensuring consistent practices across 40+ operating entities.

• Partner with cybersecurity leadership to align data protection and risk management practices.

AI & Advanced Analytics

• Build the enterprise’s AI capability stack, spanning predictive analytics, generative AI, computer vision, and process automation.

• Identify and operationalize AI use cases that drive commercial efficiency (e.g., demand forecasting, pricing optimization, customer engagement, predictive maintenance, digital twin modeling).

• Evaluate and deploy enterprise AI platforms (e.g., Microsoft Fabric, Azure OpenAI, Databricks, Power Platform) in alignment with enterprise IT standards.

• Create governance and controls for ethical, compliant, and transparent AI use, including model risk management and data privacy adherence.

Execution & Organizational Development

• Build and lead a high-performing hybrid team of data engineers, data scientists, AI specialists, business analysts, and visualization experts.

• Establish and manage strategic partnerships with technology vendors, system integrators, and analytics service providers.

• Oversee project delivery from ideation through production, ensuring scalability, security, and measurable business outcomes.

• Develop the operating model, budget, and KPIs for Data & AI, balancing internal capability and external partner utilization.

• Mentor and develop internal talent to elevate enterprise data competency.

Collaboration & Influence

• Work closely with the executive and senior leadership and platform presidents to embed data and AI capabilities into enterprise processes.

• Communicate complex technical concepts in clear business terms for executive audiences.

• Represent the company externally with vendors, analysts, and peer networks as a thought leader in data and AI for industrial and water/wastewater markets.

Supervisory Responsibilities: 

• Data Engineers, Data Scientists, AI Specialists, Business Analysts

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Data Science, Computer Science, or related field

• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in data management, analytics, or AI roles.

• Proven succes