Director of Applied AI & Data Science

Feel Good About Doing Good

The Knights of Columbus is a tax-exempt Catholic fraternal benefit society that provides financial security to members and their families through our life insurance, long-term care insurance, disability income insurance, investment and annuity products. Charity is at the core of our missions: our profits are donated to help those in need and to support our faith - $1.73B over the past ten years.

While we have many employees who are not Catholic, we follow the Church’s teachings in our investment strategies and our employee benefits. As part of our religious mission, we support the pro-life cause by contributing to the March for Life and pregnancy resource centers, we oppose assisted suicide and euthanasia, we are evangelists for the Catholic faith, and we help Christians who are facing religious persecution in the Middle East. We all work together to support our two million members as they volunteer to help others in their parishes and communities around the world.

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Overview

The Director of Applied AI & Data Science is a senior technical leader responsible for designing, engineering and operationalizing production grade AI solutions across Life Insurance, Investments, Membership, and Charities. This role focuses on building scalable and reliable AI systems, including machine learning and generative AI (LLM) capabilities, within a governed enterprise data and AI ecosystem.

This role provides technical leadership and oversight for the Senior Applied AI & Data Scientist, Applied AI & Data Scientist, and Senior Data & AI Solutions Architect. The Director of Applied AI & Data Science ensures solutions are production-ready, resilient, cost-effective, and aligned to responsible AI and regulatory standards.

Core Responsibilities

Develop and deploy advanced statistical, machine learning, and AI models supporting insurance, actuarial, claims, and investment decision ‑ making
Design and deliver LLM ‑ enabled analytics and Deep Research solutions, including RAG ‑ based approaches over structured and unstructured data
Perform hands ‑ on data analysis, feature engineering, and model development using enterprise platforms (Snowflake, PostgreSQL, DB2)
Define model success metrics, validation approaches, and explainability standards aligned to business and regulatory expectations
Partner with data engineers and architects to produce models, establish monitoring, and manage model lifecycle and drift
Apply responsible AI practices including bias assessment, transparency, and documentation for audit and compliance review
Communicate analytical insights and model outcomes clearly to business leaders and technical stakeholders
Collaborate across analytics, engineering, risk, and compliance teams to ensure scalable, governed AI and analytics delivery

Skills Qualifications

Required :

Strong experience with Python and SQL and production system development.
Experience with Snowflake and relational databases such as PostgreSQL.
Experience with API development, pipelines, and system integration.
Experience with monitoring, CI/CD, and operational lifecycle management of AI systems.
Proven ability to lead technical teams and deliver complex solutions.

Preferred :

Experience in financial services or other regulated industries.
Experience with DB2 or legacy-to-cloud data migration.

Education

Required :

8+ years of experience in software engineering, data engineering, or ML engineering.
3+ years delivering production AI/ML and/or GenAI solutions (RAG, agents, or similar)

Compensation

The wage range for this role takes into account a broad array of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions, including but not limited to: skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs. The range below applies as long as the work is performed in Connecticut; the Knights of Columbus reserves the right to adjust the wage range if the position is performed in another location. At the Knights of Columbus, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their role, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is $140,000 - $238,000.

Authorization to work in the United States is required.

This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship.

Physical Demands

Must be able to remain in a stationary position for a majority of the workday.

KofC Cares

Our mission is focused on family and faith, and we support our employees in seeking a balanced life.

Employee benefits include:

Time Away: 13 paid holidays per year in addition to vacation and paid sick leave, and flexible workweek schedules.

Professional Development: Certifications, designation, and tuition reimbursement.

Retirement Benefits: 401(k) retirement savings plan with matching company contributions, and cash balance retirement plans fully funded by the company.

Health and Wellness:

Short-term disability and term life insurance fully paid for by the company;
Up to 12 weeks of childbirth leave under STD policy.
One week of fully paid parental leave for all new parents, including adoptive and foster parents.
A variety of health insurance options, including premium-level family coverage and a pre-tax Health Savings Account with employer contributions. The Order's health plans do not cover abortion, sterilization, or contraception, and the Order has helped advocate for other employers who do not want to provide coverage.
Long-term disability insurance;
Dental insurance;
Vision insurance;
Health club membership reimbursement;
Employee Assistance Program