Head of Investment AI Strategy
Requisition ID: req1478
Employment Type: Unclassified Regular Full-Time (URF)
Division: Investment Management
Compensation: Depends on Qualification
Job Closing: 12/31/2026 at 11:59pm CST
Location: TRS Headquarters Building 2
1900 Aldrich Street
Austin, Texas, 78723
United States
WHO WE ARE:
With the Investment Management Division (IMD) you will be joining a diverse group of achievers who celebrate the unique value individuals bring to support our shared cause: earning trust and contributing to the financial future of 2 million public education employees and retirees throughout Texas.
Navigating the current market environment takes innovation and we’re passionate about stewarding the right investments to make an impact both in the lives of our members and all Texans. We invite you to partner with the best financial minds in the business to manage a global portfolio of over $200 billion in public and private investments. Our success starts with you.
The Head of Investment AI Strategy serves as the Investment Management Division’s senior business leader for artificial intelligence, leading a small team that works across IMD to identify, prioritize, and advance high-value AI opportunities and use cases. The incumbent partners across business, technology, data, security, legal, compliance and risk functions to advance IMD priorities in enterprise AI Strategy and governance.
The incumbent translates investment-domain needs into actionable business cases, supports business leaders with adoption and sustainability of the AI solutions, and builds IMD’s AI literacy. This position proactively works with internal stakeholders — including IMD leadership, the Executive Team, the Board, and operational teams — as well as external peers and technology vendors, to advance IMD’s AI priorities. In summary, the role advances the responsible use of AI across IMD to help staff make better decisions, increase productivity, and improve business outcomes.
WHAT WILL YOU DO:
Operational Execution & Delivery Partnership
•Identifies and evaluates AI capabilities against IMD business needs, advances recommendations through appropriate technical, security review, and enterprise review processes.
•Serves as business product owner for approved IMD AI initiatives.
•Partners with risk, compliance, data, and security teams to embed responsible AI requirements into IMD use cases and delivery plans.
•Translates enterprise and executive established KPIs into initiative-level success measures and reports outcomes to IMD and enterprise leadership.
•Drives adoption and operationalization of approved AI tools and platforms, partnering with investment teams to address critical needs and reduce bottlenecks.
•Identifies and escalates IMD AI-related risks through established enterprise risk and governance processes and communicates status transparently to senior leadership.
Stakeholder Engagement, Governance & Guidance
•Represents IMD on AI-related governance, contributing investment-domain expertise to enterprise AI strategy, roadmap development, and policy.
•Advances IMD priorities through established governance processes, helping resolve technical and security questions early.
•Advises on, and adheres to, enterprise technical standards, responsible AI practices, and TRS AI policies.
•Manages IMD stakeholder expectations regarding approval timelines, resource capacity, and the approved technology catalog.
•Develops a broad network with peer public pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, and external managers, and shares applicable insights with the enterprise AI community.
•Collaborates with IMD leadership to support governance, strategic planning, and organizational performance.
•Provides recommendations, reports, analysis, and presentations to support executive and Board decision-making.
Strategic Leadership & Enablement
•Develops and drives the IMD AI use case portfolio and business priorities and ensures they are reflected in the enterprise AI roadmap.
•Monitors emerging AI technologies relevant to investment management and partners across the organization to evaluate promising capabilities through appropriate pilots and testing environments.
•Collaborates with IMD leadership, investment teams, IMD AI Champions, and enterprise AI Champions to advance adoption, build organizational capability, and support strategic objectives.
•Leads and develops a small IMD AI team, setting priorities, allocating work, coaching performance, and coordinating delivery through the fusion team model, in which business drives priorities and IT, Data, and Information Security enable scale.
•Partners with enterprise partners expand AI training, tools and responsible AI guidance across IMD and develop investment-specific use case examples that can be shared and reused across the organization.
Performs related work as assigned.
WHAT WILL YOU BRING:
Required Education
•Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in Computer Science, Engineering, Data Science, Information Systems, Business Analytics, Mathematics, Statistics, Economics, Finance, or a closely related field.
•High school diploma or equivalent and additional full-time experience working with artificial intelligence, machine learning, technology strategy, or related experience may be substituted on an equivalent year-for-year basis.
Required Experience
•Seven (7) - Eight (8) years of full-time directly related, progressively responsible experience working with artificial intelligence, machine learning, data and analytics, digital transformation, technology strategy, product management, investment management, investment operations, or related work, including demonstrated responsibility for enterprise-scale initiatives and measurable business outcomes.
•Three (3) - Four (4) years of experience leading multidisciplinary teams, programs, products, or the work of others, including leadership across matrixed business and technology functions, required.
•Three (3) - Four (4) years of experience leading, or supervising the work of others, required.
•Experience may be concurrent.
•A master's degree or doctoral degree in a closely related field may be substituted on an equivalent year-for-year basis.
Required Registration, Certification, or Licensure
•None.
Preferred Qualifications
•Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in Computer Science, Engineering, Data Science, or a closely related field.
•Ten (10) years of full-time experience leading the evaluation, deployment, governance, and business application of AI technologies and platforms in large, matrixed organizations, including collaboration with data science, engineering, product, investment management, investment operations, and business teams to deliver AI-enabled solutions.
•Experience operating within a centralized technology governance model in a regulated or public sector environment, including advancing business technology needs through formal review, risk assessment, and procurement processes.
•Experience in investment management, asset management, financial services, public pensions, or another highly regulated and risk-managed environment.
•Professional certifications in artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, AI governance, Responsible AI, cloud-based AI platforms, or related disciplines.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
Knowledge of:
•AI technologies, advanced analytics, and their practical business applications.
•AI strategy, tool selection, deployment, and lifecycle management in large, matrixed organizations.
•Data, engineering, and product, and technology involved in delivering scalable AI solutions.
•Investment management concepts and workflows, including research, portfolio management, risk, trading, private markets, and investment operations.
•Strategic planning, organizational leadership, and management principles.
•Responsible AI, information security, governance, compliance, and risk management principles.
Skills in:
•Strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, and executive and Board communication.
•Partnering with investment and business leaders to identify and advance AI solutions that support organizational objectives.
•Translating business needs into clear business cases, requirements and measurable outcomes.
•Developing and executing strategic initiatives in complex, technology-driven environments.
•Leading multidisciplinary teams and complex initiatives across business and technology functions.
•Evaluating emerging technologies and industry practices and determining their relevance to the business.
•Analyzing complex issues, exercising sound judgement, and developing actionable recommendations.
•Leading and developing teams while managing multiple priorities and driving results.
Ability to:
•Develop and execute strategic initiatives that support business goals.
•Deliver AI solutions that improve investment insights, decision quality, productivity, risk management, and operational outcomes.
•Translate strategic priorities into operational results and measurable business value.
•Evaluate AI technologies and determine appropriate business applications.
•Navigate enterprise governance and build consensus across business, technology, risk, and other stakeholders.
•Present complex concepts and recommendations clearly to executive leadership, boards, and diverse stakeholders.
•Build effective partnerships and influence decision-making across business and technology functions.
•Exercise sound judgment and appropriately address technology, information security, and AI-related risks.
•Influence, develop, and lead high-performing multidisciplinary teams, including matrixed partners and vendors.
•Promote innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) Codes:
Veterans, Reservists or Guardsmen with experience in the Military Occupational Specialty (
https://www.trs.texas.gov/files/trs-military-crosswalk.xlsx
) along with the minimum qualifications listed above may meet the minimum requirements and are highly encouraged to apply. Please contact Talent Acquisition at
[email protected]
with questions or for additional information.
To view all job vacancies, visit www.trs.texas.gov/careers
or www.trs.csod.com/careersite.
For more information, visit www.trs.texas.gov.
