Assistant Vice President for Data and AI

The AVP for Data and AI will spearhead university-wide efforts to organize and scale the administrative use of AI, data and analytics - providing strategic and operational direction to shape and execute this effort.

Reporting to the Vice President for Information Technology and CIO, the AVP DAI will foster collaboration across administrative, academic support, and research support domains. The role is vital to enabling CMU's staff, faculty, researchers, and students to benefit from AI and data capabilities that are safe, effective, and operationally sound. This is primarily an administrative transformation and operational excellence role: the Assistant Vice President will help CMU use AI, data, analytics, and automation to streamline business processes, improve service delivery, reduce manual effort, strengthen decision support, increase data quality, and improve the effectiveness of core university operations.

The planning that led to the creation of this role envisions the AVP DAI building a high-performing team with capabilities in AI operations, data governance, analytics, business process improvement, product management, change management, and stakeholder engagement. The ambition is to move CMU from experimentation to repeatable institutional capability. This role will focus on building durable services, governed platforms, improved workflows, measurable productivity, and better institutional outcomes.

University sponsors of this initiative intend for the AVP DAI to establish a clear operating model for AI and data that does three things at once:

• Enables responsible innovation and productive use of AI and data across the administrative enterprise
• Reduces administrative burden and compliance, security, and reputational risk for the university
• Provides durable governance, platforms, and expertise that scale with demand and deliver measurable value

The role is not intended to replace academic leadership in AI, faculty research expertise, or college-based innovation. Rather, it will create the administrative and technology foundation that enables responsible adoption at scale - supporting the education and research missions operationally while maintaining clear role boundaries with academic governance.

Posted 2026-06-06