AI Governance Lead

First San Francisco Partners (FSFP) is a leading business advisory and information management consultancy dedicated to helping organizations leverage their data to improve strategic decision-making, reduce risk, create operational efficiencies and fuel unprecedented business success. Our consulting services include data management, data governance, Collibra (data governance and data quality software) implementation/adoption, data architecture, data quality, master and reference data management, metadata management and data privacy.

Kelle O’Neal founded the company in 2007 and is its Chief Executive Officer. FSFP’s leading position and strong reputation in our industry is because of our experienced senior leaders and dedicated consultants, business analysts and sales, administrative and marketing staff.

FSFP serves clients throughout the U.S., including large consumer brands, notable financial institutions and other organizations who want to make their information (data) actionable.

FSFP’s culture is centered on teamwork and a shared passion for what we do. We believe in treating clients (and one another) with respect and delivering measurable results for clients. Our FIRST values (Focus, Integrity, Resourcefulness, Skillfulness and Teamwork) guide our interactions.

AI Governance Lead 

Contract (1099 / Corp-to-Corp) or Contract to Hire   |   Remote (Occasional Travel Possible)   |    $100/hr - $125/hr

About the Role 

We are seeking an experienced governance leader to help regulated-industry clients define, refine and/or execute policy and accountability frameworks that govern how AI is used inside the enterprise. This role needs to determine how to establish policy and gain commitment on core AI related decisions such as: what the enterprise is willing to delegate to AI, who is accountable when AI acts, what standards AI implementations must meet, and how governance tenets support the safe adoption of AI.  

AI Governance as a discipline is still emerging, therefore we are looking for a seasoned practitioner that has deep experience in adjacent categories - enterprise data governance, corporate governance, regulated-industry compliance, or similar.  The Lead will work as part of a unified AI and Data Governance framework, partnering closely with a client’s existing Data Governance function and with a Data & AI Architect who owns the technical environment that implements components of the Governance Framework.   

This is a high-visibility position embedded with VP and Director level stakeholders. The role is often responsible for leading the FSFP engagement team as well as the project itself. 

Key Responsibilities  

AI Governance:   

• Policy Authority for AI: Define what AI the enterprise will and will not use, on what basis, and under what conditions. Includes prohibited uses, permitted uses, and the criteria that distinguish them. Author policies where needed 

• Decision Rights for AI: Define what decisions the enterprise is willing to delegate to AI, where humans must remain in the loop, where humans review after the fact, and where AI can act autonomously. Establish how those lines are drawn, who has authority to redraw them and how they are tracked and measured. 

• AI Use Case Intake and Risk Classification: Establish the intake process for AI use cases, including AI impact assessments and risk classification, and match the level of oversight to the level of risk. 

• Accountability Framework: Establish who is accountable when AI acts, including model and use case owners in the business, independent risk and compliance review, and audit assurance. Map this to the client’s existing corporate accountability structures rather than building a parallel one. 

• Third-Party AI Position: Define how the enterprise governs third-party and vendor AI, including procurement criteria, vendor assessment standards, contractual terms, and ongoing review. 

Collaboration and Stakeholder Management:  

• Unified Operating Model with Data Governance: Build an integrated operating model with the client’s Data Governance function: one accountability structure, one place AI use cases get reviewed, one set of policies, and shared metadata. The goal is reinforcement, not a parallel program competing for the same stakeholders. 

• Stakeholder Alignment: Serve as the primary governance advisor to VP- and Director-level stakeholders; translate strategic intent into actionable governance commitments. Manage alignment across data governance, AI engineering, legal, privacy, security, and business stakeholders, including senior leadership communication and the operation of governance forums. 

• Engagement Leadership Lead the engagement team and own both the engagement roadmap and engagement deliverables from development to adoption. Own engagement planning, status, risks, and deliverables. Partner with the Data & AI Architect and the client’s teams to keep policy and technical tracks in sync. 

Required Qualifications 

• 8 to 12 years of progressive experience in enterprise data governance, model risk management, corporate governance, AI/ML lifecycle oversight, or a closely related governance, risk, or compliance discipline, with engagement or program leadership scope. 

• Demonstrated experience setting policy and accountability frameworks at enterprise scale, not only operating frameworks set by others. 

• Working knowledge of how authority, accountability, and decision rights are structured in large enterprises. 

• Experience defining oversight structures with first-line ownership in the business, independent risk and compliance review, and audit assurance. 

• Track record managing a cross-functional mix of stakeholders; governance, business, technical and functional. 

• Strong executive communication. Able to engage senior stakeholders, frame trade-offs, and drive decisions. 

• Comfort working embedded alongside an in-house client team, balancing facilitation with hands-on delivery. 

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (Information Management, Risk, Law, Business, Public Policy, Philosophy, or similar), or equivalent professional experience. 

Preferred Qualifications 

• Experience in regulated industries such as agriculture, life sciences, pharmaceuticals, financial services, or healthcare. 

• Direct experience building AI Governance practices, even at smaller scale or as an internal program inside a single enterprise.  

• Hands-on experience with the EU AI Act, ideally having translated obligations into enterprise policy rather than only interpreting them. 

• Working knowledge of NIST AI Risk Management Framework and ISO/IEC 42001, including how they map to internal policy. 

• Familiarity with generative and agentic AI risks (hallucination, prompt injection, data leakage, IP exposure, autonomous decision oversight) and how enterprises are setting policy on them. 

• Experience operating or facilitating a Data Management Committee, AI Governance Committee, or equivalent enterprise governance forum. 

What Success Looks Like 

• Clear AI accountability in place. Named model and use case owners in the business, defined independent risk and compliance review, and audit assurance, all mapped to existing corporate accountability structures. 

• A unified AI and Data Governance operating model adopted by the client, with shared accountability, intake, policies, and metadata between the two functions. 

• Coordinated operation of the Data Management Committee and AI Governance Committee, with cross-cutting issues handled jointly rather than falling between the two. 

• Live AI use case intake and risk classification applied to both predictive and generative AI use cases. 

• Defined enterprise position on generative AI and agentic risks, on third-party AI, and on the conditions under which the enterprise accepts each. 

• A documented position on the EU AI Act, NIST AI RMF, and ISO/IEC 42001 that the client’s team can defend and maintain. 

• Operating documentation and capabilities the client’s team can carry forward after the engagement closes. 

This role is open to independent contractors operating on a 1099 or Corp-to-Corp basis, as well as candidates seeking contract to hire. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States. 

 

This range is based on our market pay structures. Individual salaries are determined by a variety of factors including, but not limited to business considerations, local market conditions, internal equity and candidate qualifications, such as skills, experience and education. 

Pay Transparency Notice: First San Francisco Partners will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c) 

Benefits Summary

At First San Francisco Partners, the health and safety of our employees and their families is a top priority. We support our employees in all aspects of their life, including health and financial well-being. Full Time employees scheduled to work 40 hours per week are offered a variety of benefits including medical, dental and vision insurance; a 401(K) savings plan, disability coverage; life and accident coverage, vacation time and paid holidays.  

Temporary Consultants are not eligible for First San Francisco benefits but can participate in other company incentives including our Employee Referral Program.  

EEOC Statement

First San Francisco Partners is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer, making hiring decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class.