What are the responsibilities and job description for the Director of Artificial Intelligence position at Ascendion?
Director of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Location: Houston, TX or Dallas, TX (Acceptable: Austin, TX / San Antonio, TX)
Position Type: Full-Time, Exempt
Reports To: CTO / Executive Leadership
About Our Client
We have been exclusively retained by an award-winning, fast-growing premier Managed Service Provider (MSP) and technology consulting firm deeply rooted in Texas hospitality and enterprise engineering excellence. Recognized consistently on prestigious industry lists including CRN’s Tech Elite 250 and Fast Growth 150 they specialize in cloud, cybersecurity, and data-driven solutions for the mid-market enterprise space.
Over the past 12–18 months, our client has laid a bulletproof foundation for AI: developing robust internal use policies, governance frameworks, and data readiness initiatives. They have successfully deployed advanced automated environments internally and begun rolling out advisory frameworks to help their clients build out their own AI journeys.
On their behalf, we are seeking a visionary, commercially minded Director of Artificial Intelligence to bridge strategy and commercialization. This is an outward-facing, cross-functional executive role that will define what they build, why it matters, and how they scale AI into a core revenue-generating pillar over the next 3–5 years.
What You Will Do
- AI Strategy & Governance: Define, own, and execute our client's enterprise AI roadmap. Establish governance frameworks and acceptable use policies to ensure ethical, secure, and compliant AI adoption across all internal and client environments.
- Commercialization & Productization: Develop and scale client-facing AI service offerings, readiness assessments, Microsoft ecosystem integrations, and workflow automation frameworks specifically tailored for mid-market clients.
- Internal Productivity & Enablement: Identify high-friction, manual workflows across departments and lead internal AI enablement initiatives to optimize operational efficiency and maximize automation maturity.
- Cross-Functional Leadership: Partner closely with Sales, Marketing, Business Intelligence, and Executive Leadership to translate complex AI capabilities into measurable business value. Serve as the leading voice and authority on AI trends and risk management.
Who You Are
- Experienced Leader: 8–12 years of progressive experience across AI, data architecture, automation, or advanced analytics, with a proven track record in a Director-level or senior leadership role.
- Industry Veteran: Prior experience in Managed Services Providers (MSPs), technology consulting, or mid-market enterprise environments is highly preferred.
- Strategic & Outward-Facing: Highly skilled at translating advanced technical concepts into elegant, value-driven business strategies for C-suite executives and clients alike.
- Ecosystem Expert: Deep structural understanding of enterprise data governance, agentic/autonomous AI models, and the Microsoft AI ecosystem.
Salary and Other Compensation:
The annual salary for this position is between $200,000 – $250,000 base. Factors which may affect pay within this range may include geography/market, skills, education, experience and other qualifications of the successful candidate.
Additional Compensation: This executive position includes a target annual performance bonus.
Benefits:
The Company offers the following benefits for this position, subject to applicable eligibility requirements:
- Medical insurance
- Dental insurance
- Vision insurance
- 401(k) retirement plan
- 9 paid holidays annually
- Short-Term and Long-Term Disability (LTD)
- Paid Time Off (PTO) package
- Professional development and technology certification tracks
Salary : $200,000 - $250,000