AI Subject Matter Expert

Job Summary

Aptive Resources is seeking an AI Subject Matter Expert with more than fifteen years of experience in the life sciences industry focused on creating and delivering data science and artificial intelligence solutions that accelerate healthcare innovation. In this role you will be Aptive’s senior AI advisor supporting the Veterans Health Administration’s National Artificial Intelligence Institute by writing the playbooks and risk management guidance that VHA AI use case owners rely on, advising the governance bodies that decide which AI systems reach Veterans, and helping business units across the enterprise build AI strategies that hold up under federal scrutiny. The role is advisory throughout: you will equip and advise government decision-makers rather than make agency decisions. This senior level, full-time position is remote. This is a contingent hire position.

Primary Responsibilities

• Serve as the contractor team’s senior AI technical advisor to the VHA National AI Institute across the AI inventory, risk management, oversight, and enterprise strategy workstreams.
• Author and maintain AI risk management playbooks, standard operating procedures, guides, and living FAQ documents that enable AI use case owners to satisfy federal and agency risk management requirements.
• Translate federal AI policy into practical, actionable guidance for a non-specialist VHA audience (Executive Order 13960, OMB M-25-21 and M-25-22, and the VA Trustworthy AI Framework).
• Advise AI use case owners on the development and execution of AI risk management plans through working sessions, office hours, and asynchronous support, at a cadence of at least one working session per month.
• Design and execute the AI risk stratification pilot, including a new methodology for evaluating and assigning risk levels to AI systems, and evaluate its results.
• Support VHA business units in creating and updating their AI innovation and governance strategies, covering at least five business units.
• Develop training materials and deliver training webinars for AI use case owners and AI oversight personnel.
• Provide expert content and programming for the VHA AI Assessment Subcommittee, field AI committees, and other centralized governance entities, including trainings and summits.
• Research emerging AI risk management approaches and tools from published and publicly available literature, webinars, and vendor developments for briefings to Institute leadership and government stakeholders.
• Develop AI entrepreneur and adopter playbooks covering both internal development and vendor evaluation pathways.

Minimum Qualifications

• Years of experience: More than 15 years of experience in the life sciences industry with a focus on creating and delivering data science and artificial intelligence solutions to accelerate healthcare innovation. Preferred: eight or more of those years developing or applying AI tools inside a healthcare enterprise at scale.
• Required experience: Previous experience leading efforts to aggregate, analyze, and interpret health information. Previous experience developing new processes, solutions, and information architectures that leverage a variety of data types including medical images, electronic health records, wearable data, and -omics data. Previous experience using data platforms to scale machine learning algorithms through a ModelOps AI platform.
• Degree: Doctorate degree in a computational, data science, health informatics, clinical, or life sciences discipline. Any doctorate is eligible, including a DrPH, MD, PhD, or ScD.
• Licensure/certifications: None required. NIST AI Risk Management Framework training or an equivalent AI governance credential preferred.
• Work location: Work is performed at the contractor’s site and no travel is anticipated.
• Clearance: None required. Must be able to obtain and maintain a favorably adjudicated Tier 1 / National Agency Check with Written Inquiries (NACI) background investigation in accordance with VA Handbook 0710. Must complete VA Privacy and Information Security Awareness and Rules of Behavior training (TMS #10176) prior to system access and annually thereafter.
• Citizenship: Must be authorized to work in the United States. All work must be performed within a jurisdiction subject to the law of the United States or its territories.

Desired Qualifications

• Command of the federal AI policy and governance landscape, including EO 13960, OMB M-25-21 and M-25-22, the VA Trustworthy AI Framework, and the NIST AI Risk Management Framework.
• Demonstrated ability to move fluidly between deeply technical AI discussion and executive-level strategy conversation with non-technical leadership.
• Experience standing up or operating an AI use case inventory, model registry, or comparable enterprise AI transparency mechanism.
• Experience aggregating, analyzing, and interpreting health information across imaging, EHR, wearable, and -omics data types.
• Familiarity with ModelOps or comparable platforms for scaling machine learning algorithms in production.
• Prior VA, VHA, DoD health, or other federal health agency experience strongly preferred.
• Experience advising clinical stakeholders on AI risk in a health system setting.
• Familiarity with VA Arches or comparable accredited federal AI and analytics environments.
• Experience authoring governance artifacts such as charters, playbooks, SOPs, assessment guides that were actually adopted and used by an operating organization.
• Ability to get up to speed quickly on complex issues; desire to work in a fast-paced, rapidly evolving environment.
• Capable self-starter with a drive to get all types of work done and high attention to detail.
• Outstanding written and verbal communications skills.
• Knowledge of military and Veteran populations.

Client Information

The National Artificial Intelligence Institute sits within the Digital Health Office of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Its mission is to improve the health and well-being of Veterans and to empower the VHA workforce by harnessing the potential of trustworthy AI solutions and emerging technologies. The Institute identifies and matures AI use cases, pursues and tests solutions for prioritized use cases, plans and conducts pilots, evaluates the effectiveness and value of those solutions, and supports enterprise adoption and scaling decisions. It also carries VHA’s responsibilities for federal AI transparency and oversight, working in collaboration with VA’s Chief AI Office. More information is available at

About Aptive

About Aptive. Aptive partners with federal agencies to achieve their missions through improved performance, streamlined operations and enhanced service delivery. Based in Alexandria, Virginia, we support more than a dozen agencies including Veterans Affairs, Transportation, Defense, Homeland Security and the National Science Foundation. We specialize in applying technology, creativity and human-centered services to optimize mission delivery and improve experiences for millions of people who count on government services every day. Founded: 2012. Employees: 300+ nationwide.

EEO Statement

Aptive is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, parental status, veteran status, age, disability, or any other protected class. Veterans, members of the Reserve and National Guard, and transitioning active-duty service members are highly encouraged to apply. About Aptive: Aptive partners with federal agencies to achieve their missions through improved performance, streamlined operations and enhanced service delivery. Based in Alexandria, Virginia, we support more than a dozen agencies including Veterans Affairs, Transportation, Defense, Homeland Security and the National Science Foundation. We specialize in applying technology, creativity and human-centered services to optimize mission delivery and improve experiences for millions of people who count on government services every day. Founded: 2012. Employees: 300+ nationwide.

Originally posted on Himalayas