AI Research Engineer Jobs in Illinois

Essential Responsibilities

• Partner with AI Strategy leadership to convert prioritized AI opportunities into executable roadmaps, workstreams, milestones, resource plans, and delivery plans.
• Establish and manage the operating framework for AI SBU initiative intake, planning, sequencing, dependency management, execution governance, and delivery reporting.
• Lead day-to-day AI SBU operations, including planning, decision tracking, resource coordination, process improvement and leadership priorities.
• Partner with Enterprise Architecture, Data Engineering, Application Development, Infrastructure, and Information Security teams to translate AI priorities into technical requirements and support high-level solution architectures.
• Define end-to-end solution, including data flows, integrations, technology dependencies, control, implementation, and operational support models.
• Serve as the primary liaison between the AI SBU and technology delivery teams, ensure clear ownership, coordinated execution, and alignment with priorities.
• Lead cross-functional planning, design, and execution sessions involving business stakeholders, technology teams, vendors, and governance functions.
• Identify potential challenges and risks associated with change initiatives and develop mitigation strategies.
• Facilitate cross-functional evaluation of solution alternatives, bringing together the appropriate architecture and engineering leaders to assess feasibility, scalability, technology fit, integration complexity, operational readiness, implementation risk, and build-versus-buy considerations.
• Drive AI initiatives from planning through implementation, adoption, operationalization, and post-implementation measurement ensuring alignment with the business outcome.
• Manage portfolio-level risks, issues, dependencies, resource constraints, and delivery conflicts; escalate decisions requiring leadership action.
• Provide executive-level visibility into delivery progress, milestones, risks, resource needs, trade-offs, and decisions.
• Partner with AI Governance and internal teams to embed applicable requirements into solution delivery.
• Analyze current processes, identify opportunities for improvement, and implement efficient solutions to optimize the operation of the AI SBU.
• Develop reusable solution patterns, implementation playbooks, governance processes, and reporting to improve speed, consistency, control, and sustainability of AI execution.

Education & Years of Experience

• Minimum - Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Technology, Data Science, Business or related
• Preferred - Graduate Degree Business, Information Technology or related
• Minimum - Progressively experience spanning technology program leadership, enterprise delivery, engineering, systems implementation, portfolio management, strategy and operations or related

In Lieu of Education

• 15 Years of Technology program leadership, systems engineering, solution delivery, architecture or related

License/Certifications/Training

• Preferred - Project Management Professional (PMP)
• Preferred - SAFe, Agile, or comparable product-delivery certification
• Preferred - Cloud, engineering, or solution-architecture certification
• Preferred - AI, data, machine-learning, or change-management training

Compensation & Benefits:

Typical hiring range:‏‏‎ ‎ $149,700.00 to $256,700.00‎ Annually. Actual compensation will be determined using factors such as experience, skills & knowledge.

‎Benefits: Alliant provides a benefits package including health care, vision, dental, and 401k with employer match including:

• Annual performance bonus
• Work from home up to 3 days a week
• Paid parental leave
• Employee discount programs
• Time off including paid personal and sick days
• 11 paid holidays
• Education reimbursement

• Note that eligibility and cost of benefits can vary depending on the number of regularly scheduled hours, and job status such as regular full-time, regular part-time, or temporary employment.

Adhere to and ensure compliance of all business transactions with policy and process of the Bank Secrecy Act. Ensures compliance with all applicable state and federal laws, company procedures and policies. Maintains integrity and ethics in all actions and conversations with or regarding credit union members and their accounts; complies with Privacy Act directives.

The responsibilities listed do not contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this position. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights (https://www.eeoc.gov/poster) notice from the Department of Labor.