The Opportunity:
Reporting to the Executive Director of Architecture and Planning, the Director of the AI Office leads a newly established Center of Excellence responsible for the strategic direction, governance, and delivery of artificial intelligence capabilities across the Government of Saskatchewan. This is a foundational leadership role with the mandate to build the AI Office from the ground up – hiring the team, establishing governance frameworks, managing multi-million-dollar vendor engagements, and ensuring that AI adoption across ministries is safe, ethical, equitable, and aligned with the province’s strategic priorities.
The Director serves as the government’s principal advisor on AI strategy, responsible AI practices, and emerging technology trends. The role requires navigating complex stakeholder environments – engaging Deputy Ministers, ADMs, ministry IT directors, federal partners (including alignment with the Artificial Intelligence and Data Act – AIDA), interprovincial AI working groups, and industry vendors.
The Director manages the AI Office’s operating budget, oversees capital investment programs for platform deployment and governance tooling, and is accountable for benefit realization reporting to the CIO and executive leadership. The role also serves as the centralized governance authority for AI adoption across all ministries, ensuring data protection, policy compliance, and measurable productivity gains.
Responsibilities
AI Strategy, Governance & Federal Partnerships
- Lead the development and execution of the province-wide AI Strategic Roadmap, including use-case prioritization, investment sequencing, and phased implementation across ministries.
- Establish and maintain the AI Governance Framework, including ethical guidelines, Algorithmic Impact Assessments (AIAs), bias mitigation standards, transparency requirements, and human-in-the-loop policies aligned with FOIP, HIPA, and the federal AIDA.
- Build and sustain relationships with federal partners and interprovincial AI working groups to leverage shared funding, joint procurement opportunities, knowledge exchange, and alignment on national AI governance standards.
AI Office Operations & Team Development
- Build, lead, and mentor the AI Office team from founding hires through to full operating capacity (4–6 FTEs in near-term), including AI architects, data scientists, ML engineers, and governance specialists.
- Manage the AI Office’s operating budget, including vendor procurement oversight, capital program management, and quarterly financial reporting.
- Oversee procurement and delivery of major consulting engagements (AI strategy, platform deployment, training programs, AI governance platform), ensuring milestone-based delivery, quality assurance, and value for money.
Copilot M365 Governance & Enterprise AI Enablement
- Serve as the centralized governance authority for Microsoft 365 Copilot adoption across all ministries, including Acceptable Use Policies, DLP configuration standards, sensitivity labeling requirements, and Privacy Impact Assessments.
- Lead the Copilot rollout strategy from pilot through broad adoption (1,000–5,000+ users), including champion training, adoption analytics, and the Community of Practice.
- Develop prompt-engineering guides, government-specific use-case libraries, and productivity measurement frameworks to demonstrate Copilot value and inform licensing decisions across ministries.
Ministry Engagement & AI Use-Case Delivery
- Act as the primary AI advisor to Deputy Ministers, ADMs, and ministry IT directors, conducting structured use-case identification workshops and co-developing AI business cases that deliver measurable citizen and operational outcomes.
- Manage the province-wide AI use-case backlog, prioritizing initiatives by feasibility, citizen impact, data readiness, and strategic alignment with the AI roadmap.
- Oversee the delivery of production AI use cases across ministries (citizen chatbots, fraud detection, predictive analytics, recruitment screening, policy analysis), ensuring responsible deployment with appropriate governance guardrails.
Platform & Technology Leadership
- Direct the evaluation, procurement, and deployment of the enterprise AI/ML platform, ensuring scalability, security, Canadian data residency, and integration with existing IT infrastructure.
- Lead the selection and implementation of an enterprise AI governance platform for automated AIAs, model inventory tracking, bias detection, explainability reporting, and regulatory compliance automation.
- Define MLOps standards, CI/CD pipelines for AI models, and data governance practices to enable responsible, reproducible, and auditable AI deployments at scale.
Innovation, Advocacy & Benefit Realization
- Advocate for AI investment and innovation at the executive level, presenting business cases, benefit realization reports, and strategic recommendations to the CIO, Deputy Ministers, and Treasury Board as required.
- Monitor emerging AI trends, federal regulatory developments, and industry best practices from other Canadian provincial AI offices to continuously evolve Saskatchewan’s approach.
- Establish and report on benefit realization metrics, tracking tangible financial returns from AI investments and demonstrating value to executive leadership and the public.
Qualifications
Job Capabilities:
In this senior leadership role establishing the Government’s AI capability, we are seeking someone who:
- Holds themselves and others accountable for delivering on work expectations.
- Demonstrates innovation and supports their team in identifying, iterating, and implementing new solutions.
- Brings people together collaboratively and builds relationships that achieve desired outcomes.
- Is inclusive, promotes and supports belonging, encourages diversity, and values all contributions.
- Is adaptable, anticipates the impacts of change, models agility, and supports their team through ambiguity.
- Is outcomes-focused, enables their team to meet or exceed established goals, and balances long-term objectives with tactical execution.
Technical Knowledge and Skills:
AI & Data Science Knowledge
- Strong understanding of AI/ML concepts, techniques, and lifecycle – including supervised/unsupervised learning, NLP, computer vision, generative AI, and large language models (LLMs).
- Knowledge of AI governance, responsible AI frameworks, algorithmic impact assessments, bias mitigation, explainability, and transparency standards (NIST AI RMF, ISO/IEC 42001, Canada’s AIDA).
- Understanding of enterprise AI/ML platforms, MLOps practices, and cloud-native AI deployment architectures.
- Familiarity with data governance, data strategy, data quality frameworks, and privacy legislation (FOIP, HIPA, federal Privacy Act) as they apply to AI systems.
- Understanding of Microsoft 365 Copilot architecture, data loss prevention (DLP), sensitivity labeling, information protection, and enterprise AI adoption strategies.
- Financial acumen including budget management, total cost of ownership (TCO), return on investment (ROI), benefit realization tracking, and capital vs. operating expenditure planning.
Strategic & Government Skills
- Translate government priorities and citizen needs into AI-enabled solutions with clear business cases and measurable outcomes.
- Navigate government procurement processes including competitive RFPs, standing offers, sole-source justifications, and multi-year vendor contract management.
- Identify and leverage federal funding programs, interprovincial partnerships, and shared-service opportunities to maximize provincial AI investment.
- Strong understanding of the Canadian public-sector AI landscape, including federal AI strategies, interprovincial AI working groups, and emerging regulatory frameworks.
Relationship & Leadership Skills
- Proven ability to build and sustain trusted advisory relationships with C-suite executives, Deputy Ministers, and senior government leaders.
- Experience building teams from scratch in ambiguous or start-up environments, with the ability to attract, retain, and develop top AI talent in a competitive market.
- Strong facilitation, negotiation, and conflict resolution skills – particularly in multi-ministry contexts where priorities may compete.
Communication & Influence
- Exceptional communication skills with the ability to translate complex AI concepts into clear, compelling language for non-technical executive audiences.
- Skilled in executive storytelling – articulating AI value, risks, and strategic direction to CIOs, Deputy Ministers, and Treasury Board.
- Experience presenting to boards, committees, and cross-government forums, including federal-provincial working groups.
Personal Leadership & Ethical Commitment
- Demonstrates unwavering commitment to ethical AI, algorithmic fairness, transparency, and public accountability.
- Promotes a culture of responsible innovation – encouraging experimentation while maintaining rigorous governance and risk management.
- Champions Indigenous data sovereignty principles and ensures AI systems respect Treaty rights, cultural protocols, and community consent where applicable.
Education & Experience:
- Master’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, AI/Machine Learning, Engineering, Public Administration, or related field preferred. Bachelor’s degree with significant relevant experience will be considered.
- Certifications in AI governance (e.g., Responsible AI certifications), cloud platforms, or project/portfolio management (PMP, PgMP) are strong assets.
- Experience with government AI frameworks, NIST AI RMF, ISO/IEC 42001, or Canada’s Algorithmic Impact Assessment tool is a significant asset.
- Typically 10+ years of progressive experience in AI/data science leadership, IT strategy, or digital transformation, with at least 3–5 years in a director-level or equivalent role. Public-sector experience (federal, provincial, or municipal) is strongly preferred.
Job Skills:
- Communication (Level D)
- Critical Thinking (Level D)
- Digital Skills (Level C)
- Interacting with Others (Level D)
- Navigating Ambiguity (Level D)
- Managing Self (Level D)
- Health, Safety and Wellness (Level C)
- Data Literacy (Level D)
- Influence (Level D)
- Political and Organizational Awareness (Level C)
- Managing Organizational Resources (Level C)
- Managing Talent (Level D)
Learn more about the Government of Saskatchewan’s Capability and Skills Framework here.
What We Offer:
- Dynamic and challenging work
- Competitive salary
- Comprehensive benefits package including pension
- Vacation, scheduled days off, and other types of leave
- Inclusive work environments
- Career growth, development, and advancement opportunities
- Flexible work arrangements
- In addition to the base salary, this position includes a 4% salary supplement.
