About this role.
Instructure is seeking a Director of AI Transformation to establish and lead its AI Center of Excellence, reporting to the SVP of Data. The role owns shared AI infrastructure, model and data governance, a cross-functional roadmap, enablement programs, and impact reporting. This leader will build a centralized-expertise and decentralized-execution operating model, hire and develop the COE team, and partner with leaders across the company. Candidates need 12+ years in technology, data, or product roles, substantial people leadership experience, and practical knowledge of production AI, LLMs, agentic systems, security, and data controls.
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5/5Pace & Pressure
5/5Autonomy Level
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Cover letter sample
Dear Hiring Team,
I am excited to apply for the Director, AI Center of Excellence role at Instructure. My background leading enterprise technology and AI transformation initiatives aligns with your need for a leader who can establish secure shared infrastructure, practical governance, and a measurable cross-functional roadmap.
I would bring a disciplined, outcome-focused approach to scaling AI adoption: defining model and data standards, enabling decentralized teams, and reporting candidly on cost, throughput, quality, and business impact. I am particularly drawn to Instructure’s mission to make education more capable through thoughtful, responsible technology.
I would welcome the opportunity to help build an AI-native operating model that makes teams faster, smarter, and safer every quarter.
Sample interview questions
I would begin with a short discovery phase to inventory current AI use cases, data flows, tools, risks, and measurable business outcomes. I would then establish a prioritized roadmap that delivers a few high-value, low-risk shared capabilities quickly—such as approved model access, SSO, data boundaries, and reusable patterns—while building the governance process needed to scale responsibly.
Effective governance should provide clear, reusable pathways rather than case-by-case friction. I would create risk tiers, pre-approved models and integrations, standard privacy and security reviews, ownership requirements, and continuous quality monitoring so teams can move quickly within well-understood boundaries.
I would use a balanced scorecard that connects adoption to operational outcomes: cycle-time reduction, throughput, quality or error rates, cost to serve, employee experience, and realized financial impact. Each initiative would have a baseline, accountable business owner, target metric, and recurring review to distinguish pilots from scalable value.
I would use a hub-and-spoke model: the COE owns the common platform, guardrails, enablement, and portfolio visibility, while functional leaders own use-case outcomes and change adoption. Regular executive steering, communities of practice, published playbooks, and transparent prioritization help maintain alignment without centralizing every decision.
I would define a production readiness process covering data classification, access control, model approval, prompt and output evaluation, monitoring, incident response, and vendor due diligence. I would also require human oversight appropriate to the risk level and regularly test controls as models, regulations, and use cases evolve.
At Instructure, we believe in the power of people to grow and succeed throughout their lives. Our goal is to amplify that power by creating intuitive products that simplify learning and personal development, facilitate meaningful relationships, and inspire people to go further in their education and careers.
We do this by giving smart, creative, passionate people opportunities to create awesome. And that’s where you come in:
About the role.
We’re standing up an AI Center of Excellence, and we’re looking for a Director, AI Transformation to lead it. You’ll own the system that makes Instructure an AI-native company: shared infrastructure, governance, a cross-functional roadmap, and a clear, honest read on impact. You’ll partner with leaders in every function to turn AI from scattered pilots into a capability that gets sharper every quarter. This role reports to the SVP, Data.
Our mission for this team is simple: make Instructure the most operationally capable AI-native company in education — turning every function and team into a system that gets smarter and faster every quarter.
What you will be doing.
Build the foundation. Stand up and run the shared AI infrastructure — integrations, data boundaries, the approved-model registry, and a standard AI stack with single sign-on and data-loss prevention that every function can build on.
Set the guardrails. Charter and run the governance council, and put in place the security, privacy, approval, and quality monitoring that let teams move fast without creating risk.
Own the roadmap. Set AI COE priorities in collaboration with other departments
Prove the impact. Define the standard metrics for cost, throughput, and quality, and report progress through the AI efficiency scorecard.
Build capability. Create centralized training libraries and enablement programs along with HR team, and build the place where teams share what works so the whole company benefits.
Lead the operating model. Run a centralized-expertise, decentralized-execution model where the Center of Excellence owns the system, functions own the outcomes
Build and grow the team. Hire, coach, and develop the Center of Excellence team, including forward-deployed AI engineers, admins etc
What you need to know and have.
12 or more years of experience in technology, data, or product roles, including 5 or more years leading teams, with a track record of delivering measurable operational impact at scale — not just pilots.
2 or more years working directly with AI or machine-learning systems, including hands-on familiarity with modern AI tooling, agentic systems, and large language models.
Deep understanding of the infrastructure, data, and security that production AI requires, including model registries, integrations, single sign-on, and data-loss prevention.
Strong governance instincts. You know how to set guardrails for security, privacy, and quality that speed teams up rather than slow them down.
Proven ability to influence across an organization, from individual contributors to executives, and to build coalitions in a decentralized operating model.
A bias for clear metrics and honest reporting. You measure what matters and you tell the truth about progress.
Experience building enablement and training programs that change how people actually work.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to make complex technical topics clear to non-technical audiences.
A bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, data, business, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience. An advanced degree is a plus.
Get in on all the awesome at Instructure!
We offer competitive, meaningful benefits in every country where we operate. While they vary by location, here’s a general idea of what you can expect:
Competitive compensation, plus all full-time employees participate in our ownership program – because everyone should have a stake in our success.
Flexible work culture. Our remote, hybrid and in-office collaboration spaces vary by role, team and location.
Generous time off, including local holidays and our annual “Dim the Lights” period in late December, when teams are encouraged to step back and recharge based on departmental needs.
Comprehensive wellness programs and mental health support
Learning and development resources, including professional development tools and tuition reimbursement, to support your growth
The technology and tools you need to do your best work
Motivosity employee recognition program
A culture rooted in inclusivity, support, and meaningful connection
We believe in hiring great people and treating them right. The more diverse we are, the better our ideas and outcomes.
Instructure is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We comply with applicable employment and anti-discrimination laws in every country where we operate.
All employees must pass a background check as part of the hiring process. To help protect our teams and systems, we’ve implemented identity verification measures. Candidates may be asked to verify their legal name, current physical location, and provide a valid contact number and residential address, in accordance with local data privacy laws.
Any attempt to misrepresent personal or professional information will result in disqualification.
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