Job Description:
Role Title: AVP, AI Solution Manager, Level 11
COMPANY OVERVIEW: Synchrony (NYSE: SYF) is a premier consumer financial services company delivering one of the industry’s most complete digitally enabled product suites. Our experience, expertise and scale encompass a broad spectrum of industries including digital, health and wellness, retail, telecommunications, home, auto, outdoors, pet and more.
We have recently been ranked #2 among India’s Best Companies to Work for by Great Place to Work. We were among the Top 50 India’s Best Workplaces in Building a Culture of Innovation by All by GPTW and Top 25 among Best Workplaces in BFSI by GPTW. We have also been recognized by Ambition Box Employee Choice Awards among the Top 20 Mid-Sized Companies, ranked #3 among Top Rated Companies for Women, and Top-Rated Financial Services Companies.
We provide best-in-class employee benefits and programs that cater to work-life integration and overall well-being.
We provide career advancement and upskilling opportunities, focusing on Advancing Diverse Talent to take up leadership roles.
ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW: Our AI organization is dedicated to advancing artificial intelligence solutions that put people at the center, ensuring technology serves human needs with empathy and respect. Guided by the core values of human-centric design, trust and understanding, and responsible AI governance, we strive to build AI systems that are transparent, fair, and reliable. We commit to fostering confidence among our customers, employees, and stakeholders by upholding the highest ethical standards, promoting accountability, and continuously enhancing AI safety and inclusiveness. Through collaboration, innovation, and stewardship, our AI organization empowers the institution to harness the transformative potential of AI while safeguarding the interests and well-being of all those we serve.
Role Summary/Purpose:
The AVP, AI Solutions Management role is responsible for evaluating AI use cases submitted across the organization and making clear, defensible recommendations that align with the company’s AI strategy, architecture standards, risk appetite, and control requirements. This role sits at the intersection of product strategy, engineering, governance, and vendor management—assessing build vs. buy vs. hybrid approaches, identifying reuse opportunities, and guiding initiatives from intake through approval and, when appropriate, pilot and production handoff. Success requires deep technical fluency in AI and modern software stacks, strong risk and controls mindset, and excellent stakeholder management across Business, Engineering, DevOps, Governance, Legal, and Risk.
Key responsibilities
Support the AI use-case intake process, gather requirements, and rapidly assess strategic fit, value, complexity, and feasibility.
Maintain an AI use-case/solution inventory; identify duplication and promote reuse of existing platforms and components.
Evaluate alignment to the company’s AI strategy, enterprise architecture, data strategy, and target operating model.
Help establish guidelines for build/buy/hybrid and create recommendation artifacts for leadership and governance bodies.
Assess candidate architectures across cloud services, data platforms, model choices (LLMs, classical ML, CV, NLP), and integration patterns.
Compare third‑party SaaS/managed services with in‑house custom builds and hybrids; estimate TCO, scalability, maintainability, and time‑to‑value.
Support vendor evaluations and small proof-of-concept efforts, reviewing items like security practices, data handling, SLAs, integration needs, and roadmap alignment.
Partner with Procurement/Vendor Management on contracting, licensing, data processing, and exit strategies.
Partner with Engineering, Data Science, and DevOps/MLOps to scope pilots and define success metrics and guardrails.
Ensure handoffs include documentation, controls, and operational readiness
Develop playbooks, patterns, and templates to support AI solution reviews, and help enable business and tech teams through training sessions and office hours..
Track portfolio outcomes (benefits, risk findings, reuse rate) and continuously improve intake and evaluation processes.
Required Skills/Knowledge
Software engineering and cloud architecture knowledge across AWS/Azure; APIs; event/microservices; observability.
Good understanding of AI/ML and LLM stacks (vector databases, embeddings, RAG, prompt engineering, guardrails).
Understanding of privacy/security controls in financial services (data classification, encryption, DLP, IAM, segmentation) and third‑party risk.
Proven ability to translate business objectives into technical evaluation criteria and clear decisions.
Excellent written and verbal communication for executive‑level summaries and deep‑dive technical reviews.
Critical thinker with structured problem‑solving and sound judgment
Desired Skills/Knowledge
Familiarity with LLMOps/MLOps tooling (e.g., MLflow, Kubeflow, Vertex AI, Databricks, SageMaker, Azure ML, model registries, feature stores, model monitoring).
Working knowledge common languages and data stacks (Python, Java/Springboot, TypeScript, SQL; data lakes/warehouses; streaming; ETL/ELT; orchestration).
Familiarity with model risk management and AI governance principles (bias, explainability, performance, data lineage, documentation).
Awareness of applicable/alternative frameworks and standards (e.g., NIST AI RMF, ISO/IEC AI standards) and emerging regulatory trends.
Strong facilitation across Business, Engineering, DevOps, Governance, Legal, and Risk; able to influence without authority.
Adaptable, self‑motivated, and committed to continuous learning.
Organized with a bias for clarity, documentation, and follow‑through.
Preferred experience
4-6+ years in Data/AI/Software Architecture, MLOps, or AI Product/Program roles; financial services or other regulated industry experience strongly preferred.
Familiarity participating in AI/ML solution reviews, architecture boards, or governance forums.
Vendor evaluation and proof‑of‑concept leadership for AI platforms or SaaS solutions.
Familiarity with enterprise platforms (e.g., Databricks, Snowflake, Vertex AI, SageMaker, Azure OpenAI, Anthropic, OpenAI) and SaaS ecosystems (e.g., Microsoft 365 Copilot, Salesforce/Einstein, ServiceNow, Adobe).
Relevant certifications a plus (e.g., cloud architect, data/ML, security, or AI governance/ethics).
Working model
Cross‑functional role partnering with Business Product Owners, Engineering, Data Science, DevOps/Platform, InfoSec, Risk, Compliance, Legal, Procurement/Vendor Management, Privacy, and Internal Audit.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA :
Bachelor's degree in computer science or related degree with 7+ years of experience in modern application development or in lieu of a degree 9 years’ of experience in modern application development.
Work Timings: 2 PM to 11 PM IST
This role qualifies for Enhanced Flexibility offered in Synchrony India and will require the incumbent to be available between 06:00 AM Eastern Time – 11:30 AM Eastern Time (timings are anchored to US Eastern hours and will adjust twice a year locally). This window is for meetings with India and US teams. The remaining hours will be flexible for the employee to choose. Exceptions may apply periodically due to business needs)
We are proud to offer flexibility at Synchrony. Our way of working allows you the option to work from home or workspaces in our Regional Engagement Hubs—Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Pune, Kolkata, or Delhi/NCR.
As directed by the management, you will be required to commute or travel to Hyderabad or one of the Regional Engagement Hubs for in-person engagement activities such as business/ team meetings, trainings, and events.
FOR INTERNAL APPLICANTS:
• Understand the criteria or mandatory skills required for the role before applying
• Inform your manager and HRM before applying for any role on Workday
• Ensure that your professional profile is updated (fields such as education, prior experience, other skills) and it is mandatory to upload your updated resume (Word or PDF format)
• Must not be any corrective action plan (First Formal/Final Formal, LPP)
• L9+ Employees who have completed 18 months in the organization and 12 months in their current role and level are only eligible.
Level / Grade : 11
Job Family Group:
Information Technology