Lead Director – Marketing AI Activation (Aetna Marketing)

At CVS Health, we’re building a world of health around every consumer and surrounding ourselves with dedicated colleagues who are passionate about transforming health care.

As the nation’s leading health solutions company, we reach millions of Americans through our local presence, digital channels and more than 300,000 purpose-driven colleagues – caring for people where, when and how they choose in a way that is uniquely more connected, more convenient and more compassionate. And we do it all with heart, each and every day.

Job Description

CVS Health is seeking a Lead Director, Marketing AI Activation to lead the strategy, execution, and governance of Generative Artificial Intelligence technologies within the Aetna Marketing organization. This role will drive the adoption of responsible AI practices, oversee the implementation of innovative AI solutions, and ensure alignment with business priorities across marketing, operations, and technology teams. The Lead Director will manage a small team that champions ethical, high-impact AI programs, balancing innovation with compliance and risk management, and will be responsible for building a scalable, sustainable AI program that delivers measurable business value.

Key Responsibilities

AI Strategy & Roadmap

• Develop and execute a comprehensive AI program strategy, prioritizing use cases that drive business value, operational efficiency, and customer engagement – and ensuring accountability across a 300+ person Marketing organization
• Lead the identification, scoping, and piloting of new AI initiatives, including generative AI, predictive analytics, workflow automation, and customer experience enhancements – leveraging both externally sourced and internally-developed tools
• Maintain a rolling roadmap of AI projects, ensuring alignment with enterprise goals and resource availability – proposing and owning a budget as necessary
• Deliver regular “industry scans” of best practices in AI-driven marketing, as inspiration for the AI portfolio

Program Management

• Oversee a team that centralizes AI use case intake, managing the full lifecycle of AI projects from ideation to deployment – this may include requirements gathering, stakeholder alignment, resource planning, and timeline management.
• Track progress, resolve bottlenecks, and ensure delivery of high-quality outcomes.
• Establish and maintain project documentation, including charters, status reports, and post-implementation reviews.
• Manage vendor relationships as needed (e.g., contract renewal, feature scoping)

Responsible AI Governance and Brand Management

• Ensure our AI tool ecosystem leverages responsible AI frameworks, including bias testing, human oversight, transparency, and compliance with enterprise policies.
• Partner with brand strategy team to actively train new and existing LLMs against company brand standards, and ensure the brand is protected across all AI programs across the enterprise
• Standardize risk assessments and controls to address inherent risks of AI technologies.
• Oversee third-party risk reviews, contract negotiations, and policy exceptions as needed.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Partner with marketing, compliance, legal, technology, and business teams to align AI programs with organizational goals.
• Facilitate collaboration across departments, ensuring effective communication and stakeholder engagement.
• Host regular cross-functional working groups and steering committee meetings to drive program momentum.

AI Enablement & Training

• Oversee a team that drives adoption of AI tools and platforms that are externally sourced (e.g., Writer.ai, Power Automate, Workfront), as well as internally developed– providing training, best practices, and support to business users.
• Co-host breakout sessions, workshops, and roadshows to educate teams on new AI capabilities, responsible AI principles, and program structure.
• Develop and distribute educational materials and user guides for AI tools.

Innovation & Use Case Development

• Lead the evaluation and prioritization of AI use cases, including content optimization, predictive modeling, workflow automation, and customer experience enhancements.
• Pilot and scale successful initiatives, celebrating wins and sharing learnings across the enterprise.
• Maintain a repository of AI use cases, outcomes, and lessons learned.

Performance Measurement

• Develop and maintain dashboards and reports to track AI program KPIs, adoption rates, and business impact – rolling up to a department-wide scorecard
• Analyze data to identify trends, inform decision-making, and optimize future initiatives.
• Present findings and recommendations to senior leadership and executive stakeholders.

Compliance & Risk Management

• Ensure all AI activities adhere to legal, regulatory, and ethical standards.
• Manage third-party risk reviews, contract negotiations, and policy exceptions as needed.
• Collaborate with internal audit and compliance teams to ensure ongoing program integrity.

Executive Communication

• Prepare high-quality presentations and executive updates, translating complex AI concepts and results into actionable insights for senior leadership.
• Build compelling narratives that articulate the value, risks, and opportunities of AI initiatives.

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in marketing, strategy, technology, program management, product management, or related fields.
• Proven track record of leading cross-functional teams and delivering enterprise-scale AI initiatives.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• 5+ years leading cross-functional teams
• Deep understanding of AI technologies, responsible AI principles, and risk management frameworks.
• Experience with AI platforms, workflow automation tools (e.g., Workfront, Power Automate, Google VertexAI, Microsoft CoPilot, Writer.ai), and data visualization/reporting.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present complex information to diverse audiences.
• Advanced degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Business, or related field.
• Experience in healthcare, retail, or regulated industries.
• Familiarity with generative AI, predictive analytics, and machine learning operations (MLOps).
• Certification in AI governance, project management, or related discipline.

Pay Range

The typical pay range for this role is:

$100,000.00 - $231,540.00

This pay range represents the base hourly rate or base annual full-time salary for all positions in the job grade within which this position falls.  The actual base salary offer will depend on a variety of factors including experience, education, geography and other relevant factors.  This position is eligible for a CVS Health bonus, commission or short-term incentive program in addition to the base pay range listed above.  This position also includes an award target in the company’s equity award program. 
 

Our people fuel our future. Our teams reflect the customers, patients, members and communities we serve and we are committed to fostering a workplace where every colleague feels valued and that they belong.

Great benefits for great people

We take pride in our comprehensive and competitive mix of pay and benefits – investing in the physical, emotional and financial wellness of our colleagues and their families to help them be the healthiest they can be. In addition to our competitive wages, our great benefits include:

• Affordable medical plan options, a 401(k) plan (including matching company contributions), and an employee stock purchase plan.

• No-cost programs for all colleagues including wellness screenings, tobacco cessation and weight management programs, confidential counseling and financial coaching.

• Benefit solutions that address the different needs and preferences of our colleagues including paid time off, flexible work schedules, family leave, dependent care resources, colleague assistance programs, tuition assistance, retiree medical access and many other benefits depending on eligibility.

For more information, visit https://jobs.cvshealth.com/us/en/benefits

We anticipate the application window for this opening will close on: 11/24/2025

Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with all federal, state and local laws.