ABOUT EVERNORTH: Evernorth exists to elevate health for all, because we believe health is the starting point for human potential and progress. As champions for affordable, predictable and simple health care, we solve the problems others don't, won't or can't. Our innovation hub in India will allow us to work with the right talent, expand our global footprint, improve our competitive stance, and better deliver on our promises to stakeholders. We are passionate about making healthcare better by delivering world-class solutions that make a real difference. We are always looking upward. And that starts with finding the right talent to help us get there.
ABOUT THE ROLE: AI and Software Engineering Associate Director Position Overview We are seeking a senior engineering leader to establish and scale the Hyderabad engineering organization for AIBEACONS, building a high-performing capability that delivers AI-powered platforms and solutions across AI Enablement and Productization, Clinical AI and Innovation, Behavioral Health, Payer Solutions and Sales AI portfolios. This role leads the build-out and growth of a 60–70+ person engineering organization based in Hyderabad and serves as a key execution partner to U.S. leadership. This leader will be responsible for forming, growing, and maturing the Hyderabad organization into a high-performing, outcome-driven engineering organization that consistently delivers portfolio value and supports enterprise AI commitments. The primary focus of this role is to build the right team, leadership structure, and operating model required to execute at scale combining strong hiring capability, engineering rigor, AI expertise and engagement with the India AI startup ecosystem to accelerate delivery. You will be accountable for establishing the engineering organization, scaling talent, and enabling consistent delivery of AI powered capabilities, while fostering a culture of ownership, innovation, and engineering excellence in a global, matrixed environment.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- AI Enablement & Productization
- Establish and scale AI productization capabilities for U.S. Employer, translating business priorities into deployable AI solutions and reusable platforms
- Establish the talent strategy and operating model required to deliver AI products for U.S. Employer, in close collaboration with Product and Technology organizations
- Build and lead forward-deployed engineering teams, partner with other U.S. Employer Technology organizations and co-develop AI products aligned to business priorities
- Drive research, continuously expand organizational AI proficiency, and operationalize AI capabilities at scale, in partnership with the AI Enablement Office
- Lead rollout of AI-first SDLC practices, including tooling, frameworks, guardrails, and reusable patterns across teams
- Define and implement mechanisms to measure AI value realization, including adoption, productivity gains, and business impact
- Enable enterprise-wide adoption of AI tools, platforms, and solutions, ensuring effective usage and integration into workflows
- Drive rapid prototyping, iteration, and scaling of AI solutions, ensuring alignment with governance, Responsible AI, and enterprise standards
- Enterprise Delivery & Execution
- Establish and scale high-performing AI and engineering teams delivering AI/GenAI-powered platforms and products across Clinical AI & Innovation, Behavioral Health, Payer Solutions, and Sales AI portfolios
- Ensure strong execution discipline with clear accountability for scope, timelines, quality, and measurable AI-driven business outcomes
- Translate business priorities into AI-first engineering roadmaps, aligning use cases to scalable platforms and product delivery
- Balance rapid AI innovation with enterprise requirements for stability, scalability, security, and compliance
- Drive measurable value realization from AI and GenAI investments, including adoption, productivity gains, and business impact
- People & Organizational Leadership
- Build, scale, and lead a 60–70+ member AI engineering organization, including hiring strong talent in GenAI, ML engineering, data engineering, and platform engineering
- Establish a strong leadership bench with AI depth and engineering rigor
- Create a high-performance culture focused on AI innovation, rapid experimentation, and outcome-driven delivery
- Partner with Talent and HR to design and execute hiring strategies focused on top-tier AI and GenAI talent
- Coach and develop engineering leaders in both AI technical depth and people leadership
- Foster an environment that promotes continuous learning in AI, experimentation, and external engagement
- Manage vendor and partner contributions, including AI/GenAI technology providers and startups
- Develop strategic industry and academic partnerships to attract and hire top AI talent in a rapid and scalable manner
- Global Partnership & Influence
- Act as a key execution partner to U.S.-based leadership, aligning Hyderabad teams to enterprise AI strategy and priorities
- Operate effectively within a global, matrixed model, coordinating across Product, Talent, HR, Architecture, Data, and Technology stakeholders
- Ensure strong alignment across geographies for AI platform development and delivery
- Build relationships within the India AI startup ecosystem, academia, and innovation networks to strengthen hiring and capability
- Provide clear, consistent communication on AI delivery progress, risks, and outcomes
- Collaborate and establish partnerships with U.S. Employer Technology organizations such as Claims, Provider Tech, Digital, etc. and also create cross functional partnership with the hub teams.
- Engineering Excellence & Governance
- Establish and institutionalize AI/GenAI engineering standards, including model evaluation, observability, performance monitoring, and continuous improvement
- Ensure alignment with enterprise architecture, Responsible AI, security, privacy, and regulatory compliance requirements
- Drive improvements in AI engineering productivity, quality, and speed through standardized tooling, platforms, and best practices
- Build scalable, repeatable engineering practices that enable long-term growth of AI capabilities and consistent delivery across the Hyderabad organization
Equal Opportunity Statement
Evernorth is an Equal Opportunity Employer actively encouraging and supporting organization-wide involvement of staff in diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts to educate, inform and advance both internal practices and external work with diverse client populations.
