AI Strategist / Machine Intelligence

Position Description: About Rios Partners

Rios Partners is a mission-driven consulting firm committed to creating positive impact by delivering value for our clients, investing in our people, and solving tough problems that strengthen our local, national, and global communities. Our approach is grounded in empathy, enabling our teams to deeply understand customer challenges and design practical, effective solutions. As a team, we know what it takes to move mission-critical organizations forward with measurable and sustainable results.

Our primary consideration when evaluating candidates is alignment with our Mission and Values, which can be found here.

Position Summary

Serves as the senior technical authority for artificial intelligence, machine learning, advanced analytics, and AI-enabled digital health strategy. Leads the technical and strategic approach for evaluating, designing, implementing, governing, and scaling emerging technologies across the Digital Health Pipeline.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop AI and machine intelligence strategies aligned with DHO, Strat Lab, VA healthcare priorities, and the digital health product lifecycle.
• Lead technology assessments, needs assessments, market research, feasibility studies, and risk analyses for emerging AI-enabled healthcare solutions.
• Define AI solution architectures that integrate structured and unstructured healthcare data, including electronic health records, medical images, wearable-device data, patient-generated health data, and omics data.
• Guide development of clinical and administrative decision-support and intake solutions that use or interface with VA data platforms, FHIR-based APIs, and relevant VA datasets.
• Establish ModelOps or MLOps approaches for model development, validation, deployment, monitoring, retraining, version control, and retirement.
• Lead development of AI performance measures addressing clinical, operational, financial, usability, fairness, safety, scalability, and integration outcomes.
• Advise on synthetic data, knowledge graphs, natural language processing, computer vision, predictive analytics, and other advanced AI methods suitable for VA use cases.
• Identify privacy, security, ethical, model-risk, interoperability, workflow, and adoption risks and recommend mitigation strategies.
• Support discovery sprints, prototypes, pilots, testing, post-deployment evaluations, performance optimization, and enterprise scaling decisions.
• Translate complex AI findings into executive briefings, roadmaps, governance recommendations, technical documentation, and decision-ready options for VA leadership.
• Mentor data science and analytics staff and provide technical quality review of AI-related work products.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Healthcare or life sciences AI strategy
• Machine learning and statistical modeling
• ModelOps or MLOps platforms
• Healthcare data architecture and interoperability
• Synthetic data and cohort development
• AI governance, ethics, validation, and risk management
• Executive communication and technical leadership

Location Information

This position is remote. However, the AI Strategist will be required to travel during the performance of this contract to attend meetings, conferences, and training. They may be required to travel to off-site training locations and to ship training aids to these locations.

Additional Information: Rios Partners Employee Benefits Overview At Rios Partners, we believe that when our team thrives, our company thrives. That’s why we’re proud to offer a comprehensive and best-in-class benefits package that reflects how much we value our people. Below is an overview of the benefits available to our employees: *Profit-Sharing / Performance Bonus* We believe in shared success. That’s why a portion of company profits is distributed to employees each year through our Profit-Sharing/Performance Bonus program. The total amount may vary based on market conditions, company performance, and individual contributions—but the goal remains the same: to reward the team for our collective achievements. *Retirement Plan (401k)* We help you plan for your future. Rios Partners contributes 3% of your base salary each month to a 401(k) retirement plan, regardless of whether you choose to contribute yourself. You may also make additional contributions. Our 401(k) plan is administered through Fidelity, a leader in retirement planning. *Health Insurance (ICHRA)* We offer flexibility and choice through an Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement (ICHRA). With ICHRA, Rios Partners contributes tax-free dollars toward your health insurance premiums, allowing you to select the plan that fits your needs rather than being restricted to a one-size-fits-all group plan. *Vision Insurance* We offer vision coverage through MetLife to help you care for your eye health. The plan includes benefits for eye exams, glasses, contact lenses, and more. *Dental Insurance* Rios Partners will pay the first $25 of the premium. We offer Dental coverage through MetLife to help you care for Oral Health. Employees will have the option to choose from two plans depending on their needs. *Disability Insurance* Rios Partners provides both short-term and long-term disability insurance at no cost to you. This coverage, offered through MetLife, ensures that you're protected in case of illness or injury that prevents you from working. *Paid Time Off (PTO) and Holidays* We value work-life balance. You’ll receive:* 15 days of PTO annually, with additional days based on your tenure * 12 paid holidays per year * Additional paid time off for life events such as bereavement, jury duty, and voting

*Employee Assistance Program (EAP)* Your well-being matters. Our EAP, provided through Health Advocate, offers confidential support for personal and professional challenges—including mental health counseling, substance abuse, parenting support, grief counseling, and more. Work/life resources and healthcare navigation assistance are also included. *Training and Development* Rios Partners is committed to helping you achieve your highest potential. Our personal view is that this is best accomplished through a combination of client engagements, opportunities to take on new roles within the team, and internal (team) / external (expert) training.