(USA) Group Director, Software Engineering, AI Governance

Walmart • Bentonville, AR

10h • $195,000 - $481,000

About The Position

About the Role The AI and Data organization empowers builders across Walmart to develop AI‑based solutions rapidly—while maintaining safety, trust, and cost effectiveness. As AI becomes deeply embedded in decision‑making across merchandising, supply chain, stores, finance, and associate experiences, governance must evolve beyond static policy into an execution‑connected capability that scales at speed. This role will define and operationalize that future. Role Overview The Group Director, AI Governance will lead enterprise‑wide governance across models, agents, and AI‑powered decision applications. This leader will design and implement a modern governance system that protects the company while enabling builders to move quickly. The role is responsible for establishing lifecycle governance for AI systems, including model and agent registration, evaluation baselines, monitoring for drift, bias, and degradation, cost transparency, and standards for explainability and auditability for decision systems that impact financial, operational, or customer outcomes. This leader will define guardrails for autonomous behavior, escalation boundaries for agents, and expectations for deterministic‑first architectures where appropriate.A critical component of this role is the establishment of a formal AI red team capability. The Group Director will lead adversarial testing across models, agents, and orchestration flows, with a specific focus on vulnerabilities introduced by emerging development patterns such as vibe coding and hybrid builder workflows. This includes identifying risks such as shadow deployments, prompt injection, data leakage, insecure API chaining, unvalidated automation, and uncontrolled cost exposure, and translating findings into actionable remediation and platform‑level guardrails. The role will partner closely with Security, Legal, and Risk teams to ensure AI‑specific threat modeling and governance controls align with enterprise standards.This leader will treat governance as a product, embedding controls directly into platforms such as Element, so that guardrails, logging, cost controls, and approval pathways are built into the developer experience rather than enforced through manual processes. Success will be measured by adoption of governance standards, coverage of model and agent registration, establishment of evaluation baselines, reduction in unmanaged or shadow AI deployments, and builder sentiment indicating that governance accelerates—rather than blocks—progress. Why This Role Matters This role is critical to ensuring Walmart can scale AI responsibly. Governance is not about slowing innovation—it’s about enabling the organization to move quickly with confidence, discipline, and trust.

Requirements

• 12+ years of experience in AI, machine learning, MLOps, model risk management, cybersecurity, or large‑scale analytics platforms
• Demonstrated ownership of governance, control frameworks, or risk programs for production AI or analytics systems
• Deep expertise in model lifecycle management, evaluation methodologies, monitoring, and observability
• Experience operating at enterprise scale and partnering across engineering, security, legal, and business teams
• Strong executive communication skills with the ability to translate technical risk into clear, actionable decisions
• Option 1: Bachelor's degree in computer science, computer engineering, computer information systems, software engineering, or related area and 8 years’ experience in software engineering or related area.
• Option 2: 10 years’ experience in software engineering or related area.
• 5 years’ supervisory experience.

Nice To Haves

• Experience building or leading an AI Red Team or adversarial testing capability
• Hands‑on experience governing LLM‑based systems, agents, and prompt‑driven architectures
• Familiarity with AI‑related regulatory and compliance considerations in large enterprises
• Experience embedding governance directly into developer platforms versus relying on manual review processes
• Background in retail, supply chain, or other large‑scale operational environments
• Master’s degree in computer science, computer engineering, computer information systems, software engineering, or related area and 6 years' experience in software engineering or related area
• We value candidates with a background in creating inclusive digital experiences, demonstrating knowledge in implementing Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standards, assistive technologies, and integrating digital accessibility seamlessly.
• The ideal candidate would have knowledge of accessibility best practices and join us as we continue to create accessible products and services following Walmart’s accessibility standards and guidelines for supporting an inclusive culture.

Responsibilities

• Lead enterprise‑wide governance across models, agents, and AI‑powered decision applications.
• Design and implement a modern governance system that protects the company while enabling builders to move quickly.
• Establish lifecycle governance for AI systems, including model and agent registration, evaluation baselines, monitoring for drift, bias, and degradation, cost transparency, and standards for explainability and auditability for decision systems that impact financial, operational, or customer outcomes.
• Define guardrails for autonomous behavior, escalation boundaries for agents, and expectations for deterministic‑first architectures where appropriate.
• Establish a formal AI red team capability.
• Lead adversarial testing across models, agents, and orchestration flows, with a specific focus on vulnerabilities introduced by emerging development patterns such as vibe coding and hybrid builder workflows.
• Identify risks such as shadow deployments, prompt injection, data leakage, insecure API chaining, unvalidated automation, and uncontrolled cost exposure, and translating findings into actionable remediation and platform‑level guardrails.
• Partner closely with Security, Legal, and Risk teams to ensure AI‑specific threat modeling and governance controls align with enterprise standards.
• Treat governance as a product, embedding controls directly into platforms such as Element, so that guardrails, logging, cost controls, and approval pathways are built into the developer experience rather than enforced through manual processes.

Benefits

• At Walmart, we offer competitive pay as well as performance-based bonus awards and other great benefits for a happier mind, body, and wallet.
• Health benefits include medical, vision and dental coverage.
• Financial benefits include 401(k), stock purchase and company-paid life insurance.
• Paid time off benefits include PTO (including sick leave), parental leave, family care leave, bereavement, jury duty, and voting.
• Other benefits include short-term and long-term disability, company discounts, Military Leave Pay, adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, and more.
• You will also receive PTO and/or PPTO that can be used for vacation, sick leave, holidays, or other purposes.
• Live Better U is a Walmart-paid education benefit program for full-time and part-time associates in Walmart and Sam's Club facilities.
• Programs range from high school completion to bachelor's degrees, including English Language Learning and short-form certificates.
• Tuition, books, and fees are completely paid for by Walmart.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director