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AI Governance Manager

Washington, DC · Hybrid

Government & Public SectorAI Governance, AI Strategy$130k – $260k
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What the market looks like

AI governance is a small but accelerating niche — just over 600 postings tracked in the past year — but it's the function most closely tied to the wave of new regulation across financial services, healthcare, and the federal space. Base compensation for governance managers generally lands in a $130K–$200K band, with director-level roles clearing $230K. The frameworks that come up in almost every conversation are the NIST AI Risk Management Framework, ISO 42001, and the EU AI Act — working fluency across at least one is now effectively table stakes.

Job responsibilities

  • Own the day-to-day operation of the organization's AI governance program

  • Maintain inventories of AI use cases and assess them against risk and regulatory frameworks

  • Partner with legal, risk, security, and engineering on model approvals and ongoing monitoring

  • Interpret frameworks — NIST AI RMF, ISO 42001, EU AI Act, sector-specific rules — and map them to internal controls

  • Lead working groups, draft policy, and run training for the wider organization

  • Report to senior leadership on program maturity, emerging risks, and regulatory movement

  • Partner with model developers on responsible AI practices — documentation, evaluation, red-teaming

  • Contribute to external posture — regulator engagement, industry working groups, and public-facing disclosures

Candidate requirements

  • 5+ years in risk, compliance, audit, or governance roles — ideally with AI or data governance exposure

  • Working fluency in at least one major AI governance framework (NIST AI RMF, ISO 42001, or EU AI Act)

  • Strong ability to translate between technical, legal, and business stakeholders

  • Comfort building policy, process, and tooling from the ground up

  • Experience in a regulated industry (federal, financial services, or healthcare) strongly preferred

  • Excellent written communication for both policy and executive audiences

AI Governance Manager | Washington, DC | Axial Search