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Job market data

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.

Key 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