AI Product Strategy Director

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: AI Product Strategy Director

Company: Elevance Health

Location: Woodland Hills, CA; Costa Mesa, CA; Atlanta, GA; Tampa, FL; New York, NY

Job Type: Full time

Category: Technology / AI Product Development

Date Posted: 2026-09-09

Experience Level: 10+ years

Remote Status: Hybrid (3 days in-office)

🚀 Role Summary

• Spearhead the rapid design, prototyping, and development of new enterprise AI products, directly contributing to the company's digital transformation initiatives.

• Leverage AI-assisted software development tools and techniques to dramatically compress the time from concept to production, focusing on building working prototypes in days or weeks.

• Drive innovation by continuously experimenting with emerging AI technologies, identifying opportunities for intelligent automation, and validating ideas through tangible software solutions.

• Act as a hands-on technical innovator and builder, translating executive-level ideas into production-ready AI capabilities and internal applications that enhance employee productivity.

• Collaborate closely with executive leadership, including the CDIO, to prototype strategic initiatives, demonstrate new AI capabilities, and shape the enterprise AI roadmap through tangible, working solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is explicitly positioned as a "hands-on AI product builder" rather than a traditional strategy or product management role. The emphasis is on rapid execution and technical innovation, leveraging modern AI development tools to "build working prototypes in days or weeks—not months." This indicates a highly agile and execution-focused environment within the CDIO Executive Office, requiring a blend of deep technical AI engineering skills and a startup-like mentality for rapid iteration and delivery.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Personally design, prototype, and develop new AI-powered products, utilizing AI-assisted software development methodologies and tools.

• Rapidly build working prototypes, aiming for deployment in days or weeks, to quickly validate concepts and demonstrate enterprise value.

• Transform executive-level ideas and strategic initiatives into robust, production-ready AI solutions and internal applications.

• Develop reusable AI components and establish engineering patterns that accelerate future AI development and deployment across the enterprise.

• Continuously experiment with and integrate emerging AI technologies, including Large Language Models (LLMs), agentic AI systems, RAG architectures, and multi-agent workflows.

• Identify and implement opportunities to replace manual processes with intelligent automation, thereby increasing operational efficiency and employee productivity.

• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including engineering, architecture, security, and platform teams, to ensure seamless transition of prototypes to production environments and maintain high standards for AI engineering.

• Partner directly with the Chief Digital and Information Officer (CDIO) and the Executive Office to prototype strategic ideas, showcase new AI capabilities, and advise on build-versus-buy decisions for AI solutions.

• Contribute to modernizing software development practices by integrating AI-enabled workflows and promoting AI copilots and intelligent assistants within the development lifecycle.

• Actively participate in knowledge sharing and contribute to building a culture of rapid experimentation, continuous iteration, and proactive adoption of AI technologies.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities emphasize a hands-on, execution-driven approach. The phrasing "Personally design, prototype, and develop" and "Build working prototypes in days or weeks—not months" highlights the expectation for direct technical contribution. The role is about translating high-level strategy into tangible, functional AI products rapidly, acting as a technical bridge between executive vision and operational implementation.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or a closely related field. Experience:

• Minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in areas such as Data Collection and Analysis, IT Consulting, IT Performance Management, Strategy or Financial Planning, Business Intelligence and Analytics, or Business Process Design.

• Proven track record of building and shipping software products, with a strong preference for experience in AI development or AI-driven product innovation. Required Skills:

• AI Engineering Expertise: Deep understanding and hands-on experience with modern AI engineering practices, including AI-assisted coding, Large Language Models (LLMs), agentic AI systems, multi-agent workflows, RAG architectures, knowledge systems, and workflow automation.

• Rapid Prototyping & Development: Demonstrated ability to quickly design, prototype, and develop functional software, particularly AI-powered applications, with a focus on speed and iterative development.

• Technical Innovation & Problem Solving: Proven ability to embrace ambiguity, experiment with new technologies, and solve complex technical challenges to create novel capabilities.

• Software Development Fundamentals: Strong foundation in software engineering principles, including API development, cloud-native architectures, and full-stack development.

• Strategic Thinking & Translation: Ability to translate executive ideas and strategic objectives into actionable technical plans and working AI solutions.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Excellent communication and collaboration skills to effectively partner with executive leadership, engineering teams, security, and architecture.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience in AI startups, Big Tech AI engineering, or contributions to open-source AI communities.

• Background as a startup founder, AI platform engineer, or full-stack engineer actively using AI development tools.

• Experience in developer tooling organizations or similar environments focused on enhancing engineering velocity.

• Prior experience in the healthcare industry, though exceptional AI engineering and product-building capability is prioritized over specific industry experience.

• Familiarity with AI copilots and intelligent assistants in a development context.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirements emphasize a blend of deep technical AI/ML expertise and a strong software engineering background, coupled with an entrepreneurial spirit for rapid innovation. The "10 years of experience" requirement is broad, but the emphasis on "AI startups," "Big Tech AI engineering," and "technical product builders" clarifies the desired profile. Candidates are encouraged to highlight tangible projects and demonstrable building experience.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrated AI Product Builds: Showcase at least 2-3 complex AI projects that have been conceptualized, prototyped, and developed, ideally with evidence of their impact or potential impact. This could include internal tools, proof-of-concepts, or components of larger AI systems.

• Technical Depth & Architecture: Provide examples of system architecture diagrams, code snippets (if permissible and relevant), or detailed explanations of the technical stack and design choices for key AI projects, highlighting the use of LLMs, agentic frameworks, or RAG.

• Rapid Iteration Evidence: Include case studies or project descriptions that illustrate a rapid development cycle, demonstrating how ideas were quickly translated into working solutions, with metrics or qualitative feedback on the speed of delivery.

• Problem-Solving & Innovation: Present projects that showcase innovative approaches to solving complex business problems using AI, detailing the challenges faced and how they were overcome through technical ingenuity.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design & Optimization: For any project involving workflow automation or intelligent assistants, provide documentation or examples of how workflows were designed, optimized, and automated using AI technologies.

• Prototyping Methodology: Detail the rapid prototyping methodology used, including tools, techniques, and team collaboration approaches employed to accelerate the development lifecycle.

• Performance Measurement: Where applicable, present how the performance of AI prototypes or developed capabilities was measured, including key metrics and the impact on efficiency, productivity, or business outcomes.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the role's focus on "building" and "rapid innovation," a strong portfolio is crucial. Candidates should prepare to walk through their most impactful AI projects, emphasizing the "how" and "why" behind their technical decisions, the speed of execution, and the innovative application of AI technologies. The portfolio should serve as tangible proof of their ability to translate concepts into functional AI products.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• California & New York: $165,200 - $297,360 annually

• Other Locations (Atlanta, GA; Tampa, FL): While specific ranges are not provided for these locations, candidates can expect competitive compensation within the broader industry standards for a Director-level AI Product Strategy role, adjusted for regional cost of living and market rates.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive benefits package

• Incentive programs

• Recognition programs

• Equity stock purchase

• 401k contribution with match

• Paid time off (PTO)

• Paid holidays

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance

• Short-term and long-term disability benefits

• Life insurance

• Wellness programs

• Financial education resources Working Hours:

• Standard working hours, typically 40 hours per week.

• The role operates on a "1st Shift" schedule in the USA.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary range is specifically for candidates located in California and New York. For other listed locations (Atlanta, GA; Tampa, FL), the compensation will likely be adjusted based on local market conditions and cost of living. Candidates should research typical AI Director salaries in those specific metro areas to set expectations. The comprehensive benefits package is standard for a large, established corporation like Elevance Health.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Healthcare Technology / Health Insurance Services. Elevance Health is a major player in the US healthcare industry, focused on improving lives through health services and technology. This context means that AI innovations will likely target improving member experience, operational efficiency within healthcare, or data analytics for health outcomes.

Company Size: Fortune 25 company, indicating a large, established organization with significant resources and a broad operational footprint.

Founded: While the specific founding date isn't detailed, Elevance Health has a "longstanding history in the healthcare industry," suggesting a mature company with established processes and a deep understanding of its market.

Team Structure:

• Embedded within CDIO Executive Office: This role reports directly into the Chief Digital and Information Officer (CDIO) executive office, signifying high-level visibility and direct access to executive leadership.

• Focus on Rapid Innovation: The team structure is designed for agile, rapid development, distinct from traditional, slower-paced enterprise IT departments.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: While embedded, the role requires close collaboration with core engineering, architecture, security, and platform teams to ensure successful transition and integration of developed AI capabilities.

Methodology:

• AI-Assisted Software Development: Core methodology revolves around using AI tools, coding assistants, and agentic frameworks to accelerate the entire software development lifecycle.

• Rapid Prototyping & Experimentation: Emphasis on quickly building proof-of-concepts and working prototypes to validate ideas and demonstrate value, rather than extensive upfront planning.

• Agile & Iterative Approach: The expectation is for continuous iteration, learning from experimentation, and adapting quickly based on results.

Company Website: https://www.elevancehealth.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's "longstanding history" and "Fortune 25" status suggest a blend of established corporate structure with a forward-looking initiative in AI. The "AI Product Strategy Director" role is a key part of this forward-looking strategy, operating with a mandate for speed and innovation within a large enterprise, likely navigating established processes while pushing boundaries.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Director-Equivalent role, signifying a senior leadership position with significant autonomy and responsibility for driving strategic initiatives. It's positioned as a "builder" role, focused on hands-on technical execution rather than pure management.

Reporting Structure: Reports directly to the CDIO Executive Office, providing direct access to top-level decision-makers and strategic direction. This high-level visibility offers significant exposure.

Operations Impact: The role has the potential for substantial impact by rapidly delivering AI products that can accelerate digital transformation, improve employee productivity, and potentially reshape how the company operates within the healthcare sector. The focus is on tangible output and accelerating innovation.

Growth Opportunities:

• Deep AI Specialization: Opportunity to become a leading expert in cutting-edge AI technologies within a large enterprise, developing deep practical expertise in LLMs, agentic systems, and rapid AI development.

• Strategic Influence: Direct engagement with executive leadership provides opportunities to influence the company's AI strategy and roadmap through demonstrated success with rapid innovation.

• Leadership in Emerging Tech: Potential to lead the adoption and scaling of new AI development methodologies and tools across the organization, fostering a culture of innovation.

• Transition to Production: Successful prototypes can lead to opportunities to lead or significantly influence the productionization and broader deployment of AI solutions, potentially leading to team or program leadership.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers a unique growth path for technically proficient individuals who want to drive significant change within a large organization. It's a chance to blend deep technical skills with strategic impact, moving beyond theoretical strategy to hands-on product creation at an executive level. The growth is tied to demonstrable innovation and successful product delivery.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid work model, requiring associates to be in the office 3 days per week. This is designed to foster collaboration and connectivity while allowing for flexibility.

Office Location(s): Woodland Hills, CA; Costa Mesa, CA; Atlanta, GA; Tampa, FL; New York, NY. Candidates must reside within a commuting distance of one of these offices.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The hybrid model and emphasis on rapid innovation suggest a dynamic and collaborative workspace, particularly on in-office days, designed to facilitate brainstorming and team synergy.

• Access to Modern Tools: As a role focused on AI product building, expect access to modern development tools, cloud infrastructure, and AI platforms necessary for rapid prototyping and development.

• Direct Executive Interaction: The position offers opportunities for frequent interaction with senior leadership within the CDIO Executive Office, fostering a high-engagement work environment.

Work Schedule: Standard working hours (1st Shift in the US), with a hybrid arrangement balancing in-office collaboration and remote work flexibility.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid setup (3 days in-office) is a key aspect of the work environment. Candidates should be prepared for structured in-office collaboration days, which will likely be used for intensive brainstorming, team syncs, and executive presentations, while remote days offer focused development time. Proximity to one of the listed major office locations is a strict requirement unless an accommodation is granted.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Review of resume and portfolio to assess technical skills, relevant experience, and alignment with the "builder" profile.

• Technical Deep Dive: Interviews focused on AI engineering concepts, LLM applications, rapid prototyping experience, and problem-solving scenarios. Expect coding challenges or discussions around past projects.

• Portfolio Presentation: A critical stage where candidates will present their most relevant AI product development projects, detailing their approach, technical implementation, challenges, and outcomes.

• Behavioral & Situational Interviews: Assessment of collaboration skills, ability to thrive in ambiguity, entrepreneurial mindset, and alignment with Elevance Health's values and the CDIO office's dynamic.

• Executive Interview: Final interviews likely with senior leadership, including the CDIO or their direct reports, to assess strategic thinking, leadership potential, and overall fit.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Showcase "Builder" Mentality: Emphasize projects where you were hands-on in designing, building, and deploying AI solutions, especially those developed rapidly.

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use metrics to demonstrate the value, efficiency gains, or innovation achieved through your AI projects.

• Technical Walkthrough: Be prepared to explain the technical architecture, AI models used (LLMs, RAG, etc.), development tools, and challenges overcome. Use diagrams or code examples if appropriate and allowed.

• Focus on Speed & Iteration: Highlight projects where you successfully compressed development timelines and iterated quickly based on feedback or results.

• Tailor to Elevance Health: Understand Elevance Health's mission and how your AI product development experience can directly contribute to their goals in healthcare.

Challenge Preparation:

• AI System Design: Be ready to discuss how you would design an AI system for a specific healthcare-related problem, considering data, models, integration, and deployment.

• Rapid Prototyping Scenario: Prepare for a hypothetical scenario where you need to rapidly prototype an AI solution within a tight timeframe. Outline your approach.

• Technical Problem-Solving: Anticipate questions about debugging complex AI systems, optimizing LLM performance, or integrating AI components with existing enterprise infrastructure.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process will heavily scrutinize a candidate's practical ability to build AI products rapidly. A well-prepared, compelling portfolio that showcases hands-on technical execution and innovative problem-solving will be the most critical differentiator.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• AI Development Frameworks: Experience with frameworks for building LLM applications, such as LangChain, LlamaIndex, or similar agentic AI development platforms.

• Large Language Models (LLMs): Hands-on experience with various LLMs (e.g., OpenAI's GPT series, Google's Gemini, Anthropic's Claude, open-source models) and techniques for fine-tuning, prompt engineering, and RAG.

• Cloud Platforms: Proficiency with major cloud providers (AWS, Azure, GCP) for deploying and managing AI applications, including services for AI/ML, serverless computing, and containerization.

• AI-Assisted Coding Tools: Familiarity with tools like GitHub Copilot, Amazon CodeWhisperer, or other AI-powered coding assistants.

• API Development: Experience designing and building RESTful APIs for AI services.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Data Visualization Tools: While not the primary focus, familiarity with tools for visualizing AI model performance or application usage (e.g., Tableau, Power BI, custom dashboards) would be beneficial.

• Monitoring & Observability Tools: Experience with tools for monitoring AI model performance, drift, and application health in production.

CRM & Automation:

• Workflow Automation Tools: Experience with tools or platforms that facilitate workflow automation, potentially integrating AI capabilities into business processes.

• Integration Platforms: Understanding of how to integrate AI services with existing enterprise systems and data sources.

📝 Enhancement Note: The technology stack is heavily focused on modern AI development. Proficiency with LLMs, agentic frameworks, RAG, and AI-assisted coding tools is paramount. Candidates should be prepared to discuss their experience with specific tools and platforms within these categories, demonstrating their ability to leverage the latest advancements in AI engineering.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Innovation & Experimentation: A culture that encourages trying new AI technologies and approaches, with a tolerance for experimentation and learning from failures.

• Speed & Agility: Prioritization of rapid development cycles and quick iteration to deliver value faster than traditional methods.

• Technical Excellence: A commitment to building robust, scalable, and efficient AI solutions, even within rapid development timelines.

• Impact-Driven: Focus on delivering tangible business outcomes and accelerating the company's digital transformation through AI.

• Collaboration: Strong emphasis on working together across teams to achieve shared goals and integrate AI capabilities effectively.

Collaboration Style:

• Direct and Transparent: Given the executive visibility and rapid nature, communication is likely to be direct, clear, and focused on actionable insights.

• Cross-Functional Partnership: Working closely with engineering, security, and architecture teams to ensure that rapid prototypes can be safely and effectively scaled into enterprise solutions.

• Knowledge Sharing: Encouragement of sharing learnings from experiments and successful builds to uplift the broader engineering organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The culture is likely to be fast-paced, innovative, and execution-oriented, reflecting the nature of a startup-like initiative within a large corporation. Associates are expected to be proactive, adaptable, and comfortable with a high degree of autonomy and responsibility.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Speed and Enterprise Standards: Navigating the need for rapid development with the requirements of enterprise-grade security, compliance, and scalability in a large healthcare organization.

• Navigating Ambiguity: Thriving in an environment where strategic ideas are being rapidly prototyped, and the path to production may not always be clearly defined.

• Adoption of New Technologies: Educating and gaining buy-in for novel AI approaches and tools within a potentially more traditional corporate structure.

• Transitioning Prototypes: Successfully handing off and integrating rapidly built prototypes into established enterprise production pipelines and teams.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Cutting-Edge AI Exposure: Direct engagement with and development using the latest AI technologies, providing unparalleled learning opportunities in a practical, applied setting.

• Executive Mentorship: Opportunities to learn from and be mentored by senior leaders within the CDIO Executive Office, gaining insights into enterprise strategy and digital transformation.

• Skill Development in Rapid Prototyping: Honing skills in accelerated development methodologies, AI-assisted coding, and fast-cycle product iteration.

• Impactful Project Leadership: Gaining experience in leading high-visibility innovation projects that have the potential to significantly impact a Fortune 25 company.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role presents a significant opportunity for individuals who are motivated by challenges and want to push the boundaries of AI application. The challenges are inherent to innovation within a large enterprise, and overcoming them offers substantial professional growth.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you rapidly prototyped an AI solution to solve a business problem. What was your process, what technologies did you use, and what was the outcome?"

• "How would you approach building an AI-powered internal tool to improve employee productivity for a specific function within Elevance Health (e.g., customer service, claims processing)?"

• "Given a new strategic AI initiative from executive leadership, what are the first steps you would take to begin prototyping and validating the concept?" Company & Culture Questions:

• "How do you stay current with the rapidly evolving landscape of AI technologies, and how would you apply that knowledge at Elevance Health?"

• "Describe your experience working in a hybrid environment. How do you ensure collaboration and productivity when working both in-office and remotely?"

• "What excites you most about applying AI within the healthcare industry, and what unique challenges do you anticipate?" Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each project, clearly articulate the problem, your innovative solution, the AI technologies employed, your hands-on role, the development speed, and the measured impact or potential impact.

• Technical Deep Dive: Be prepared to explain your technical choices, architectural decisions, and any challenges encountered with LLMs, RAG, or agentic systems.

• Focus on "Builder" Aspect: Emphasize your direct contributions and hands-on technical work. Show, don't just tell, your ability to build.

• Quantify Where Possible: Use data to demonstrate success. If exact metrics aren't available, discuss qualitative feedback or potential ROI.

📝 Enhancement Note: Candidates should prepare to articulate their experience not just as a strategist but as a builder. The portfolio presentation is key. Expect questions that probe the practical application of AI, speed of execution, and ability to translate strategy into working code.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this AI Product Strategy Director position:

• Submit your application through the official Elevance Health careers portal via the provided URL.

• Tailor your resume: Highlight specific AI development projects, rapid prototyping experience, and proficiency with LLMs, agentic frameworks, and AI-assisted coding tools. Quantify achievements wherever possible.

• Prepare your portfolio: Curate 2-3 of your strongest AI product development projects. Be ready to present them, detailing the problem, your solution, technical implementation, speed of development, and impact.

• Research Elevance Health: Understand their mission, their role in the healthcare industry, and how AI can drive their digital transformation goals.

• Practice interview responses: Prepare for technical deep dives, behavioral questions, and scenario-based questions focused on rapid AI product development and innovation.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.