Senior Director, AI Enablement & Solutions
Morningstar, Chicago, IL, United States
Senior Director, Artificial Intelligence Enablement & Solutions (AIES)
The Role: Morningstar DBRS is seeking a leader to define and steward how Artificial Intelligence is used across the Credit organization — ensuring AI is adopted safely, consistently, and in ways that materially improve Credit workflows and satisfies our highest quality standards, while meeting regulatory, methodological, and governance expectations.
This role offers the opportunity to shape how AI is responsibly embedded into MDBRS core workflows, modernize analyst experiences and data products at meaningful scale, and operate in an environment that values innovation, integrity, and impact.
This role is designed to help Credit teams adopt AI, without taking over product development, delivery management, or existing Product, Data, Technology, and Compliance functions. The successful candidate will manage a small team of other AI enablers and work closely with colleagues across all teams within Credit.
The Responsibilities:
Governance, Risk, and Guardrails
Define principles, standards, and guardrails for AI use in Credit, including:
Human‑in‑the‑loop expectations
Quality assurance processes
Explainability and auditability requirements
Appropriate handling of MNPI and regulated content
Partner closely with Compliance, Risk, Methodology Review Function, and Legal to ensure AI usage aligns with:
Regulatory expectations
Updates to our ratings processes, policies, and procedures
Rating independence
Methodological consistency
Intended contractual usage with third parties
Ensure governance is designed into workflows and patterns.
AI Direction and Strategic Framing
Define where AI should be applied at scale, where it should be constrained, and where it should not yet be used within Credit.
Translate Credit leadership priorities (e.g., analyst productivity, workflow efficiency, consistency, explainability) into clear AI enablement focus areas.
Establish a Credit‑specific AI posture that balances innovation with regulatory and reputational risk.
Workflow Adoption & Change Enablement (at the Enterprise Level)
Ensure AI capabilities are adopted and used responsibly within Credit workflows.
Champion incremental, phased adoption, consistent with Credit’s risk profile and access constraints.
Sponsor and guide adoption approaches such as:
Narrow pilots
Controlled rollouts
Clear usage guidance
Quality and user acceptance feedback loops
Training patterns and job aids (in partnership with People & Culture and Central Technology)
Partner with Credit Technology to incorporate use cases into existing technological standards and embed into enterprise products, where applicable.
Collaborate with Central Technology to better understand and manage the vast presence of AI in enterprise tools to ensure conformity to MDBRS-specific policies and procedures.
Cross‑Functional Orchestration & Thought Partnership
Act as a senior thought partner to:
Credit leadership
Analytical leadership
Credit operations counterparts
Compliance, Risk, and Methodology Review Function colleagues
Serve as Credit’s primary internal point of accountability for AI enablement discussions.
Represent Credit in cross‑Morningstar AI forums as needed.
The Requirements:
Direct experience working at a credit rating agency, preferably in an analytical capacity and/or rating team function, with ratings process or methodology expertise.
Strong understanding and application of AI concepts and use cases.
Strong communicator with executive presence.
Ability to translate AI capabilities into practical outcomes. Able to determine when AI should be applied to use cases vs. another solution.
Proven track record delivering outcomes in regulated, data intensive environments. Able to demonstrate measurable ROI on initiatives.
Strategic yet pragmatic; able to move from vision to execution, while balancing risks.
Demonstrated ability to lead through ambiguity and drive quick outcomes.
Entrepreneurial mindset grounded in risk awareness and responsibility.
Compensation and Benefits At Morningstar we believe people are at their best when they are at their healthiest. That’s why we champion your wellness through a wide range of programs that support all stages of your personal and professional life. Here are some examples of the offerings we provide:
Financial Health
100% 401k match up to 6% of salary
Stock Ownership Potential
Company provided life insurance - 1x salary + commission
Physical Health
Comprehensive health benefits(medical/dental/vision)including potential premium discounts and company-provided HSA contributions (up to $500-$2,000 annually) for specific plansand coverages
Additional medical Wellness Incentives - up to $300-$600 annual
Company-provided long- and short-termdisabilityinsurance
Emotional Health
Trust-Based Time Off
6-week Paid Sabbatical Program
6-Week Paid Family Caregiving Leave
Competitive 8-24 Week Paid Parental Leave
Adoption Assistance
Leadership Coaching & FormalMentorshipOpportunities
Annual Flex Stipend - $1000 annually to cover personal education & well-being expenses
Tuition Reimbursement
Social Health
Charitable Matching Gifts program
Dollars for Doers volunteer program
Paid volunteering days
15+ Employee Resource & Affinity Groups
Base Salary Compensation Range $133,167.00 - 239,704.00 USD Annual
Incentive Target Percentage 35% Annual
Morningstar's hybrid work environment gives you the opportunity to collaborate in-person each week as we've found that we're at our best when we're purposely together on a regular basis. In most of our locations, our hybrid work model is four days in-office each week. A range of other benefits are also available to enhance flexibility as needs change. No matter where you are, you'll have tools and resources to engage meaningfully with your global colleagues.
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The Role: Morningstar DBRS is seeking a leader to define and steward how Artificial Intelligence is used across the Credit organization — ensuring AI is adopted safely, consistently, and in ways that materially improve Credit workflows and satisfies our highest quality standards, while meeting regulatory, methodological, and governance expectations.
This role offers the opportunity to shape how AI is responsibly embedded into MDBRS core workflows, modernize analyst experiences and data products at meaningful scale, and operate in an environment that values innovation, integrity, and impact.
This role is designed to help Credit teams adopt AI, without taking over product development, delivery management, or existing Product, Data, Technology, and Compliance functions. The successful candidate will manage a small team of other AI enablers and work closely with colleagues across all teams within Credit.
The Responsibilities:
Governance, Risk, and Guardrails
Define principles, standards, and guardrails for AI use in Credit, including:
Human‑in‑the‑loop expectations
Quality assurance processes
Explainability and auditability requirements
Appropriate handling of MNPI and regulated content
Partner closely with Compliance, Risk, Methodology Review Function, and Legal to ensure AI usage aligns with:
Regulatory expectations
Updates to our ratings processes, policies, and procedures
Rating independence
Methodological consistency
Intended contractual usage with third parties
Ensure governance is designed into workflows and patterns.
AI Direction and Strategic Framing
Define where AI should be applied at scale, where it should be constrained, and where it should not yet be used within Credit.
Translate Credit leadership priorities (e.g., analyst productivity, workflow efficiency, consistency, explainability) into clear AI enablement focus areas.
Establish a Credit‑specific AI posture that balances innovation with regulatory and reputational risk.
Workflow Adoption & Change Enablement (at the Enterprise Level)
Ensure AI capabilities are adopted and used responsibly within Credit workflows.
Champion incremental, phased adoption, consistent with Credit’s risk profile and access constraints.
Sponsor and guide adoption approaches such as:
Narrow pilots
Controlled rollouts
Clear usage guidance
Quality and user acceptance feedback loops
Training patterns and job aids (in partnership with People & Culture and Central Technology)
Partner with Credit Technology to incorporate use cases into existing technological standards and embed into enterprise products, where applicable.
Collaborate with Central Technology to better understand and manage the vast presence of AI in enterprise tools to ensure conformity to MDBRS-specific policies and procedures.
Cross‑Functional Orchestration & Thought Partnership
Act as a senior thought partner to:
Credit leadership
Analytical leadership
Credit operations counterparts
Compliance, Risk, and Methodology Review Function colleagues
Serve as Credit’s primary internal point of accountability for AI enablement discussions.
Represent Credit in cross‑Morningstar AI forums as needed.
The Requirements:
Direct experience working at a credit rating agency, preferably in an analytical capacity and/or rating team function, with ratings process or methodology expertise.
Strong understanding and application of AI concepts and use cases.
Strong communicator with executive presence.
Ability to translate AI capabilities into practical outcomes. Able to determine when AI should be applied to use cases vs. another solution.
Proven track record delivering outcomes in regulated, data intensive environments. Able to demonstrate measurable ROI on initiatives.
Strategic yet pragmatic; able to move from vision to execution, while balancing risks.
Demonstrated ability to lead through ambiguity and drive quick outcomes.
Entrepreneurial mindset grounded in risk awareness and responsibility.
Compensation and Benefits At Morningstar we believe people are at their best when they are at their healthiest. That’s why we champion your wellness through a wide range of programs that support all stages of your personal and professional life. Here are some examples of the offerings we provide:
Financial Health
100% 401k match up to 6% of salary
Stock Ownership Potential
Company provided life insurance - 1x salary + commission
Physical Health
Comprehensive health benefits(medical/dental/vision)including potential premium discounts and company-provided HSA contributions (up to $500-$2,000 annually) for specific plansand coverages
Additional medical Wellness Incentives - up to $300-$600 annual
Company-provided long- and short-termdisabilityinsurance
Emotional Health
Trust-Based Time Off
6-week Paid Sabbatical Program
6-Week Paid Family Caregiving Leave
Competitive 8-24 Week Paid Parental Leave
Adoption Assistance
Leadership Coaching & FormalMentorshipOpportunities
Annual Flex Stipend - $1000 annually to cover personal education & well-being expenses
Tuition Reimbursement
Social Health
Charitable Matching Gifts program
Dollars for Doers volunteer program
Paid volunteering days
15+ Employee Resource & Affinity Groups
Base Salary Compensation Range $133,167.00 - 239,704.00 USD Annual
Incentive Target Percentage 35% Annual
Morningstar's hybrid work environment gives you the opportunity to collaborate in-person each week as we've found that we're at our best when we're purposely together on a regular basis. In most of our locations, our hybrid work model is four days in-office each week. A range of other benefits are also available to enhance flexibility as needs change. No matter where you are, you'll have tools and resources to engage meaningfully with your global colleagues.
R06_DBRSInc DBRS, Inc. - US Legal Entity
#J-18808-Ljbffr