Director, AI Innovation

What You'll Do We're looking for a Director of AI Innovation to lead how Principal identifies, experiments with, and scales AI to drive business value. This role sits at the center of our enterprise AI strategy, partnering across business, technology, and external ecosystems (including venture capital networks, frontier labs, and emerging startups) to bring emerging AI capabilities into real-world application. You’ll shape our AI innovation agenda, lead experimentation through our AI Innovation Lab, and help translate high-potential ideas into scalable solutions that enhance customer experience, improve operations, and accelerate growth. You'll have the opportunity to Lead enterprise AI innovation strategy & vision Define and evolve the AI Innovation strategy aligned with business and customer outcomes and long-term transformation priorities Work with business leaders to identify high-impact opportunities where AI can drive growth, efficiency, risk management, and differentiation by partnering with business stakeholders Own and manage a multi-horizon AI innovation roadmap and portfolio Oversee AI experimentation, prototyping & enablement Drive outcomes through the AI Innovation Lab, aligning our globally distributed team to execute experiments and scale solutions across the enterprise Establish frameworks for rapid prototyping, model evaluation, and vendor/tool assessments Manage external AI innovation ecosystem relationships Represent Principal as the AI Innovation ambassador, build and maintain partnerships with startups, VC firms, big tech, and research institutions Create structured processes for sourcing, evaluating, and onboarding external AI solutions Develop a pipeline of high-quality AI opportunities, ranging from emerging technologies to commercially ready AI platforms, aligned with Principal’s strategic needs Monitor emerging AI technologies & market shifts Track advancements in AI (e.g., foundation models, automation, multimodal systems) and competitive trends Synthesize insights into recommendations advising enterprise strategy, investment decisions, and AI portfolio priorities Operating at the intersection of financial services and technology, Principal builds financial tools that help our customers live better lives. We take pride in being a purpose-led firm, motivated by our mission to make financial security accessible to all. Our mission, integrity, and customer focus have made us a trusted leader for more than 140 years. Who You Are Bachelor’s degree 10+ years of relevant innovation experience, including AI and emerging technologies Strong understanding of generative AI and ML concepts, data-driven products, and technology trends Strong strategic thinking, analytical, problem solving skills; comfortable operating in ambiguity Experience building partnerships across internal teams and external ecosystems (VCs, startups, research groups) Proven ability to influence senior leaders and communicate complex AI concepts to non-technical audiences Demonstrable ability to build relationships and navigate complex organizations Strong analytical, problem‑solving, and change management skills Travel up to ~20%, including quarterly or more frequently Skills That Will Help You Stand Out Experience leading AI or digital innovation initiatives at scale Background working with startups, venture ecosystems, or emerging tech partnerships Advanced degree (MBA or technical field) Financial services or regulated industry experience Salary Range Information Salary ranges below reflect targeted base salaries. Non-sales positions have the opportunity to participate in a bonus program. Sales positions are eligible for sales incentives, and in some instances a bonus plan, whereby total compensation may far exceed base salary depending on individual performance. Actual compensation for all roles will be based upon geographic location, work experience, education, licensure requirements and/or skill level and will be finalized at the time of offer. Salary Range (Non-Exempt expressed as hourly; Exempt expressed as yearly) $160000 - $210000 / year Time Off Program Flexible Time Off (FTO) is provided to salaried (exempt) employees and provides the opportunity to take time away from the office with pay for vacation, personal or short-term illness. Employees don’t accrue a bank of time off under FTO and there is no set number of days provided. Pension Eligible Yes Work Environments This role offers in-office, hybrid (blending at least three office days in a typical workweek), and remote work arrangements (only if residing more than 30 miles from Des Moines, IA, or Charlotte, NC). You’ll work with your leader to figure out which option may align best based on several factors. Work Authorization/Sponsorship At this time, we're not considering applicants that need any type of immigration sponsorship (additional work authorization or permanent work authorization) now or in the future to work in the United States. This includes, but IS NOT LIMITED TO: F1-OPT, F1-CPT, H-1B, TN, L-1, J-1, etc. For additional information around work authorization needs please use the following links. Nonimmigrant Workers and Green Card for Employment-Based Immigrants Investment Code of Ethics For Principal Asset Management positions, you’ll need to follow an Investment Code of Ethics related to personal and business conduct as well as personal trading activities for you and members of your household. These same requirements may also apply to other positions across the organization. Experience Principal At Principal, we value connecting on both a personal and professional level. Together, we’re imagining a more purpose-led future for financial services – and that starts with you. Our success depends on the unique experiences, backgrounds, and talents of our employees. And we support our employees the same way we support our customers: with comprehensive, competitive benefit offerings crafted to protect their physical, financial, and social well-being. Check out our careers site to learn more about our purpose, values and benefits. Principal is an Equal Opportunity Employer All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status. Posting Window We will accept applications for 3 full days following the Original Posting Date, after which the posting may remain open or be removed based upon applications received. If we choose to post the job again, we will accept additional applications for at least 1 full day following the Most Recently Posted Date. Please submit applications in a timely manner as there is no guarantee the posting will be available beyond the applicable deadline. Original Posting Date 6/30/2026 Most Recently Posted Date 9/2/2026 Principal uses artificial intelligence tools to assist in reviewing and evaluating job applications, fraud prevention, and candidate matching and comparisons. These AI tools support our human recruiters in the initial review process but do not make final hiring decisions without human involvement. By submitting your application, you acknowledge this use of AI in our recruitment process. Please review our Workforce (U.S.) Privacy Notice for more details on our practices and your data privacy rights. LinkedIn Remote Hashtag #LI-Remote LinkedIn Hashtag #LI-EW1We're looking for a Director of AI Innovation to lead how Principal identifies, experiments with, and scales AI to drive business value. This role sits at the center of our enterprise AI strategy, partnering across business, technology, and external ecosystems (including venture capital networks, frontier labs, and emerging startups) to bring emerging AI capabilities into real-world application. You’ll shape our AI innovation agenda, lead experimentation through our AI Innovation Lab, and help translate high-potential ideas into scalable solutions that enhance customer experience, improve operations, and accelerate growth. You'll have the opportunity to Lead enterprise AI innovation strategy & vision Define and evolve the AI Innovation strategy aligned with business and customer outcomes and long-term transformation priorities Work with business leaders to identify high-impact opportunities where AI can drive growth, efficiency, risk management, and differentiation by partnering with business stakeholders Own and manage a multi-horizon AI innovation roadmap and portfolio Oversee AI experimentation, prototyping & enablement Drive outcomes through the AI Innovation Lab, aligning our globally distributed team to execute experiments and scale solutions across the enterprise Establish frameworks for rapid prototyping, model evaluation, and vendor/tool assessments Manage external AI innovation ecosystem relationships Represent Principal as the AI Innovation ambassador, build and maintain partnerships with startups, VC firms, big tech, and research institutions Create structured processes for sourcing, evaluating, and onboarding external AI solutions Develop a pipeline of high-quality AI opportunities, ranging from emerging technologies to commercially ready AI platforms, aligned with Principal’s strategic needs Monitor emerging AI technologies & market shifts Track advancements in AI (e.g., foundation models, automation, multimodal systems) and competitive trends Synthesize insights into recommendations advising enterprise strategy, investment decisions, and AI portfolio priorities Operating at the intersection of financial services and technology, Principal builds financial tools that help our customers live better lives. We take pride in being a purpose-led firm, motivated by our mission to make financial security accessible to all. Our mission, integrity, and customer focus have made us a trusted leader for more than 140 years.Bachelor’s degree 10+ years of relevant innovation experience, including AI and emerging technologies Strong understanding of generative AI and ML concepts, data-driven products, and technology trends Strong strategic thinking, analytical, problem solving skills; comfortable operating in ambiguity Experience building partnerships across internal teams and external ecosystems (VCs, startups, research groups) Proven ability to influence senior leaders and communicate complex AI concepts to non-technical audiences Demonstrable ability to build relationships and navigate complex organizations Strong analytical, problem‑solving, and change management skills Travel up to ~20%, including quarterly or more frequently Skills That Will Help You Stand Out Experience leading AI or digital innovation initiatives at scale Background working with startups, venture ecosystems, or emerging tech partnerships Advanced degree (MBA or technical field) Financial services or regulated industry experience