Innovation, Data, And Enterprise AI Assistant Division Director (Assistant Division Director DIT)

Innovation, Data, And Enterprise AI Assistant Division Director (Assistant Division Director DIT)

Salary

$107,861.52 - $204,936.99 Annually

Location

FX. CTY. GOVERNMENT CENTER, 12000 GOVERNMENT CENTER PKWY., FAIRFAX (EJ32), VA

Job Type

FT Salary W BN

Job Number

26-01637

Department

Information Technology

Opening Date

10/24/2026

Closing Date

11/6/2026 11:59 PM Eastern

Pay Grade

M02

Posting Type

Open to General Public

• Description
• Benefits
• Questions

Job Announcement

Fairfax County's Innovation Division within the Department of Information Technology is seeking an experienced, forward-thinking technical leader to serve as the Innovation Division Assistant Director. In this high-impact executive role, you will work alongside the Chief Director of Innovation to become a principal strategist and senior advisor driving county-wide innovation, data, and enterprise AI transformation, overseeing the strategic outreach, community engagement, and governance frameworks that power our modern technology initiatives. Operating at the intersection of public policy and advanced technology, this position is responsible for eliminating departmental silos, establishing enterprise compliance standards, and directing the unified services that power our dynamic community.

We are looking for an ambitious, future-focused strategist who is excited to lead and expand Fairfax County's digital footprint and cultivate an internal culture of innovation. If you are passionate about building robust regional partnerships, establishing ethical AI frameworks, and designing comprehensive workforce upskilling initiatives that build internal technical capability, this position offers the platform to truly make your mark at the highest level of county government. Join us to champion next-generation enterprise data and artificial intelligence, guide strategic technical investments, and lead Fairfax County's innovation ecosystem into a more resilient, connected, and future-ready future.

Key Responsibilities

• Formulate and drive the Enterprise Data and AI Governance Charter to establish a unified, secure, and highly mature data ecosystem across all Fairfax County agencies.
• Establish system-wide ethical frameworks, operational policies, and compliance standards to guarantee data, AI, and GIS assets are utilized responsibly while maintaining strict privacy and security.
• Design and enforce rigorous risk management protocols for emerging artificial intelligence technologies, large language models (LLMs), and advanced machine learning integrations.
• Engage proactively with internal county agencies, technology vendors, and industry experts to identify operational pain points and align central technology strategies with department goals.
• Partner directly with academic institutions and neighboring jurisdictions to drive collaborative research, leverage external expertise, and establish regional technical talent pipelines.
• Lead strategic regional listening tours and stakeholder workshops to gather feedback, promote user-centric digital transformation, and advocate for modern technology adoption.
• Cultivate and lead a vibrant Data and AI community across Fairfax County, establishing collaborative networks that connect, support, and upskill technical practitioners across all departments.
• Foster an organizational culture of data and AI literacy by connecting, mentoring, and managing technology practitioners and enthusiasts across all county departments.
• Execute comprehensive workforce training and upskilling frameworks for Fairfax County employees to build internal technical capacity and guide organizational change management.
• Orchestrate internal and public Innovation Roadshows to showcase successful deployment use cases, demonstrate modern technical capabilities, and spark collaborative initiatives.
• Advise executive leadership and elected officials regarding emerging technology trends, long-term technical roadmaps, and strategic investment priorities.
• Perform other duties as required to support Innovation Division related efforts.

Note: This role is a hybrid model requiring at least 40% onsite work at the Fairfax County Government Center.

Employment Standards

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Any combination of education, experience, and training equivalent to the following:

(Click on the aforementioned link to learn how Fairfax County interprets equivalencies for "Any combination, experience, and training equivalent to")

Possession of a bachelors degree in computer science, or closely related field; plus, five years of progressively responsible experience in applying information technology to meet the needs of a government or business organization including two years of supervisory experience.

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

The appointee to this position will be required to complete a criminal background check and credit check to the satisfaction of the employer.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Demonstrated senior management experience leading enterprise technology strategy, cross-agency program governance, and multidisciplinary technical teams within a large organization.
• Extensive experience designing and implementing data governance frameworks, ethical AI policies, and regulatory compliance standards for cloud, database, or spatial platforms.
• Proven track record building and managing organizational change, specifically standing up technical Communities of Practice, enterprise training pipelines, or professional upskilling programs.
• Demonstrated experience collaborating with diverse stakeholder groups, including executive leadership, elected officials, academic partners, vendor channels, and regional jurisdictions.
• Deep familiarity with emerging industry trends across the technology spectrum, including enterprise data frameworks, generative AI deployments, low-code application solutions, and GIS ecosystems.
• Proven experience navigating the unique operational, political, and compliance structures of a local, state, or federal government environment.
• Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

Work is generally sedentary, performed in a normal office environment. All duties performed with or without reasonable accommodations.

SELECTION PROCEDURE:

Panel interview and may include exercise.

Fairfax County is home to a highly diverse population, with a significant number of residents speaking languages other than English at home (including Spanish, Asian/Pacific Islander, Indo-European, and many others.) We encourage candidates who are bilingual in English and another language to apply for this opportunity.

Fairfax County Government prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetics, political affiliation, or military status in the recruitment, selection, and hiring of its workforce.

Reasonable accommodations are available to persons with disabilities during application and/or interview processes per the Americans with Disabilities Act. TTY 703-222-7314. DHREmployment@fairfaxcounty.gov EEO/AA/TTY.

Merit Positions

Fairfax County is proud to offer employees an attractive and comprehensive benefits program, including the following:

• Medical/Vision/Dental Insurance Coverage
• Group Term Life Insurance
• Long Term Disability
• LiveWell Program
• Flexible Spending Programs
• Paid Leave (annual, sick, parental, volunteer activity, and more!)
• Paid Holidays
• Contributory Retirement Plan
• Deferred Compensation
• Employee Assistance Program
• Employees Child Care Center
• Continuous Learning Opportunities

Please click here for a summary of our benefits.

NOTE: Fairfax County Government is a qualifying employer under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. For more information about the PSLF program: Public Service Loan Forgiveness | Federal Student Aid

For additional details please visit the Countys benefits webpage.

Non-Merit Positions

• Non-Merit Benefit Eligible: scheduled to work a minimum 1,040 hours and no more than a maximum of 1,560 hours in a calendar year.

• Medical/Vision/Dental Insurance Coverage

• Flexible Spending Program

• Deferred Compensation

• Temporary: scheduled to work a maximum of 900 hours in a calendar year.

• No benefits

01

What is the highest level of education that you have completed?

• Less than 12th grade
• High school diploma or GED
• Some college
• Associates degree
• Bachelors degree
• Masters degree
• Doctorate degree

02

If you answered "Some college" for the highest level of education completed, please indicate the number of quarter or semester hours you have completed towards a degree.

• Less than 45 quarter hours
• 45 to less than 90 quarter hours
• 90 to less than 135 quarter hours
• 135 to less than 180 quarter hours
• 180 or more quarter hours
• Less than 30 semester hours
• 30 to less than 60 semester hours
• 60 to less than 90 semester hours
• 90 to less than 120 semester hours
• 120 or more semester hours
• Not applicable

03

Please indicate your area(s) of study or major(s)/minor(s) towards a degree. Check all that apply.

• Computer science
• Information technology
• Computer engineering
• Software engineering
• Other (related field)
• Other (non-related field)
• Not applicable

04

If you answered "Other (related field)" or "Other (non-related field)" for the previous question, please list all of your majors and minors. If this question does not pertain to you, or you do not have a degree, enter "Not applicable".

05

How many years of full-time equivalent professional progressively responsible experience do you have in applying information technology to meet the needs of a government or business organization?

• None
• Less than one year
• One to less than two years
• Two to less than three years
• Three to less than four years
• Four to less than five years
• Five to less than six years
• Six to less than seven years
• Seven to less than eight years
• Eight to less than nine years
• Nine or more years

06

How many years of full-time equivalent supervisory experience do you have as a part of your progressively responsible experience in applying information technology to meet the needs of a government or business organization?

• None
• Less than one year
• One to less than two years
• Two to less than three years
• Three to less than four years
• Four to less than five years
• Five or more years

07

What level of senior management experience do you have leading enterprise technology strategy, cross-agency program governance, and multidisciplinary technical teams?

• No experience
• Managed technical projects or workflows without direct supervisory or strategic responsibility.
• Managed a single technical team or specific program within an IT environment.
• Direct experience leading enterprise technology strategy, cross-agency governance, and multidisciplinary teams.
• Extensive experience directing division-wide or enterprise-level technology strategies and large technical programs.

08

Which statement best describes your experience designing and implementing data governance frameworks, ethical AI policies, and regulatory compliance standards?

• No experience
• Followed established data governance and compliance guidelines as a team lead.
• Contributed to the development of data standards or compliance frameworks for a specific department.
• Directly designed and implemented data governance, ethical AI policies, or compliance standards for an organization.
• Overseen enterprise-wide governance, AI ethics, and compliance structures across cloud, database, or spatial platforms.

09

What is your experience level building and managing organizational change, such as standing up Communities of Practice, enterprise training pipelines, or professional upskilling programs?

• No experience
• Participated in or supported organizational change initiatives led by others.
• Implemented team-level training programs or change management plans
• Successfully built and managed broad organizational change initiatives, training pipelines, or professional upskilling programs.
• Architected and championed enterprise-wide change management strategies, establishing formal Communities of Practice and training infrastructures.

10

What level of experience do you have collaborating with diverse stakeholder groups, including executive leadership, elected officials, academic partners, vendors, and regional jurisdictions?

• No experience at the executive level.
• Interfaced with internal management and project stakeholders regularly.
• Regularly presented to agency leadership and managed vendor relationships.
• Proven track record collaborating directly with executive leadership, elected officials, academic partners, and external jurisdictions.
• Expert experience building consensus and strategic partnerships among competing public, private, and political stakeholder networks.

11

Which statement best reflects your technical familiarity with emerging industry trends (e.g., enterprise data frameworks, generative AI deployments, low-code solutions, and GIS ecosystems)?

• Basic conceptual awareness of these technologies.
• Competent user experience with one or two of these technologies.
• Professional experience implementing or managing projects involving at least two of these technology areas.
• Deep familiarity and hands-on oversight managing enterprise deployments across data, generative AI, low-code, and GIS landscapes.
• Strategic subject matter expert who evaluates, adopts, and scales diverse emerging technologies to drive organizational innovation.
• None of the above

12

Select the statement that best describes your experience navigating the operational, political, and compliance structures of a government environment.

• No government or public sector experience.
• Worked as a contractor or partner supporting public sector clients.
• Internal experience working within a government agency with basic exposure to its political or compliance landscape.
• Proven experience successfully navigating complex operational, political, and regulatory structures within local, state, or federal government.
• Extensive experience directing public sector operations, directly mitigating political risks, and ensuring systemic regulatory compliance.

13

Which of the following best reflects your professional communication skills when bridging technical innovations and strategic organizational goals?

• Primarily focused on internal team updates and standard reporting.
• Routinely draft project documentation and present updates to senior managers.
• Strong experience authoring complex reports, strategic plans, and presenting technical ideas to non-technical stakeholders.
• Excellent skills with a proven track record delivering formal briefings to boards, elected officials, and public forums.
• Master-level strategic communicator who translates complex technical futures into highly compelling narratives that secure critical public and legislative buy-in.

14

This role operates on a hybrid model requiring at least 40% onsite work at the Fairfax County Government Center. Are you willing and able to meet the workspace requirement for this position?

• Yes
• No

Required Question

Employer Fairfax County

Address 12000 Government Center Pkwy. Suite 270

Fairfax, Virginia, 22035

Phone 703-324-3311

Website http://agency.governmentjobs.com/fairfaxcounty/default.cfm