Sr Consultant, Software Engineer (AI Engineer)

Nationwide is seeking a Senior Software Engineering Consultant to translate AI strategy into trusted, reusable technology capabilities. In this hybrid role, you will help Nationwide build and operate AI systems at scale by leading AI enablement planning, shared capability development, experimentation, and adoption of secure, measurable outcomes.

Role focus

You will connect enterprise technology, business architecture, transformation strategy, and delivery teams to move from experimentation to secure, repeatable business results. This leader owns the technology-side enablement agenda, including the capability roadmap and target state, coordination of shared capability development, and creation of reusable patterns and platforms that support an AI-native operating model.

Responsibilities

• Own the technology AI Enablement strategy, roadmap, outcomes, and investment priorities across AI platforms, architecture, data, integration, security, quality, observability, and operational controls.
• Ensure required capabilities for building and running AI systems are available through reusable reference architectures, golden paths, engineering patterns, toolchains, knowledge-grounding approaches, evaluation methods, monitoring, auditability, and human-oversight controls.
• Lead a small pod of engineers focused on experimentation, rapid proofs of concept, and reusable AI capability building.
• Lead technology consultants who help delivery teams improve AI readiness, adopt approved patterns, and embed the AI-Assisted Delivery Lifecycle (AI-DLC) into day-to-day work.
• Lead shared capability development across enterprise technology and partner organizations by clarifying centralized and federated responsibilities and reducing duplicate or one-off solutions.
• Treat reusable AI capabilities as products by establishing vision, roadmaps, backlogs, lifecycle ownership, adoption plans, service health measures, and continuous improvement practices.
• Partner with business architects and transformation strategists to map current and future states, redesign value streams, identify where AI, automation, and human judgment should fit, and sequence pragmatic transformation horizons.
• Partner with enterprise AI, architecture, data, cybersecurity, risk, privacy, engineering, product, and business leaders to ensure solutions are secure, responsible, scalable, explainable, and aligned to enterprise standards.
• Help teams move proven concepts from prototype to production by establishing repeatable intake, prioritization, delivery, quality, and operationalization practices.
• Support upskilling and cascade efforts tied to Enterprise AI Fluency, including change management tactics aligned to strategic priorities.
• Define and communicate measures of success, including adoption, reuse, cycle time, quality, reliability, risk/control performance, capacity released, and business value realized.
• Lead and develop the team while influencing broadly through matrixed teams, shared services, strategic partners, and business stakeholders.
• Analyze complex solutions, develop, test, debug, document, and deploy software in alignment with standards and best practices.
• Apply secure software and systems engineering practices throughout the delivery lifecycle to protect data and technology solutions from threats and vulnerabilities.
• Serve as a top technical expert who mentors and trains others on design techniques, tools, and coding standards.
• Execute and provide strategic advice on using technology to achieve technology and business goals.
• Drive cross-organizational collaboration to execute projects and shape shared technical roadmaps.
• Set the technical direction for DevSecOps practices, tooling, and techniques across teams to strengthen security, automation, reliability, and delivery speed at scale.
• Drive continuous learning and improvement through ongoing training, practice, and innovation.
• Provide technical leadership by guiding solution design, establishing engineering standards, and aligning teams in technical direction.
• Manage multiple complex project priorities, deadlines, and deliverables proactively.

Requirements

• Significant experience leading technology strategy, product/platform management, software engineering, architecture, or digital transformation in a complex enterprise; regulated industry experience is preferred.
• Demonstrated experience delivering practical generative AI, agentic AI, automation, data, or platform capabilities into production, not only defining strategy or running pilots.
• Strong understanding of cloud, APIs, data and knowledge platforms, modern engineering practices, DevSecOps, observability, and operating requirements of reliable AI systems.
• Experience establishing reusable standards, reference patterns, governance, and product operating models across multiple delivery teams.
• Ability to translate complex technology into clear business outcomes and partner effectively with business architects, transformation leaders, executives, and delivery practitioners.
• Experience driving organizational change, technology adoption, and enterprise upskilling through coaching and measurable enablement.
• Executive presence with strong written and verbal communication, capable of influencing without relying solely on formal authority.
• Undergraduate studies in computer science, management information systems, or related degrees; technology experience or non-traditional technology certificates can substitute for an undergraduate degree.
• Eight or more years of programming, software engineering or analysis experience.
• Hands-on technical leadership experience leading project teams and setting technical direction.
• Proficiency in multiple programming languages such as Java, C++, Python, and JavaScript.
• Extensive knowledge of the software development lifecycle.
• Proven ability to tackle sophisticated business and development problems.
• Ability to thrive in a team environment.
• Insurance/financial services industry knowledge is a plus.
• May perform other responsibilities as assigned.
• Reporting: Reports to a Technology Director or above.
• Values: Regularly and consistently demonstrates Nationwide Values.

Technologies

• Java
• C++
• Python
• JavaScript
• Cloud
• APIs
• DevSecOps
• Observability

Benefits

• Medical/dental/vision
• Life insurance
• Short and long term disability coverage
• Paid time off with newly hired associates receiving a minimum of 18 days paid time off each full calendar year pro-rated quarterly based on hire date
• Nine paid holidays
• 8 hours of Lifetime paid time off
• 8 hours of Unity Day paid time off
• 401(k) with company match
• Company-paid pension plan
• Business casual attire

Job conditions

• Overtime Eligibility: Not Eligible (Exempt)
• Working Conditions: Hybrid to normal office environment; associates may have on-call responsibility after normal working hours and/or on weekends.
• ADA: Statements cover what are generally believed to be principal and essential functions; specific circumstances may allow or require some people assigned to the job to perform a somewhat different combination of duties.

Location

• Columbus, OH (Hybrid), Three Nationwide Plaza
• United States, Remote
• Des Moines, IA (Hybrid), 1100 Locust Street
• Scottsdale, AZ (Hybrid), 18700 North Hayden Road