Sr Consultant, Software Engineer (AI Engineer)

Summary: Leads the technology enablement strategy for AI systems, defining roadmaps and reusable capabilities. Manages a small engineering pod to build and operate AI solutions at scale while partnering with business and technology leaders to drive secure, measurable outcomes.

If you’re passionate about being part of a dynamic organization that enables a Fortune 100 company with nearly $70 billion in annual sales to drive innovation and adopt new technologies that deliver business results, then Nationwide’s Technology team could be the place for you! At Nationwide®, “on your side” goes beyond just words. Our customers are at the center of everything we do and we’re looking for associates who are passionate about delivering extraordinary care.

This role will work a hybrid schedule coming into the Columbus, Ohio (preferred), Des Moines, Iowa, or Scottsdale, Arizona office 2 days per week. Remote internal associates may also be considered.

Role Purpose

The Sr Consultant, Software Engineer (AI Engineer) is accountable for turning AI strategy into trusted, reusable technology capabilities that enable Nationwide to build and operate AI Systems at scale. This leader connects enterprise technology, business architecture, transformation strategy, and delivery teams to move from experimentation to secure, measurable, and repeatable business outcomes.

The role owns the technology-side enablement agenda: defining the capability roadmap and target state; coordinating shared capability development across the enterprise; ensuring reusable products, patterns, and platforms are built; leading a small engineering pod focused on experimentation and capability building; and helping the organization develop the skills and ways of working required for an AI-native future.

Key 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 the capabilities required to build and run 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, highly capable 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, clarifying centralized and federated responsibilities and reducing duplicate or one-off solutions.
• Treat reusable AI capabilities as products: establish 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.
• Help support upskilling, cascade of Enterprise AI Fluency efforts, and development of key change management tactics in support of the strategic priorities set forth.
• 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.

What You’ll Bring

• Significant experience leading technology strategy, product/platform management, software engineering, architecture, or digital transformation in a complex enterprise; experience in a regulated industry 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 the 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 to partner effectively with business architects, transformation leaders, executives, and delivery practitioners.
• Experience driving organizational change, technology adoption, and enterprise upskilling through practical coaching and measurable enablement.
• Executive presence, strategic judgment, strong written and verbal communication, and the ability to influence without relying solely on formal authority.

Success in This Role

• Technology teams can build and operate AI Systems through trusted, reusable, governed capabilities rather than one-off solutions.
• Shared capabilities are adopted across lines of business, with clear ownership, measurable health, and continuous improvement.
• Business and technology teams jointly use current-state, future-state, and value-stream thinking to redesign work—not simply digitize existing processes.
• Product owners, architects, engineers, and leaders demonstrate increasing AI fluency and independently apply approved patterns and practices.
• AI-enabled products deliver measurable improvements in speed, quality, capacity, experience, and control effectiveness.

#LI-AC1

Job Description Summary
If you’re enthusiastic about delivering secure technology solutions to support a company providing extraordinary care to its customers, then Nationwide Technology is the place for you. Nationwide's industry-leading technology workforce embraces an agile work environment and a collaborative culture to deliver outstanding solutions and results. If that sounds like something you aspire to, we want to hear from you!

As a Software Engineer, you’ll focus on mentoring and leading others to deliver high-quality, cost-effective technology solutions to business partners by crafting new software applications or modifying and/or supporting existing packaged or custom-built applications.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities:

• Analyze large and complex solutions, develop, test, debug, document, and deploy software according to standards and best practices.
• Responsible for applying secure software and systems engineering practices throughout the delivery lifecycle to ensure our data and technology solutions are protected from threats and vulnerabilities.
• Serves as a top technical expert and 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 across teams and product areas 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.

May perform other responsibilities as assigned.

Reporting Relationships: Reports to a Technology Director or above.

Typical Skills and Experiences:

Education: Undergraduate studies in computer science, management information systems, or other related degrees. Technology experience or non-traditional technology certificates can be substituted for an undergraduate degree.

Experience: Eight or more years of programming, software engineering or analysis experience.

Knowledge, Abilities and Skills: 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 software development lifecycle. Proven ability to tackle sophisticated business and development problems. Ability to thrive in a team environment. Insurance/financial services industry knowledge a plus.

Other criteria, including leadership skills, competencies, and experiences may take precedence.

Staffing exceptions to the above must be approved by the hiring manager’s leader and Human Resources Business Partner.

Values: Regularly and consistently demonstrates Nationwide Values.

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: The above statements cover what are generally believed to be principal and essential functions of this job. Specific circumstances may allow or require some people assigned to the job to perform a somewhat different combination of duties.

We currently anticipate accepting applications until 11/20/2026. However, we encourage early submissions, as the posting may close sooner if a strong candidate slate is identified before the deadline.

Benefits

We have an array of benefits to fit your needs, including: 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, and more. To learn more about the benefits we offer, [click here](https://www.nationwide.com/about-us/careers-associate-benefits.jsp).

Nationwide is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive culture where everyone feels challenged, appreciated, respected and engaged. Nationwide prohibits discrimination and harassment and affords equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants without regard to any characteristic (or classification) protected by applicable law.

This position could be filled within any of the lower 48 U.S. states.

Smoke-Free Iowa Statement: Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, its affiliates and subsidiaries comply with the Iowa Smokefree Air Act. Smoking is prohibited in all enclosed areas on or around company premises as well as company issued vehicles. The company offers designated smoking areas in which smoking is permitted at each individual location. The Act prohibits retaliation for reporting complaints or violations. For more information on the Iowa Smokefree Air Act, individuals may contact the Smokefree Air Act Helpline at 888-944-2247.

For NY residents please review the following state law information: Notice of Employee Rights, Protections, and Obligations LS740 (ny.gov) https://dol.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2022/02/ls740_1.pdf

NOTE TO EMPLOYMENT AGENCIES:

We value the partnerships we have built with our preferred vendors. Nationwide does not accept unsolicited resumes from employment agencies. All resumes submitted by employment agencies directly to any Nationwide employee or hiring manager in any form without a signed Nationwide Client Services Agreement on file and search engagement for that position will be deemed unsolicited in nature. No fee will be paid in the event the candidate is subsequently hired as a result of the referral or through other means.

Nationwide pays on a geographic-specific salary structure and placement within the actual starting salary range for this position will be determined by a number of factors including the skills, education, training, credentials and experience of the candidate; the scope, complexity and location of the role as well as the cost of labor in the market; and other conditions of employment. If a Sales job, Sales Incentives, based on performance goals are possible in addition to this range. Note on Compensation for Part-Time Roles: Please be aware that the salary ranges listed below reflect full-time compensation. Actual compensation may be prorated based on the number of hours worked relative to a full-time schedule.

The national salary range for Sr Consultant, Software Engineer : $149,000.00-$262,000.00

The expected starting salary range for Sr Consultant, Software Engineer : $149,000.00 - $223,000.00