AI Solutions Specialist

Widener University is currently seeking an AI Solutions Specialist. Reporting to the Vice President for Enrollment & Technology/Chief Information Officer, this newly created position will help the university's administrative units put artificial intelligence to practical use, improving the speed and quality of the work that supports our students, faculty, and staff. The role will report directly to the Vice President while it is being established, then move into the Information Technology department.

This is a hands-on role. The AI Solutions Specialist will work with units such as Admissions, Student Financial Services, the Registrar, Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology Services, etc. to identify high-value opportunities, then personally configure, test, deploy, and monitor the tools that address them. It is also strategic: the position maintains a university-wide view of where AI is and should be used, recommends what the university should license, and builds the training that equips staff to leverage these new tools.

Qualified candidates will have both technological expertise and the interpersonal skills necessary to engage colleagues and campus stakeholders. Much of this work involves understanding how staff actually do their jobs and earning the trust required to manage change. The university is interested in what demonstrably works, not in adopting technology for its own sake. Duties and priorities will shift on an ongoing basis, so the successful candidate will bring comfort with ambiguity, a willingness to "figure it out," and the autonomy to identify opportunities rather than wait for assignments.

This position is eligible for regular remote/flex work, and the university will consider fully remote candidates; some on-campus presence may be expected during onboarding and periodically thereafter. Widener is committed to fostering an environment in which faculty, staff, and students from a variety of backgrounds, cultures, and personal experiences are welcomed and can thrive.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES (including, but not limited to):

Essential Duties:

• Partner with administrative units to identify work that is repetitive, slow, error-prone, or backlogged, and assess honestly whether AI is the right tool.
• Configure, test, and deploy AI solutions hands-on: prompts, custom assistants and agents, document-grounded chat and search over a unit's own content, drafting and summarization workflows, and extraction of structured data from forms and correspondence.
• Connect AI capabilities to existing university systems using workflow automation tools so that outputs land where staff already work.
• Monitor deployed solutions on a regular basis reviewing output quality, tracking adoption, catching degradation, and adjusting configuration as content, processes, and vendor capabilities change. Document configurations, prompts, and known limitations so that deployments are supportable and repeatable.
• Define and report success measures for each deployment (time saved, turnaround time, error rates, volume handled) and recommend retiring or rebuilding what does not deliver.
• In partnership with others, design and deliver practical training workshops, office hours, and role-specific guides that raises baseline AI fluency and builds capable practitioners in business units.
• Evaluate new tools, assess vendor claims critically, maintain a roadmap of AI use across administrative units, and report progress and priorities to university leadership.
• Ensure that every deployment adheres to university policy and applicable requirements for data security and privacy, record retention, and appropriate use.

Secondary Responsibilities:

• Serve on division and campus-wide committees and participate in process improvement projects or strategic initiatives as assigned.
• Keep informed about developments in artificial intelligence, automation, and higher education technology, including relevant policies, regulations, and state and federal laws.
• Potential for modest supervisory responsibilities and/or collaboration opportunities with student employees or interns.
• Perform other job-related duties as assigned or directed to support departmental needs and align with the mission, values and goals of Enrollment & Technology and Widener University.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS (education/training and experience required):

Required:

• Bachelor's degree.
• Demonstrated hands-on experience building solutions with current generative AI tools (e.g., configuring custom assistants or agents, developing prompts for production use, or deploying document-grounded chat or retrieval over an organization's own content).
• Working knowledge of at least one major enterprise AI platform (for example, Microsoft 365 Copilot, Google Gemini, ChatGPT Enterprise, or Anthropic Claude), including its administrative settings.
• Comfort working with data in spreadsheets and structured files, and an understanding of how systems exchange data through APIs.
• Ability to evaluate AI output critically recognizing hallucination, bias, and quiet failure and to build the checks that catch problems before end users do.
• Demonstrated ability to map a business process, identify where the friction actually lies, and design a change that staff will adopt.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, written and verbal, including the ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical colleagues clearly and without condescension.
• Customer service orientation and ability to interact with a wide variety of individuals within a complex and dynamic environment.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and organizational skills, with thoroughness and attention to detail.
• Ability to work independently, manage multiple projects, and prioritize among competing needs.
• Ability to identify gaps in one's own knowledge and locate the resources to learn on one's own, essential in a field changing this quickly.

Formal software development experience is not required; candidates who have built practical solutions through configuration rather than code are encouraged to apply.

Preferred:

• Master's degree.
• Experience in higher education, or in another complex, decentralized organization.
• Experience delivering training or change management to non-technical staff.
• Familiarity with enterprise administrative systems such as Ellucian Colleague, Technolutions Slate, etc.
• Scripting ability (e.g., Python or JavaScript).

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Occasional travel to the university's campuses will be required.
• This position may require vacation restrictions during times of peak activity in the department.
• The employee must have the ability to occasionally lift/or move 10+ pounds.
• The employee will perform repetitive motion using computer mouse and keyboard to type.

Qualified candidates must submit resume and cover letter for consideration. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Only those selected to interview will be contacted.

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Widener University is committed to fostering an inclusive community in which faculty, staff, and students from a variety of backgrounds, cultures, and personal experiences are welcomed and can thrive. We are an equal opportunity employer and are committed to providing equal educational and employment opportunities for all persons without regard to age, color, national origin, race, religion, disability, veteran status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, or status as a protected veteran.

Some positions may be eligible for a hybrid or remote work arrangement that may include a partially or fully remote work location, consistent with Widener's Flexible Work policy.

U.S. work authorization is required.

Widener University, an independent, metropolitan, doctoral-intensive university, connects curricula to social issues through civic engagement. Dynamic teaching, active scholarship, personal attention and experiential learning are key components of the Widener Experience. Located in Chester, PA, Widener's main campus is nestled between Philadelphia, PA and Wilmington, DE, with Law Schools located in both Harrisburg and Wilmington. For more information about the university, please visit our website at www.widener.edu.