Technical Project/Program Manager - Artificial Intelligence

Job Summary :

The ideal candidate will have begun their career as a Machine Learning Engineer or Data Scientist, with deep technical expertise, and progressively moved into project leadership roles.

This position demands a blend of technical fluency in AI/ML concepts and strong program and project management capabilities, particularly within Agile environments.

Key Responsibilities :

- Project Leadership: Lead the end-to-end planning, execution, and delivery of complex AI/ML projects, ensuring alignment with business objectives, timelines, and budgets.

- Technical Oversight: Collaborate closely with Data Scientists, ML Engineers, and Software Developers to ensure that technical solutions meet business requirements and leverage cutting-edge AI technologies.

- Stakeholder Management: Act as the primary point of contact for clients, product teams, and internal stakeholders to provide project updates, manage expectations, and ensure customer satisfaction.

- Roadmap & Strategy: Develop and manage project roadmaps, ensuring that AI/ML initiatives align with the broader digital transformation and data strategies of the organization.

- Agile Methodologies: Implement and promote Agile project management practices (Scrum, Kanban), facilitating sprints, stand-ups, retrospectives, and ensuring adaptive planning and continuous delivery.

- Risk Management: Identify potential project risks and develop mitigation strategies to ensure smooth delivery of AI solutions.

- Documentation & Reporting: Maintain thorough documentation of project plans, technical designs, risks, and deliverables. Provide regular status reports to leadership and stakeholders.

- Team Collaboration: Foster a collaborative team environment, encouraging knowledge sharing, mentorship, and professional development within the project team.

- Quality Assurance: Ensure that AI models and solutions adhere to best practices in model governance, ethical AI standards, and are robust, scalable, and production-ready.

- Budget & Resource Management: Effectively manage project budgets, resource allocation, and vendor engagements when necessary.

Required Skills & Qualifications :

Experience :

- 10+ years of overall experience in technology, with at least 4-5 years in hands-on AI/ML development and a minimum of 3-4 years in technical project management.

- Proven track record of delivering AI/ML solutions in production environments.

Technical Expertise :

- Familiarity with ML frameworks and platforms like TensorFlow, PyTorch, Scikit-learn, Hugging Face, Azure AI, AWS AI Services, etc.

- Knowledge of MLOps, AI model deployment, monitoring, and governance.

Project Management Skills :

- Strong skills in project scoping, planning, scheduling, and risk management.

- Ability to manage cross-functional and geographically dispersed teams.

Communication & Leadership :

- Exceptional communication skills to engage with both technical teams and executive stakeholders.

- Strong leadership and people management capabilities, with the ability to influence decision-making.

Educational Background :

- Certifications in Project Management (PMP, PMI-ACP, CSM) are a plus.

Preferred Qualifications :

- Experience working in domains like Healthcare, Finance, Retail, or Manufacturing on AI-driven solutions.

- Knowledge of Responsible AI practices and AI Ethics.

- Familiarity with Data Governance and regulatory compliance in AI projects.