Sr. Manager – AI Strategy & Implementation
Location: Houston, TX
Reports To: Vice President – Process Excellence & Analytics
Role Summary
The Manager – AI Strategy & Implementation will own the full lifecycle of AI opportunity identification through value realization—championing initiatives that reduce manual effort, increase production and supply chain reliability, and unlock data-driven decision-making across the business.
This is not a heads-down model-building role; instead, you will serve as an AI product owner, strategist, and change-agent who bridges business needs with technical execution, secures leadership buy-in, and delivers measurable ROI.
Core Responsibilities
- AI & Automation Roadmap – Develop and maintain an AI roadmap aligned to business strategy, identifying high-value use cases in manufacturing, supply chain, distribution, field services, customer service, and other back-office functions.
- Opportunity Qualification – Rapidly assess ideas via structured frameworks (e.g., value vs. feasibility matrix, ROI & payback models, risk assessment) to prioritize the portfolio.
- Business Case Development – Build investment cases, clearly articulating financial and operational benefits, resource requirements, timelines, and success metrics.
- Stakeholder Engagement – Translate AI concepts for executives and functional audiences; champion change management.
- Program Execution – Lead cross-functional teams / vendors / SMEs through agile sprints—from proof-of-concept to scaled deployment.
- Governance & Standards – Establish frameworks for data quality and model monitoring, to ensure sustainable value capture.
- Value Tracking & Reporting – Define KPIs; build dashboards to quantify cost savings, and productivity gains.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer/Data Science, Business, or related field. Ph.D./Master’s/MBA preferred
- 8+ years total experience in Industrial Manufacturing with at least 3 years leading analytics, digital, or automation programs.
- Proven track record translating AI/ML or advanced analytics projects into bottom-line results
- Familiarity with core AI methods (predictive maintenance, computer vision, NLP, generative AI, optimization) and common technology stacks (cloud platforms, data lakes, Machine Learning Operations).
- Demonstrated strength in financial modeling, ROI analysis, and portfolio management.
- Strong communication and stakeholder-management abilities from plant floor to VP level.
Working Conditions
- Occasional travel (~10%) to manufacturing plants, repair facilities, distribution centers, and customer sites.
- Hybrid office/field environment; must be comfortable with PPE requirements in operational areas.
Why Join Us?
- High Impact: Direct line of sight from initiative to EBITDA improvement and environmental performance.
- Executive Support: Role reports directly to VP Process Excellence & Analytics with BU-President level visibility
- Growth Opportunity: Shape the AI agenda for a BU investing significantly in transformation initiatives to drive step change in productivity
- Culture of Safety & Integrity: Work within a values-driven organization committed to safe, sustainable operations.
