Job Title: AI Project Manager (Direct Client)
Location: Pleasanton, CA (Onsite)
Duration: Long-Term
Role Overview
We are seeking a highly motivated and hands-on Sr. Technical AI Project Manager to support and drive active AI and Automation initiatives. This individual will serve as both a Technical Project Manager and Scrum Master, ensuring AI projects remain on schedule, engineering teams remain productive, and business stakeholders stay aligned throughout the delivery lifecycle.
The ideal candidate will have extensive experience managing AI, Machine Learning, and Automation projects in Agile environments and possess the ability to quickly integrate into a fast-paced organization.
Key Responsibilities
Agile Leadership
- Lead all Scrum ceremonies, including daily stand-ups, sprint planning, backlog grooming, sprint reviews, and retrospectives.
- Serve as Scrum Master for AI and Automation teams.
- Remove blockers and facilitate team productivity to maintain sprint velocity and delivery timelines.
- Promote Agile best practices and continuous improvement.
Project Execution & Delivery
- Manage project plans, schedules, milestones, and deliverables from initiation through production deployment.
- Track project progress and ensure alignment with business objectives.
- Identify, assess, and proactively mitigate project risks and dependencies.
- Monitor key project metrics and provide status updates to stakeholders and leadership.
- Drive successful delivery of AI and automation initiatives within scope, schedule, and budget.
AI Program Management
- Coordinate activities across AI engineers, data scientists, product owners, architects, and business stakeholders.
- Support AI/ML project lifecycle activities, including data preparation, model development, testing, deployment, and monitoring.
- Ensure project timelines align with model development, validation, and deployment requirements.
- Manage dependencies related to data quality, model performance, and cloud infrastructure.
Stakeholder & Team Management
- Act as the primary liaison between technical teams and business stakeholders.
- Translate technical concepts into business-friendly language and communicate business requirements back to engineering teams.
- Facilitate cross-functional collaboration and decision-making.
- Drive stakeholder engagement and alignment throughout the project lifecycle.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, Business, or a related field.
- 7+ years of experience in Technical Project Management.
- 3+ years of experience managing AI, Machine Learning, Intelligent Automation, or Data Science initiatives.
- Proven experience serving as a Scrum Master in Agile environments.
- Active Certified Scrum Master (CSM) or Professional Scrum Master (PSM) certification.
- Experience managing enterprise-level technical projects involving multiple stakeholders and teams.
Technical Requirements
AI & Machine Learning
- Strong understanding of AI/ML development lifecycles.
- Knowledge of model training, validation, deployment, monitoring, and governance.
- Familiarity with Generative AI, Machine Learning, Predictive Analytics, and Intelligent Automation concepts.
Cloud Platforms
Hands-on exposure to one or more of the following:
- Amazon Web Services (AWS)
- Microsoft Azure
- Google Cloud Platform (Google Cloud Platform)
Project & Agile Tools
Experience with:
- Jira
- Confluence
- Azure DevOps
- Agile/Scrum Frameworks
- Project Tracking and Reporting Tools
Required Skills
- Technical Project Management
- AI / Machine Learning Project Delivery
- Scrum Master Leadership
- Agile Methodologies
- Stakeholder Management
- Risk & Issue Management
- Project Planning & Execution
- Cross-Functional Team Leadership
- AI/ML Lifecycle Knowledge
- Cloud-Based AI Platforms (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud Platform)
Soft Skills
- Excellent communication and presentation skills.
- Strong organizational and prioritization abilities.
- Ability to work effectively in fast-paced and ambiguous environments.
- Exceptional problem-solving and decision-making capabilities.
- Strong leadership and stakeholder management skills.
- Ability to quickly ramp up and drive delivery with minimal supervision.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience working in SaaS or enterprise software environments.
- Exposure to Generative AI and Large Language Model (LLM) projects.
- PMP certification is a plus.
- Experience working with distributed engineering and data science teams.
Must-Have Skills
- 7+ Years Technical Project Management
- 3+ Years AI/ML or Automation Project Management
- Scrum Master Experience
- Active CSM or PSM Certification
- Agile/Scrum Methodologies
- AI/ML Lifecycle Knowledge
- AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform Exposure
- Stakeholder Management
- Risk & Dependency Management
- Jira/Confluence
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