AI/ML Program Manager - Consulting

Overview

Join us as we Rise to the Challenge

At KCI, we're building an enduring community that provides unparalleled value to our employee-owners. We make our mark designing and delivering our world-class solutions, so we invest deeply in supporting and developing our team. We reward integrity and commitment, and when we do well, you do well. Our employees have the freedom to innovate, unlimited growth, a voice that matters, a lifestyle that works, and skin in the game. Achievements are shared and celebrated. As a team, we are motivated to better ourselves, each other, and the world around us.

THE COMPANY

KCI Technologies, Inc. is a 100% employee-owned engineering, consulting and construction firm serving clients throughout the United States. KCI is recognized as an industry leader, employing cutting-edge technologies, management practices and strategic growth initiatives. Employee ownership fosters an entrepreneurial spirit, encourages technical expertise, and shapes strategic planning.

KCI is currently ranked #50 on Engineering News-Record's list of the Top 500 design firms in the nation.

KCI BENEFITS INFORMATION

We offer a competitive compensation package, family friendly benefits, a collaborative working environment, and the training, mentoring and resources you need to advance in your career.

We understand that you have choices, and we know that together we will make a great team!

KCI is committed to building a diverse and inclusive staff, and we encourage women, people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, and individuals with disabilities to apply.

KCI Technologies, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status.

Duties, Responsibilities & Other

As AI/ML Program Manager, you will be responsible for developing new client relationships, growing existing accounts, and leading program delivery - serving as a trusted consultant to state and local government clients on the responsible and strategic adoption of AI/ML technologies and workflows. Experience in utilities, facilities, transportation, water, and/or state and local government markets is key.

You will lead client engagements from discovery through delivery, designing tailored AI/ML programs, shaping policies around responsible AI use, and providing hands-on technical insight into machine learning tools, data curation practices, and large language model (LLM) development. This position is ideal for someone at the intersection of technology strategy, applied AI/ML, public sector consulting, and business growth.

• Drive business development and new client growth - identifying prospective clients, building relationships with agency decision-makers, and expanding services within existing accounts.
• Serve as the primary advisor to clients on AI/ML adoption strategy, governance, and responsible use policies.
• Provide technical expertise during proposal development, including reviewing RFPs, crafting technical approaches, and estimating LOEs.
• Develop consulting methodologies, solution frameworks, and service offerings in AI/ML.
• Build client trust in AI/ML and guide adoption as a practical tool for improving business and mission outcomes.
• Demonstrate AI/ML capabilities through proofs-of-concept and success stories to build client confidence and accelerate adoption.
• Identify needs and opportunities to incorporate AI/ML for optimizing outcomes while supporting predictive modeling and data-driven decision making for clients.
• Lead needs assessments to identify organizational gaps, training requirements, and technical infrastructure needs.
• Design and deliver AI/ML roadmaps, including implementation frameworks, program structures, and success metrics.
• Establish internal and client-facing governance and compliance frameworks to support the safe and scalable deployment of AI solutions.
• Provide expertise in machine learning, and LLMs-guiding clients on model selection, training pipelines, and deployment practices.
• Strategically utilize foundation models, including fine-tuning, evaluation, and deployment.
• Implement and lead projects using retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) systems, embeddings, and vector databases.
• Advise on tools and platforms across the ML lifecycle.
• Lead project planning, define sprints, estimation, prioritization, and retrospectives.
• Mentor and guide junior developers in both technical and professional development.
• Assess the team's current skills baseline and lead training and upskilling initiatives to stay ahead of current and emerging AI/ML trends.
• Conduct regular code and model reviews, establish best practices, and support SDLC.
• Provide updates to the Data Analytics Manager about project progress, team needs, junior analyst development needs, etc.
• Other duties as assigned.

Specialized Experience Required

• Experience in utilities, facilities, transportation, water, and/or state/local government markets
• Demonstrated experience working directly with external clients in a consulting or professional services environment
• Hands-on experience developing and deploying custom, scalable AI/ML applications or internal tools for client organizations - this role requires building solutions, not just implementing them.

Qualifications

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Systems Engineering, Data Science, or related field.
• 15+ years of professional experience in client-facing or consulting work.
• Strong experience with and understanding of ML frameworks and tools.
• Proficiency in Python and experience with additional languages (e.g., Java, R, C++).
• Ability to translate complex AI/ML concepts into clear, actionable guidance for non-technical stakeholders.
• Pre-employment drug screening and background check are conditions of employment. Motor vehicle checks may be required based upon position.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Systems Engineering, Data Science, or related field.
• 8+ years of professional experience in AI/ML.
• Prior experience designing or leading AI/ML training and upskilling programs.
• Expertise in data curation and preparation, including LLM training workflows and dataset development
• Experience with cloud platforms (Azure, AWS, Google Cloud Platform) and modern MLOps pipelines (Docker, Kubernetes, CI/CD).