AI Solutions & Innovation Manager

Posting Details

Posting Summary

Logo

Posting Number
STA00567PO26

Job Family
Operational Analysis

Job Function
Business Intelligence

Market Title
Business Intelligence Manager

Link to Market Title
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Job Level
M0 - Managerial

Business Title (Internal Title)
AI Solutions & Innovation Manager

Campus
Columbia

Work County
Richland

College/Division
Division of Student Affairs and Academic Support

Department
SAAS Information Technology

State Pay Range
G12

Market Range
MRK - $84,820 $108,146 $131,471

Anticipated Hiring Range
$84,820 - $131,471

Location of Vacancy

Part/Full Time
Full Time

Hours per Week
37.5

Work Schedule

• Monday - Friday, 8:30 am - 5:00 pm
• Must be willing to work a flexible schedule to meet the needs of the department.

Basis
12 months

Job Search Category
Information Technology

About

About University of South Carolina

From the Upstate to the Lowcountry, the University of South Carolina system is transforming the lives of South Carolinians through the impact of our eight institutions and 20 locations throughout the state. More than 50,000 students are enrolled at one of eight institutions, including the research campus in Columbia and comprehensive four-year universities in Aiken, Upstate and Beaufort. In addition, our Palmetto College campuses in Salkehatchie, Union, Lancaster and Sumter enable students to earn associate or bachelor's degrees through a combination of in-person, online or blended learning. All of our system institutions place strong emphasis on service - helping to build healthier, more educated communities in South Carolina and beyond.

Veterans' Preference Statement

The University of South Carolina is committed to equal opportunity and proudly values the skills and experience military veterans bring to our workforce. Across South Carolina, we are making veterans a priority for employment and recognize their vital contributions to our state and our communities.

Benefits for FTE Positions

The University of South Carolina (USC), through the State of SC and Public Employee Benefit Authority (PEBA), offers employees a valuable benefits package, including health and life insurance, generous paid leave and retirement programs. To learn more about benefits, access the "Working at USC" section on the Applicant Portal at Research Grant or Time-limited positions may be eligible for all, some, or no benefits, based on the grant or project funding.

Position Description

Advertised Job Summary

AI Solutions & Innovation Manager

• Ready to shape the future of AI in higher education?

• Can you transform innovative ideas into practical solutions that improve the student and staff experience?

• If you're passionate about building AI-powered solutions, leading organizational change, and driving responsible innovation, we'd love to hear from you!

Position Summary:

The AI Solutions & Innovation Manager advances the Division of Student Affairs and Academic Support's AI capabilities by identifying opportunities to improve operations through artificial intelligence and delivering practical, scalable solutions. Working collaboratively with functional units and the IT development team, the position designs, develops, and implements AI-powered applications, intelligent agents, workflow automations, and enterprise system integrations using modern low-code, automation, and AI-assisted development tools. The role partners with technical and non-technical stakeholders to translate business needs into effective solutions, evaluate outcomes, and drive continuous improvement. In addition, the position leads AI adoption by developing training, documentation, and best practices, fostering responsible use across the Division, and serving as the primary liaison with the Division of Information Technology (DoIT) to ensure all AI initiatives align with university standards for governance, privacy, security, accessibility, and ethical AI use.

Primary Job Duties

• AI Solutions Discovery, Design, and Delivery: Identifies, evaluates, designs, and implements AI-powered solutions that improve business processes, enhance operational efficiency, and support the Division's strategic objectives. Collaborates with stakeholders to translate business needs into scalable AI applications, intelligent automations, and integrated solutions.
• Adoption, Enablement, and Change Leadership: Leads the successful adoption of AI technologies by developing change management strategies, training programs, documentation, and champion networks that promote user engagement, responsible use, and sustained organizational adoption.
• Governance, Documentation, and DoIT Liaison: Ensures AI solutions comply with university policies and standards for data governance, privacy, security, accessibility, and ethical AI use. Serves as the Division's primary liaison with the Division of Information Technology (DoIT) to coordinate AI initiatives and maintain alignment with institutional technology and governance requirements.
• Evaluation, Continuous Improvement, and Innovation: Establishes performance measures to evaluate the effectiveness and impact of AI initiatives, analyzes outcomes to drive continuous improvement, and identifies emerging AI technologies and opportunities that advance innovation and operational excellence across the Division.

Perks:

• Competitive salary + some of the BEST benefits you can find!
• Generous annual and sick leave accruement, along with 13 paid holidays.
• An engaging and collaborative on-campus environment. Our location is in South Carolina's capitol city, surrounded by amenities, so you will love where you work!
• Opportunities for professional development, including tuition assistance.
• Eligible for enrollment in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.

Learn more about working at USC

Job Related Minimum Required Education and Experience

• Requires a bachelor's degree in a job related field and 3 or more years of job related experience, which may be substituted by an equivalent combination of job related certification, training, education, and/or experience.

Required Certification, Licensure/Other Credentials

Preferred Qualifications
Master's degree in computer science, information systems, data science, artificial intelligence, educational technology, or a related field.
A strong foundation in both AI and machine learning concepts and their practical application in organizational settings.
Demonstrated experience building and deploying AI solutions in real operational use (not only pilots or training programs), such as agents, automations, or AI-assisted applications. Candidates are encouraged to provide examples or a portfolio.
Experience with enterprise AI ecosystems (Microsoft Copilot and Copilot Studio, OpenAI, Anthropic, or Google) and workflow automation platforms such as Power Automate.
Experience leading technology adoption or change initiatives in higher education or another complex, decentralized organization.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities
AI Solution Development - Ability to design and build working AI solutions using prompt and context engineering, agent development platforms, workflow automation, LLM APIs, and low-code or AI-assisted development approaches.
Problem Identification & Needs Analysis - Ability to conduct needs analyses and feasibility assessments, identify where AI delivers measurable value, and prioritize opportunities against divisional and institutional goals.
Adoption & Change Leadership - Understanding of change management and technology-adoption principles; ability to design champion networks, communication plans, and enablement resources that make solutions stick.
Communication & Collaboration - Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate complex technical topics clearly and work effectively with diverse campus stakeholders at all levels.
Ethical AI & Governance - Awareness of AI ethics, bias, limitations, and institutional governance requirements; ability to embed responsible-use practices into every solution and process.
Project & Program Management - Ability to plan, track, and deliver multiple concurrent initiatives; maintain accurate documentation; and measure and report outcomes.

Job Duties

Job Duty

AI Solution Discovery, Design, and Delivery

• Leads the identification, evaluation, design, and implementation of generative AI solutions that enhance divisional operations and contribute to institutional goals of efficiency, innovation, and operational excellence. Partners with functional and technical teams to identify and assess opportunities for applying AI to improve service delivery, knowledge management, and process automation. Conducts needs analyses and feasibility assessments to determine where AI integration can enhance efficiency, accuracy, and user experience. Designs, builds, tests, and deploys solutions including intelligent agents, workflow automations, retrieval-augmented assistants, and integrations with enterprise systems, using low-code, agentic, and AI-assisted development approaches as the problem demands. Collaborates with Student Affairs Technology Services (SATS) and enterprise application teams to integrate solutions into existing business processes, workflows, and service delivery models. Applies project management methodologies to plan, track, and evaluate initiatives, ensuring timely implementation and alignment with divisional priorities.

Essential Function
Yes

Percentage of Time
40

Job Duty

Adoption, Enablement, and Change Leadership (Essential, 25%)

• Leads the human side of AI adoption across the Division. Designs adoption strategies grounded in change-management principles, including champion networks, communication, incentives, and measurement. Creates enablement infrastructure such as playbooks, standard operating procedures, competency guidance, and self-service resources that allow teams to adopt deployed solutions safely without depending on a single person. Delivers targeted workshops, office hours, and hands-on support in service of specific solutions and initiatives. Gathers user feedback and translates it into solution refinements and new opportunities.

Essential Function
Yes

Percentage of Time
25

Job Duty

Governance, Documentation, and DoIT Liaison

• Ensures all AI applications comply with university policies related to data security, accessibility, privacy, and ethical use. Serves as the Division's primary liaison with DoIT to align AI tools, workflows, and initiatives with institutional standards, technical requirements, and governance expectations. Participates in establishing and maintaining AI governance and responsible deployment frameworks, ensuring transparency, fairness, and compliance with university standards. Develops and maintains documentation for developed tools, workflows, and APIs to support review, audit, and sustainable long-term maintenance. Conducts solution validation and performance evaluation in controlled environments prior to deployment.

Essential Function
Yes

Percentage of Time
20

Job Duty

Evaluation, Continuous Improvement, and Innovation

• Develops and implements methods to assess the effectiveness and impact of AI initiatives, using data-driven insights to guide ongoing improvement and inform future investment. Maintains a structured process for regularly reviewing solutions and processes to incorporate emerging AI tools, evolving guidelines, and relevant use cases in alignment with institutional goals. Maintains current knowledge of emerging AI technologies through professional learning; participates in AI-related communities of practice or consortium activities representing the university; recommends and tests new AI techniques aligned with the university's data strategy and digital transformation goals. Other duties as assigned.

Essential Function
Yes

Percentage of Time
15

Position Attributes

Employees in Safety-Sensitive or Security-Sensitive positions will be subject to pre-employment and post-employment drug testing in accordance with University policy HR 1.95 Drug and Alcohol Testing.

Safety Sensitive or Security Sensitive
No

Hazardous weather category
Essential

Posting Detail Information

Number of Vacancies
1

Desired Start Date

Job Open Date
07/29/2026

Job Close Date
09/12/2026

Open Until Filled
No

Special Instructions to Applicant

Positions are advertised for a minimum of five (5) business days on our job website. After five (5) business days, positions can be closed at the discretion of the department at any time. This employment site is updated on a regular basis. The length of the recruitment and screening process may vary from position to position, depending upon a variety of factors. Should review of your qualifications result in a decision to pursue your candidacy, you will be contacted by phone or email.

We are only accepting applications submitted by September 12, 2026.

The University of South Carolina offers a valuable benefits package including but not limited to:

• Health and Life Insurance
• Retirement Programs
• Paid Tuition
• Dependent Scholarships
• Annual Leave
• Sick Leave
• 13 Paid Holidays (including an extended December holiday)
• Paid Parental Leave
• Professional Development Opportunities

Click here to learn more about why you should work at USC.

Quicklink for Posting
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EEO Statement

The University of South Carolina does not discriminate in educational or employment opportunities or decisions for qualified persons on the basis of age, ancestry, citizenship status, color, disability, ethnicity, familial status, gender (including transgender), gender identity or expression, genetic information, HIV/AIDs status, military status, national origin, pregnancy (false pregnancy, termination of pregnancy, childbirth, recovery therefrom or related medical conditions, breastfeeding), race, religion (including religious dress and grooming practices), sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other bases under federal, state, local law, or regulations.