Program Manager

Senior Program Manager with Expert (Data & AI | Professional Services)

Location: Houston, TX (Hybrid 3 Days)

Role Summary:

• The Senior Program Manager ‿ Expert (Data & AI) is a client facing Professional Services delivery leader responsible for orchestrating large scale, complex Data & AI programs across global, multi vendor environments.
• This is a senior program leadership role with no direct people management accountability.
• The role focuses on program governance, delivery assurance, stakeholder management, and mentorship, requiring strong technical understanding across Data & AI domains, but not a hands on technical background.
• Positioning Senior Program Manager / Delivery Leader (not a functional or line manager) No direct HR or people reporting responsibility Strong mentorship, coaching, and influence based leadership Technical fluency required; technical execution not required Professional Services background mandatory
• Mandatory Profile Criteria Professional Services / Consulting / System Integration delivery background
• Experience leading enterprise scale AI & Advanced Analytics programs Strong external stakeholder and executive client management experience Active involvement in pre sales and SOW shaping prior to contract sign off Ability to guide technical teams through understanding, not hands on delivery

Key Responsibilities:

• Program Leadership for Large Scale Data & AI Engagements Provides end to end program leadership for high risk, client funded Data & AI engagements across Data Analytics, Data Engineering, Big Data Platforms, BI & Visualization, Advanced Analytics, AI/ML & MLOps, IoT & Edge Analytics, and iVaaS.
• Pre Sales and SOW Shaping Acts as senior delivery authority during pre sales, contributing to solution reviews, estimates, risk identification, and ensuring SOW feasibility before sign off. Financial and Commercial Oversight Owns program level financial governance covering revenue, margin, forecasting, utilization, and change control.
• External Stakeholder Management Manages executive client relationships, leads governance forums, and communicates AI driven business value.
• Mentorship and Influence Based Leadership Mentors project managers and delivery leads, setting standards and best practices without direct reporting lines.

Education and Experience Bachelor degree:

• Advanced degree preferred 15+ years Professional Services program leadership experience
• PMP and Agile Scrum certifications mandatory

Technical Knowledge

• Expectations Strong understanding of Data & AI architectures, AI/ML lifecycle, MLOps, governance, and cloud data platforms.
• Hands on technical delivery not required.