C2C role | Digital Program Manager – Data Products & AI Center of Excellence (AICoE)

I hope you are doing well.

We have an urgent contract opportunity with our direct client for a Digital Program Manager – Data Products & AI Center of Excellence (AICoE) in Plymouth, MN (Hybrid) & (Local Candidate ONLY, physically based in MN).

Role: Digital Program Manager – Data Products & AI Center of Excellence
Location: Plymouth Atria office – hybrid schedule
Start: ASAP
Contract: 6 months, with option to renew based on performance and demand

1. Role Overview:
We are seeking a seasoned Program Manager contractor to drive execution and delivery rigor for initiatives under Digital AI Center of Excellence (AICoE) & Data Products.
This role is not looking for an AI expert. The priority is a strong, structured Program Manager who excels at setting up programs, managing interdependencies, enforcing delivery discipline, and keeping complex, cross‑functional work moving forward.
Success in this role depends on program leadership, execution discipline, stakeholder coordination, and governance, rather than hands‑on AI or data science experience.

2. Operating Environment (Critical Context):
Drive AiCoE Program Management across use cases from all domains, providing governance, catalogue domain themes, visibility for AI and data use cases while identifying common themes across DAA to drive innovation, reuse, and AI maturity 
Drive Data Products Program Management across Value Streams (currently 4) to increase value potential within and across value streams in partnership with Product Managers.
The AI COE is a cross‑Digital program coordinating work across multiple teams and functions
Work includes:
Program setup and foundational enablement
Tracking multiple initiatives and use cases across value streams
Coordinating dependencies across IT, Digital, business, security, and governance partners
Agile methodology expert who can also run a program
The environment is evolving, with increasing demand for structure, transparency, and predictable execution
The Program Manager will operate across:
Program‑level planning and governance
Select project‑level execution tasks, as needed
Agencies should prioritize candidates who are comfortable stepping into ambiguous or growing programs and quickly imposing structure.

3. Scope of Work / Responsibilities:
The Program Manager will:
Provide program‑level leadership and oversight for initiatives aligned to Data & AI Products
Lead cross‑functional teams and manage interdependencies across:
Digital delivery teams
IT and platform teams
Business stakeholders
Security, risk, and governance partners
Define and maintain:
Integrated program plans and schedules
Risk and issue management frameworks
Change‑control and dependency‑management processes
Drive program setup and foundational activities, ensuring repeatable structures are in place
Track initiative and use‑case progression across defined value streams
Own timeline management, milestone tracking, and delivery coordination
Drive program governance, including:
Executive and stakeholder reporting
Metrics‑based performance tracking
Steering‑committee materials and updates
Identify, manage, and escalate risks and issues proactively to avoid delivery disruption
Develop and maintain program‑level artifacts:
Dashboards
Status reports
Communication and engagement plans
Ensure alignment with:
IT delivery standards
Security and risk requirements
Data governance and compliance expectations
Support continuous improvement through standardization, templates, and execution best practices

4. Required Skills & Experience (Must‑Haves):
This role requires a very strong Program Manager with proven delivery execution experience:
7+ years of experience in program and project management
Demonstrated success leading large, cross‑functional IT or Digital programs
Strong execution mindset — able to move seamlessly between strategy, planning, and hands‑on delivery
Experience working closely with Product teams.
Experience operating in Agile and hybrid delivery environments
Comfort partnering with Scrum Masters and Agile teams
Exceptional stakeholder‑management and communication skills
Proven ability to manage:
Parallel workstreams
Complex dependencies
Evolving scope and priorities
Strong experience creating and maintaining:
Integrated program plans
Delivery dashboards and KPIs
Executive‑level reporting
Experience operating within structured enterprise governance models

Thanks & Regards