Senior IT Project Manager

Location: Bolingbrook, Illinois (Onsite)

About the Role

The Senior AI Technical Project Manager leads end-to-end execution of complex artificial intelligence initiatives across a matrixed enterprise environment. The role owns delivery planning, integrated timelines, dependency management, stakeholder communications, delivery governance, and execution transparency. It partners closely with AI/Data Science practice leads, AI Architecture, Engineering, Product, QA/Responsible AI, and Enterprise AI portfolio leadership to move solutions from concept through production readiness and business adoption. This role succeeds through influence, technical fluency, and disciplined orchestration—not through direct authority over discipline staffing or ownership of architecture, model design, or product decisions.

Role Mandate

• Create a single, credible delivery plan across AI, data science, architecture, engineering, testing, product, and business workstreams.
• Establish operating cadence, decision forums, quality checkpoints, escalation paths, and portfolio-level visibility.
• Identify and resolve cross-team risks and dependencies early while ensuring accountable leaders make the decisions reserved for their disciplines.
• Drive consistent AI delivery practices and standards across the portfolio in partnership with functional and portfolio leaders.

Responsibilities

Delivery Execution

• Own integrated planning, milestones, release timelines, critical path, assumptions, and dependency tracking across multiple pods or workstreams.
• Lead delivery ceremonies, working sessions, decision reviews, and executive status communications; maintain accurate RAID and action logs.
• Coordinate cross-pod capacity needs and surface constraints; partner with discipline leaders who retain resource-allocation authority.
• Maintain delivery momentum by clarifying ownership, sequencing work, driving follow-through, and escalating unresolved blockers.

Test, Quality, and Production Readiness

• Orchestrate test governance and lifecycle integration from design through deployment, in partnership with Engineering and the Testing Center of Excellence.
• Facilitate definition and adoption of measurable quality-gate criteria for “production ready,” including functional, technical, operational, data, model, security, and Responsible AI considerations.
• Coordinate defect taxonomy, severity standards, triage cadence, remediation ownership, and release-impact decisions.
• Plan and manage UAT and business sign-off; ensure the Product Owner or designated business authority makes the final acceptance decision.

Delivery Governance

• Run portfolio-level quality reviews and ensure required evidence, risks, exceptions, and decisions are visible to Enterprise AI leadership.
• Coordinate cross-pod quality-gate approvals while preserving technical approval authority with Engineering and/or Architecture leaders.
• Route cross-pod conflicts to the appropriate portfolio or functional leader, document decisions, and track resolution to closure.
• Define, socialize, and continuously improve AI delivery practices, templates, controls, metrics, and standards across the portfolio.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, information systems, business, or a related field; equivalent experience considered.
• 7+ years of technical project/program management experience delivering complex, cross-functional technology initiatives, including 2+ years supporting AI, machine learning, data science, or generative AI solutions.
• Demonstrated success managing multi-team delivery in a matrixed organization without relying on direct reporting authority.
• Strong command of Agile, hybrid, and product-oriented delivery practices, including release planning, dependency management, RAID management, and executive reporting.
• Working knowledge of the AI solution lifecycle, including data readiness, experimentation, model evaluation, integration, testing, deployment, monitoring, and Responsible AI controls.
• Excellent facilitation, negotiation, conflict-resolution, written communication, and executive presentation skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience delivering generative AI, large language model, RAG, conversational AI, recommendation, computer vision, or predictive analytics solutions.
• Familiarity with cloud AI platforms, APIs, data platforms, MLOps/LLMOps, CI/CD, observability, security, privacy, and model governance.
• PMP, PgMP, PMI-ACP, SAFe, Scrum, or comparable delivery certification.
• Experience in retail, consumer, digital commerce, loyalty, marketing technology, or other high-volume customer-facing environments.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance plans.
• Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP) and 401K with company match after 12 months of tenure.
• Health Savings Account (HSA) on the HDHP plan.
• SupportLinc Employee Assistance Program (EAP) with up to 8 free counseling sessions.
• Corporate discount savings program and other discounts.
• On-demand training program, access to certification prep, and a library of technical and leadership courses/books/seminars after 6+ months of tenure.
• Certification discounts and perks for associations including CompTIA and IIBA.
• Dedicated customer service team and certified Career Coach.