Program Manager - AI/ML/Engineering

Program Manager - AI/ML/Engineering

• 3-Month Contract
• EST Working Hours - preference for NY or Chicago based candidates operating on a hybrid basis
• Hourly Rate: DOE

We are seeking an experienced Program Manager to drive execution and operational excellence across a portfolio of AI and machine learning initiatives for our client. You will support a high-performing engineering team delivering production-grade ML and Generative AI capabilities across the business.

This role is focused on program delivery, intake and prioritization, and cross-functional coordination, ensuring engineering teams can operate at high velocity while stakeholders remain aligned. You'll be comfortable engaging with technical concepts such as the ML development lifecycle and GenAI workflows, though you will not be responsible for hands-on engineering or solution design.

Key Responsibilities:

Program Delivery

• Own end-to-end execution of multiple concurrent ML/AI programs, managing scope, timelines, risks, and dependencies
• Coordinate planning and delivery across engineering, product, and business stakeholders
• Maintain program-level visibility through dashboards, status updates, risk tracking, and timeline communication

Operational Excellence

• Manage intake and prioritization processes to balance engineering capacity with business demand
• Improve and standardize workflows for project readiness, requirements gathering, documentation, and delivery consistency
• Support SLAs, quality tracking, and operational metrics in partnership with engineering leadership

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Act as an operational bridge between ML teams and product, business, infrastructure, data, and governance groups
• Facilitate technical discussions, driving alignment and clear next steps
• Ensure smooth transitions from experimentation to development and deployment

Strategic Support

• Assist with roadmap planning and quarterly/annual objectives through dependency mapping and capacity planning
• Identify process bottlenecks and recommend scalable solutions as AI initiatives grow
• Support light product management activities where required (e.g., requirements shaping, MVP definition)

Required Skills & Experience

• 5 years of program or project management experience within technical environments (ML/AI, software engineering, data, or platform teams)
• Strong experience managing intake, prioritization, and multi-team delivery
• Ability to facilitate engineering-level conversations and translate technical topics for broader audiences
• Experience supporting Agile or hybrid delivery models
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple complex initiatives simultaneously
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Exposure to ML/AI governance, model lifecycle practices, or Generative AI concepts
• Familiarity with ML infrastructure, LLM workflows, or AI compliance frameworks
• Experience collaborating closely with product managers or supporting light PM responsibilities
• Strong ability to bridge technical and non-technical stakeholders