AI Program Manager

Job Summary

Job Description

At K&L Gates, we are looking for smart, imaginative and hard-working people with diverse backgrounds, experiences and ideas to join us. Perhaps our search for talented visionaries and your search for important and impactful work lead to the same place.

We are seeking a AI Program Manager to join the firm. The AI Program Manager leads critical technology initiatives, coordinating across engineering, data, security, and architecture teams with decision-making autonomy. This role translates business goals into actionable program plans, manages vendors, and ensures responsible AI governance at every milestone. Operating at the intersection of technical expertise and cross-functional leadership, this role advances data and AI objectives and drives aligned delivery. Reporting to Director of Enterprise Applications, Data, and AI Platforms, this senior individual contributor drives impactful delivery aligned with organizational priorities.

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

Director, Enterprise Applications, Data, and AI Platforms; Senior Manager, Automation and Development; Senior Manager, Data Engineering; Senior Manager, Enterprise Applications; Senior Applications Architect; Senior Data Architect; Team Lead, Workflow and Automation; Senior Security Architect; Senior Operations Architect; Security Engineer; Cloud Platform Engineer; Project Manager; Business Relationship Manager; Vendor and Partner Delivery Leads

Essential Duties

• Leading end-to-end planning and execution of complex technical programs spanning multiple engineering, data, security, and architecture teams.
• Translating business objectives into actionable technical plans and milestones by leading requirement sessions, documenting needs, and coordinating timelines, dependencies, and deliverables.
• Owning backlog governance and user story standards within Azure DevOps, ensuring Epics, Features, and Stories have consistent structure and traceability.
• Managing vendor relationships and third-party delivery accountability involving tracking SOW milestones, addressing escalations, and overseeing contract performance across technology engagements.
• Facilitating decision-making among stakeholders to address obstacles and trade-offs, ensuring accountability for meeting delivery commitments, timelines, and outcomes.
• Managing program visibility and tracking delivery in Azure DevOps, including work item organization, Delivery Plans, sprint velocity reports, and executive dashboard setup.
• Serving as an example for the Enterprise Applications team philosophy, promoting enterprise processes, procedures, security, standards, and knowledge-first support principles.
• Defining and overseeing testing strategies at the program level, including quality standards, user acceptance frameworks, and end-user validation processes.
• Establishing and maintaining program governance, reporting, and communication standards, including AI-specific checkpoints, while ensuring alignment with security, compliance, and enterprise technology standards.
• Identifying, tracking, and mitigating program risks, issues, and dependencies while enabling stakeholder decisions to address blockers and ensure delivery outcomes.
• Leveraging AI tools, contributing to AI-powered solutions, and adhering to governance standards, including responsible use, data classification, and model deployment review processes.

Experience & Skills Required

• Possess Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Project Management, Communications, Computer Science, Engineering, or related fields or exhibit equivalent professional experience
• Demonstrate understanding of software development lifecycles and technical architectures, effectively evaluating technical risks and conveying impacts to senior stakeholders.
• Obtain or hold applicable professional certifications, such as PMP, PMI-ACP, or SAFe. Optional certifications include AZ-900, PL-900, or AI-900.
• Have familiarity with Microsoft AI Foundry, Microsoft Fabric, or similar enterprise AI and data platforms in regulated and compliance-driven industries.
• Support release windows and production support events while showcasing background in Business Administration, Project Management, Communications, Computer Science, Engineering, or related fields. Exhibit equivalent professional experience and hold relevant certifications.
• Demonstrate ability to manage cross-functional dependencies and stakeholder alignment across operations, engineering, data, security, and vendor teams.
• Demonstrate effective communication skills by translating business needs into program plans, visually presenting technical concepts, and collaborating across offices and time zones.
• Possess experience delivering programs within professional services, legal, or comparable sectors requiring strict confidentiality, governance, and adherence to compliance standards
• Bring over five years overseeing complex enterprise technical programs, including 2 years focus…