AI/ML Program Manager

Join us as we Rise to the Challenge

At KCI, we’re building an enduring community that provides unparalleled value to our employee-owners. We make our mark designing and delivering our world-class solutions, so we invest deeply in supporting and developing our team. We reward integrity and commitment, and when we do well, you do well. Our employee’s have the freedom to innovate, unlimited growth, a voice that matters, a lifestyle that works, and skin in the game. Achievements are shared and celebrated. As a team, we are motivated to better ourselves, each other, and the world around us. 

THE COMPANY

KCI Technologies, Inc. is a 100% employee-owned engineering, consulting and construction firm serving clients throughout the United States. KCI is recognized as an industry leader, employing cutting-edge technologies, management practices and strategic growth initiatives. Employee ownership fosters an entrepreneurial spirit, encourages technical expertise, and shapes strategic planning.

KCI is currently ranked #53 on Engineering News-Record’s list of the Top 500 design firms in the nation.

KCI BENEFITS INFORMATION

We offer a competitive compensation package, family friendly benefits, a collaborative working environment, and the training, mentoring and resources you need to advance in your career.

We understand that you have choices, and we know that together we will make a great team!

KCI is committed to building a diverse and inclusive staff, and we encourage women, people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, and individuals with disabilities to apply.

KCI Technologies, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status.

As AI/ML Program Manager, you will serve as a trusted consultant guiding clients in the responsible and strategic adoption of AI/ML technologies and workflows. You will mentor AI/ML analysts and engineers while contributing directly to technical development and business strategy, demonstrating strong technical acumen, leadership skills, and a proactive approach to both project delivery and cross-functional collaboration.

You will lead client engagements from discovery through delivery, designing tailored AI/ML programs, shaping policies around responsible AI use, and providing hands-on technical insight into machine learning tools, data curation practices, and large language model (LLM) development. This position is ideal for someone at the intersection of technology strategy, applied AI/ML, and client consulting.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary advisor to clients on AI/ML adoption strategy, governance, and responsible use policies.
• Identify needs and opportunities to incorporate AI/ML for optimizing outcomes while supporting predictive modeling and data-driven decision making for clients
• Lead needs assessments to identify organizational gaps, training requirements, and technical infrastructure needs.
• Guide clients to understand, trust, and embrace AI/ML as a viable, practical tool to drive business outcomes.
• Design and deliver AI/ML roadmaps, including implementation frameworks, program structures, and success metrics.
• Establish governance and compliance frameworks to support the safe and scalable deployment of AI solutions.
• Partner with client leadership to align AI initiatives with business goals and enterprise IT strategies.
• Define best practices and standards for scalable AI/ML operations within organizations.
• Demonstrate AI/ML capabilities through proofs-of-concept and success stories to build client confidence and accelerate adoption.
• Provide expertise in machine learning, and LLMs—guiding clients on model selection, training pipelines, and deployment practices.
• Implement and lead projects using retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) systems, embeddings, and vector databases.
• Strategically utilize foundation models, including fine-tuning, evaluation, and deployment.
• Advise on tools and platforms across the ML lifecycle.
• Lead project planning, define sprints, estimation, prioritization, and retrospectives.
• Collaborate internally to refine our consulting methodologies, solution frameworks, and service offerings in AI/ML.
• Mentor and guide junior developers in both technical and professional development.
• Help establish team skills baselines and contribute to training and upskilling initiatives.
• Conduct regular code and model reviews, establish best practices, and support SDLC.
• Provide updates to the Data Analytics Manager about project progress, team needs, junior analyst development needs, etc.
• Provide technical expertise during proposal development, including reviewing RFPs, crafting technical approaches, and estimating LOEs.
• Participate in client meetings and demos.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Systems Engineering, Data Science, or related field.
• 15+ years of professional experience in client-facing or consulting work.
• Strong experience with and understanding of ML frameworks and tools.
• Proficiency in Python and experience with additional languages (e.g., Java, R, C++).
• Ability to translate complex AI/ML concepts into clear, actionable guidance for non-technical stakeholders.
• Pre-employment drug screening and background check are conditions of employment. Motor vehicle checks may be required based upon position.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Systems Engineering, Data Science, or related field.
• 8+ years of professional experience in AI/ML.
• Prior experience designing or leading AI/ML training and upskilling programs.
• Expertise in data curation and preparation, including LLM training workflows and dataset development
• Experience with cloud platforms (Azure, AWS, GCP) and modern MLOps pipelines (Docker, Kubernetes, CI/CD).