AI and Innovation Program Manager

Job Description

IGNITE THE NEXT WAVE OF ENERGY INNOVATION
Puget Sound Energy’s Data & AI organization is a proving ground where breakthrough ideas - advanced analytics, automation, and cutting edge AI - move from whiteboard to real world impact in weeks, not years. We’re searching for a hybrid Program/Product leader who thinks and acts like an in-house product entrepreneur: someone who can convert an overflowing idea backlog into a disciplined delivery engine, galvanize cross functional teams and vendor partners, and prove measurable value to the C-suite. If you excel at orchestrating complex, multistakeholder programs and at shaping products through iterative MVPs, this role places you at the center of PSE’s clean energy transformation. 
 
IDEAL PROFESSIONAL PROFILE 
The most successful candidates will have built their careers steering multiclient portfolios or managed services engagements - negotiating SOWs, juggling budgets, and delivering datacentric projects under tight timelines - while also owning product backlogs and adoption KPIs. That mix equips them to thrive in PSE’s vendor rich, regulated landscape and to translate ambiguous opportunities into high impact, user centered Data & AI solutions. 
 
WHY YOU SHOULD WORK WITH US 
You will orchestrate the engine that turns PSE’s most ambitious Data & AI ideas into operational reality - reducing outage minutes, optimizing clean energy adoption, and elevating customer experience. If you relish delivering product centric outcomes inside a mission driven utility, this is your stage. 

Job Responsibilities

1. INNOVATION PORTFOLIO & PRODUCT LEADERSHIP 
   •    Own the pipeline for capturing, centralizing, planning and delivery, balancing an enterprise portfolio of data and AI initiatives. 
   •    Apply product management discipline - user discovery, value hypotheses, MVP scoping, backlog grooming, and adoption metrics - to every proof of concept. 
   •    Lead multiple large, unrelated projects (or one very large, complex program) through the full lifecycle: scope, schedule, budget, resources, quality, change, vendor work, and ROI realization.
   
   
2. CROSSFUNCTIONAL SQUADS & VENDOR ORCHESTRATION 
   •    Assemble teams that blend product owners, data engineers, UX designers, domain SMEs, cybersecurity professionals, and hyperscaler or consulting partners (AWS, Microsoft, Accenture, KPMG, etc.). 
   •    Translate high level requirements into prioritized user stories, sprint goals, and release plans; calibrate staffing with resource managers to meet roadmap commitments. 
   •    Manage vendor SOWs, procurement milestones, and deliverables in accordance with PSE procedures.
   
   
3. GOVERNANCE, COMPLIANCE & METHODOLOGY ENFORCEMENT 
   •    Embed Purview lineage, ResponsibleAI checkpoints, and SyntheticData controls into every workstream; maintain auditable artifacts for safety, privacy, and environmental stewardship. 
   •    Enforce PSE’s project management methodology while continually improving intake, estimation, and sprint cadence to shorten time to value. 
   •    Own risk registers and change control; respond to unfamiliar or unstable situations using standard professional practice.
   
   
4. FINANCIAL & RISK MANAGEMENT 
   •    Build business cases reflecting product value, cost to serve, and expected O&M or capital impacts. 
   •    Track burn rates, feature level ROI, and adoption KPIs; adjust backlog and funding allocations to maximize portfolio return. 
   •    Deliver monthly dashboards highlighting value realized, variance drivers, and upcoming milestones for executive stakeholders.
   
   
5. COMMUNICATIONS & STAKEHOLDER INFLUENCE 
   •    Present program and product roadmaps to the CIO, CFO, VPs, and domain sponsors, translating technical progress into clear business and user outcomes. 
   •    Conduct discovery and feedback sessions with internal customers to refine MVP scope and ensure solutions address real problems. 
   •    Drive alignment across parallel workstreams and other PSE departments; secure timely approvals and resolve escalations.
   
   
6. CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT, MENTORING & PEER REVIEW 
   •    Iterate on intake, estimation, and sprint processes to shorten time to value; diagnose complex business or IT problems and lead structured resolutions. 
   •    Mentor junior project managers and product owners; monitor up to two direct reports; lead or participate in project peer review sessions. 
   •    Serve as lead resource for highly complex technical or business issues and promote a total safety culture in all project activities.
   
   
7. OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE & OUTCOME REALIZATION 
   •    Ensure on time, on budget product releases with measurable customer or operational impact. 
   •    Assemble and track KPI baselines (ROI, adoption, defect rates); adjust features or processes based on insights. 
   •    Demonstrate success in integrating packaged technology into PSE’s production environment and sustaining value over the product lifecycle. 

Minimum Qualifications

• Two (2) year degree or certification in a technology-related field or equivalent combination of education, work experience or relevant military experience, and at least eight (8) years of experience in related field.
• Strong familiarity with project management software, including MS Project.
• Ability to work in a team-oriented, collaborative environment is essential.
• Strong team leadership and facilitation skills required.
• Solid understanding of project management tools and methodologies, and ability to develop and manage project plans and budgets.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including excellent presentation skills.

Desired Qualifications

• Master’s degree within a technology-related field.  
• Customer centric focus with demonstrated ability to apply insights to meet customer technology needs and improve IT maturity.  
• Proven experience working independently and/or in a team environment to deliver on initiatives.  
• Demonstrated ability to drive for results to deliver against commitments.  
• Growth mindset to rapidly learn new skills and be able to collaborate to deliver creative IT solutions.  
• Solid verbal and written communications skills; ability to present and discuss technical information in a way that establishes rapport, persuades others, and gains understanding.  
• Project Management Professional (PMP).  
• Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) Certification.  
• Five (5) + years in a formal data or AIproduct management role with endtoend ownership of roadmap, backlog, release planning, and adoption KPIs.
• Successful launch of at least one enterprise data platform, API, or AI product from concept through general availability, including user discovery and postlaunch iteration.
• Certification in a recognized product framework (e.g., Certified Scrum Product Owner – CSPO, SAFe PO/PM, or Pragmatic Institute PMCIII).
• Demonstrated ability to quantify product value - ROI, NPS, adoption curves, or costperinsight - and present financial models to executive leadership.
• Experience applying designthinking or leanproduct discovery techniques to translate ambiguous problems into validated MVPs.
• Familiarity with platform product management - defining reusable data services or API marketplaces consumed by multiple internal teams.
• Handson exposure to Microsoft Fabric, Azure AI, AWS Bedrock, or comparable cloudnative data/AI product stacks in a productownership capacity.
• Proven collaboration with UX/UI designers to ensure analytics and AI products deliver intuitive, userfocused experiences.  
• Successful leadership of crossvendor product teams (consultancies, hyper-scalers, and internal engineering) in a regulated environment such as utilities, finance, or healthcare. 

Additional Information