IT Manager - AI & Intelligent Automation

SUMMARY

IT Managers are responsible for overseeing day-to-day IT operations, managing projects, aligning technology initiatives with business goals, and ensuring optimal performance of IT systems and services. They supervise staff, manage resources and budgets, and drive continuous improvement across infrastructure, applications or support services. Employees serving at this level - IT Manager I - are expected to lead a small team with members who are typically individual contributors and possess common skillsets with similar objectives.

The AI and Intelligent Automation Manager leads a multidisciplinary team responsible for delivering Artificial Intelligence (AI), Generative AI, and Robotic Process Automation (RPA) strategy and solutions that drive business value across the enterprise. This role provides direction, prioritization, and oversight for a shared pool of resources focused on identifying automation opportunities, improving business processes, and accelerating innovation through intelligent technologies, including applying the Start, Stop, Continue Organizational Framework to assess priorities, refine ways of working, and drive continuous improvement.

The manager partners with business and technology leaders to develop and execute the organization's AI and Intelligent Automation strategy, ensuring initiatives align with business objectives and technology standards. Team responsibilities include evaluating emerging technologies, developing business cases, supporting procurement and vendor management activities, and overseeing the successful delivery of AI, machine learning, generative AI, and automation projects. The role also establishes governance, promotes best practices, manages budgets and project portfolios, and ensures solutions are scalable, secure, and deliver measurable operational and business outcomes.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES

Functional Strategy Formation

• Collaborate closely with business partners, senior IT leaders, and team members to shape and execute functional strategy by leveraging expertise in artificial intelligence, intelligent automation, and emerging technologies.
• Ensure technology initiatives align with current and future business needs, identify opportunities to drive business value through AI and automation, and apply industry best practices while maintaining a clear understanding of team capabilities to deliver practical, scalable, and achievable solutions.

Business Planning

• Contribute to the development of annual and longer-term business plans and technical roadmaps.
• Forecast performance against business objectives.
• Develop business cases for key activities / projects.
• Perform budget planning.
• Estimate the financial and personnel resources required to deliver performance targets.

End-to-End Solutions

• Manage the delivery of end-to-end technology solutions including design, implementation, maintenance, and support.
• Ensure solutions are scalable, secure, aligned with business objectives and operational requirements, and reflect current industry standards and evolving best practices to maintain technical currency.

Team Leadership and Development

• Lead, coach, and develop a small team of IT professionals with common skillsets and/or similar objectives (e.g., infrastructure, application support, or help desk).
• Communicate and oversee the delegation of actions needed to implement the function's strategy and business plan.
• Explain the relationship to the broader organization's mission.
• Motivate the team to commit to achieving local business goals and delivering strong and sustainable end-to-end solutions.

Business Partnerships

• Maintain and manage strong relationships with business partners to understand evolving business needs, deliver high-quality solutions, and drive continuous improvement and team accountability.
• Actively participate in steering committees to ensure strategic alignment and support the IT Leadership Team's Business Relationship Management discipline through effective collaboration and stakeholder engagement.

Vendor Management

• Manage vendor relationships to ensure delivery of services, adherence to contracts, and alignment with business needs.

Compliance

• Ensure compliance with external regulations, internal company policies, and IT governance standards, including data protection, cybersecurity, and audit requirements, by maintaining appropriate controls, processes, and monitoring mechanisms.

REQUIRED SKILLS AND PERSONAL QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's Degree in a related field of study required Or H.S. Diploma and equivalent experience in lieu of degree required.
• At least 8-10 years of relevant and progressive technical experience required.

People Leadership:

• Possesses people leadership skills, including the ability to motivate, develop, and manage high-performing teams.
• Fosters a positive and inclusive team culture.
• Effectively handles performance management, delegation of tasks, coaching, and team development.

Expertise:

• Possesses deep expertise in AI, intelligent automation, and emerging technologies, serving as a strategic advisor and technical leader for the team.
• Guides the evaluation, design, governance, and adoption of AI and automation solutions.
• Mentors team members.
• Drives innovation by identifying opportunities that deliver measurable business value and operational efficiency.

Business Requirements Analysis:

• Works at an advanced level to express business and user needs in terms of business requirements.
• Identifies current capability of the business and team to deliver, conduct, build, or acquire a solution.
• Recommends a preferred approach.

Project Management:

• Possesses ability to manage IT projects that are small to medium in terms of size and complexity from initiation through delivery.
• Includes scope definition, scheduling, budgeting, risk management, stakeholder communication, and performance tracking.

Planning and Organizing:

• Operates at an advanced level in organizing and prioritizing work.
• Applies strong problem-solving skills while proactively engaging in capacity planning, resource allocation, and cross-team dependency management to ensure efficient and effective execution of technology initiatives.

Adaptive Mindset:

• Works at an advanced level to shift into and out of a mindset associated with assessing the facts and circumstances of the current situation and/or environment.
• Makes the appropriate innovative adjustments to thinking and work habits to thrive in any scenario.

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS

• International and Domestic: 15%