Our purpose is to positively impact people’s lives every day in every home around the world! We work very hard to provide our consumers with high-quality, exciting 5-star products that make life easier. We thrive on passion and innovation and are looking for great people, with great ideas, who want to build the next big thing and develop while they do.

Overview:

We are seeking an experienced AI Program Director to lead our organization’s AI initiatives. As the AI Program Director, you will be responsible for setting the strategic direction of our AI programs, leading across SharkNinja’s AI workstreams and functions, and ensuring the successful delivery of AI pilots and projects to deliver a competitive advantage. You will collaborate with various stakeholders across the organization to identify opportunities for AI implementation that align with our business objectives.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Strategic Leadership: Define and execute the AI strategy in alignment with the organization’s goals. Identify key AI opportunities that can drive business value and competitive differentiation.  Continuously monitor AI trends, bringing forward new firms and AI offerings for evaluation.
• Program Management: Oversee the portfolio of AI initiatives, ensuring they are flawlessly delivered on time, within budget, and achieve business case results. Develop and manage the AI program roadmap, setting priorities based on strategic importance.  Define SharkNinja’s pilot and implementation approach, ensuring that business value/ROI is defined prior to each implementation.
• Team Leadership and Development: Lead, mentor, and develop SharkNinja associates understanding and skills specific to AI.  Create a culture where AI is used to automate standard processes and to solve complex business problems.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Act as the primary liaison between the cross functional AI workstreams/teams, IT, and executive leadership. Ensure clear communication and alignment of AI projects with business needs and strategic objectives.
• Technology and Vendor Management: Evaluate and select appropriate AI technologies, tools, and platforms. Manage relationships with external vendors and partners to support AI initiatives.  Partner with the AI Implementation Engineer to ensure flawless execution.
• Risk Management and Compliance: Ensure AI projects comply with ethical guidelines, data privacy laws, and regulatory standards. Proactively identify and mitigate risks associated with AI initiatives.
• Performance Measurement: Establish metrics and KPIs to measure the success and impact of AI projects. Use data-driven insights to refine and adjust the AI strategy as needed.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE/QUALIFICATIONS

The ideal candidate will have a track record of delivering business results and a competitive advantage through AI strategy and roadmap leadership.  This candidate will have proven experience leading across 3^rd party AI technology firms, business functions, and IT to flawless execute AI initiatives. This candidate must be a proactive, action-oriented leader with the ability to quickly solve complex problems and must have a “make it happen” attitude. This candidate must also have strong experience partnering with and influencing both cross functional partners and third-party partners.

Ideally, this leader will bring:

• Proven experience in a leadership role managing AI or technology-focused programs.
• Proven experience in strategy setting and roadmap development.
• Experience developing business cases, partnering with cross functional teams and finance to ensure a meaningful ROI.
• Strong understanding of AI, machine learning, and data analytics technologies and trends.
• Excellent project management skills, with experience in Agile and other project management methodologies.
• Strong leadership and team development skills, with the ability to inspire and motivate a diverse team.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage effectively with technical teams, business stakeholders, and senior management.
• Strategic thinking and analytical skills, with a proven ability to translate business challenges into AI-driven solutions.
• Knowledge of regulatory and compliance requirements related to AI, data privacy, and security.
• Proven experience in using data (KPIs) in a measurable way to achieve specific strategic results that are relevant to the organization. The ideal candidate will have strong analytical skills to develop, measure and improve key performance indicators.
• Track record of quickly developing solutions to complex problems that require a high degree of ingenuity, creativity, and innovativeness.
• An entrepreneurial spirit and comfort working in a dynamic, fun, fast-paced environment.
• A team oriented and collaborative approach. Proven results building effective long-term relationships at all levels, internally and externally, and going the extra mile for customers.
• Ability to communicate for impact, both verbally and in writing; ability to adjust communication and style depending on audience (technical vs. executive leadership).
• Unpretentious confidence. Communicate transparently – listen actively and speak respectfully.
• Operate with a strong work ethic and an unrelenting resolve to follow through and meet commitments.
• A demonstrated willingness to learn, roll-up their sleeves and set an example for the team as a “doer.”
• Flexibility and ability to adjust on the fly, to new demands with a high sense of urgency.
• Fast moving consumer goods experience a plus.

EDUCATION and OTHER SKILLS

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, or a related field.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

• Travel Required (Domestic & International) - up to 25%
• Flexible work schedule to accommodate virtual meetings with global regions