Posting DetailsPosition Information
Job Title Applied Innovation Lab Manager/AI Center of Excellence
Position Number 977223
Department Kay Bailey Hutchison Institute
Salary $78,500 - $95,000
Remote No
Job Summary The Applied Innovation Lab Manager leads the intake, evaluation, development, and delivery of applied AI projects within the AI Center of Excellence. This position works directly with students and with students, faculty, staff, business, community, and university partners to assess AI opportunities, define project scope, coordinate resources, and manage projects from initiation through completion. The Manager oversees the Lab's project portfolio, ensuring projects are delivered effectively while supporting student engagement, external partnerships, and the university's mission of student-led innovation and regional workforce development.
Essential Duties - Guide student-led teams in developing innovative AI and technology solutions to real-world challenges submitted by business, community, and university partners. Provide project structure, mentorship, resources, and coordination while ensuring students maintain meaningful ownership of the solution-development process.
- Manage approved projects from initiation through completion, including project scope, milestones, schedules, deliverables, resources, budgets, risks, and stakeholder expectations. Ensure projects provide high-quality experiential learning opportunities while meeting partner needs.
- Lead the intake and evaluation of proposed university, business, and community challenges to determine feasibility, AI suitability, educational value, resource requirements, and alignment with AI Center of Excellence priorities. Translate approved challenges into clearly defined projects appropriate for student-led teams.
- Serve as a primary liaison among student teams, faculty, AI COE staff, technical experts, and external partners. Facilitate discovery sessions, project meetings, feedback, and communication to ensure students have the expertise and support necessary for successful project delivery. Provide students with training and mentorship in innovation processes, project management, and communication techniques, and ensure that students have adequate technical training to succeed in their experiential learning activities including successful project delivery at the AI COE.
- In partnership with AI COE staff, maintain the Applied Innovation Lab project pipeline and monitor project progress, student participation, partner satisfaction, resource utilization, and project outcomes. Provide regular reporting to AI COE leadership and continuously improve Lab processes to expand student experiential learning and applied innovation opportunities.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Knowledge- Project and program management principles, including scope, schedule, budget, resource, risk, and milestone management.
- Artificial intelligence technologies, applications, capabilities, limitations, and responsible AI practices.
- Methods for evaluating business challenges, technical feasibility, and potential AI use cases.
Skills- Managing multiple projects, priorities, deadlines, and stakeholders simultaneously.
- Developing project scopes, Statements of Work (SOWs), project plans, budgets, timelines, and performance measures.
- Analyzing complex problems and translating business, community, or organizational needs into actionable project requirements.
- Communicating effectively in writing and verbally with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
- Facilitating project meetings, partner discussions, and interdisciplinary teams.
Abilities- Assess project feasibility, identify risks, and recommend appropriate courses of action.
- Build and maintain effective relationships with students, faculty, staff, business and community partners, industry partners, and other stakeholders.
- Coordinate resources across staff, faculty, students, technical experts, vendors, and external partners.
- Monitor project performance, analyze results, and communicate project and portfolio status to leadership and stakeholders.
- Work independently, exercise sound judgment, adapt to changing priorities, and successfully manage competing demands.
Minimum Qualifications - Bachelor's degree in Business, Project Management, Information Technology, Computer Science, Data Science, A.I. or a related field.
- Three (3) years of progressively responsible experience in project or program management, including experience managing technical, technology, or innovation-focused projects.
- An equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to successfully perform the essential functions of the position may be considered in lieu of the stated requirements.
Preferred QualificationsPhysical RequirementsPosting Detail Information
Posting Number S1183P
Open Date 10/06/2026
Close DateDesired Start DateReview Start DateOpen Until Filled Yes
Special Instructions to ApplicantsRequired Number of References 
