Job Description:Information Technology: AI & Analytics Manager - EngineeringJOB SUMMARYThe IT AI & Analytics Manager - Engineering identifies, prioritizes, and executes AI, analytics, and technology-enabled initiatives across North American Outdoor and CPT Engineering to create measurable business value. This role partners directly with Engineering, IT leadership, as well as functional stakeholders across all subfunctions within Engineering departments. The position combines engineering domain knowledge, technical curiosity, analytical problem solving, portfolio discipline, and strong communication skills to improve engineering productivity, product-development processes, testing, technical knowledge access, decision making, and operational performance. Solutions may leverage GitHub Copilot, Microsoft Copilot, AI agents, engineering software, automation and analytics tools, machine learning, or other appropriate technologies based on business needs, technical feasibility, and expected value.
RESPONSIBILITIES / SKILLS- Partners directly with Engineering leaders and functional stakeholders to identify, evaluate, prioritize, and execute AI and analytics opportunities that align to functional goals and measurable business outcomes. Please note that this is a business facing role.
- Manages the Engineering AI and analytics portfolio, including intake, prioritization, roadmaps, delivery milestones, dependencies, execution status, and expected value.
- Designs, prototypes, tests, deploys, or coordinates solutions using the tools most appropriate for the business problem, including but not limited to GitHub Copilot, Microsoft Copilot, Copilot Studio, generative AI, machine learning, function specific engineering software, analytics platforms, automation, and custom development.
- Applies AI, machine learning, and analytics to engineering use cases such as predictive testing, anomaly detection, technical knowledge retrieval, design and test data analysis, process automation, and decision support.
- Translates business problems into clear technical requirements by gathering stakeholder input, documenting use cases, defining success criteria, and clarifying expected business value.
- Uses Python, SQL via various data platforms, analytics tools, or related technologies to access, transform, integrate, validate, and analyze data required for Engineering solutions.
- Partners with Engineering software owners and subject-matter experts to understand existing platforms and determine whether opportunities should be addressed through current functionality, configuration, integration, automation, AI augmentation, or new development.
- Identifies opportunities to reuse and scale solutions across Outdoor and CPT Engineering, reducing duplicated effort and improving the return on technology investments.
- Collaborates with IT, data engineering, business optimization, Cybersecurity, governance, and functional stakeholders to ensure AI solutions are scalable, supportable, secure, and aligned to enterprise standards.
- Tracks solution adoption, performance, costs, and realized business value.
- Creates business cases that document expected benefits, implementation and ongoing costs, assumptions, affected users, success measures, risks, and ongoing support requirements.
- Communicates project status, risks, requirements, demos, adoption expectations, and business impact clearly to technical and non-technical audiences, including leadership when needed.
- Develops the documentation and enablement resources needed to support solution adoption.
- Works both independently and as part of cross-functional teams to move AI initiatives from idea generation through execution while balancing multiple priorities.
- Continuously evaluates developments in AI, analytics, software-development tools, and Engineering technologies and recommends practical applications based on organizational need and measurable value.
- Performs other related duties as assigned.
This job description is intended to be illustrative of the position's duties and should not be construed to be an exhaustive statement of the essential functions of the job.EXPECTED ALLOCATION OF TIME- Project Intake/Requirements/Design: 10%
- AI Innovation Discovery: 10%
- AI Development & Execution: 40%
- Collaboration: 30%
- Project & Portfolio/Roadmap Management: 10%
CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS- Engineering & Technology Leadership - Ability to understand engineering workflows, systems, data, software-development activities, testing environments, and operational challenges while identifying and applying the most appropriate combination of AI, machine learning, analytics, engineering software, automation, integration, or custom development to create measurable business value.
- Problem Solving & Prioritization - Ability to evaluate ambiguous engineering challenges, balance competing priorities, assess technical feasibility and business impact, and make effective decisions that maximize organizational value and align with leadership objectives.
- Stakeholder Engagement & Communication - Ability to build trusted relationships across Engineering, IT, and leadership teams while clearly communicating solution options, project status, risks, technical concepts, business value, and expected outcomes to both technical and non-technical audiences.
- Portfolio & Solution Delivery - Ability to develop and manage an Engineering AI and analytics portfolio, prioritize initiatives based on business value, and lead solutions through the full lifecycle from opportunity identification and requirements through deployment, adoption, and value realization.
- Technical Solution Development - Ability to prototype, configure, develop, test, troubleshoot, integrate, or technically direct solutions using AI, machine learning, predictive analytics, automation, data platforms, engineering technologies, and software-development tools to solve engineering business challenges.
- Business Value Creation - ability to connect high-impact technology opportunities to measurable outcomes, including labor efficiency, shorter engineering cycles, faster analysis, reduced rework, improved testing productivity, better access to technical knowledge, cost avoidance, and better decision making.
- Collaboration & Influence - Ability to work effectively as an individual contributor while coordinating cross-functional teams, aligning stakeholders, driving execution, and maintaining momentum without direct authority.
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE- Bachelor's degree in engineering, computer science, data science, information systems, analytics, or a related technical discipline is required.
- Experience in applying engineering, analytical, technical, or process improvement methods to complex business or operational challenges is required.
- Experience supporting product engineering, advanced engineering, laboratories, product testing, document control, software development, research and development, or related technical functions is preferred.
- Experience applying AI, analytics, automation, software-development tools, or other technologies to improve engineering or technical processes.
- Familiarity with GitHub Copilot, Microsoft Copilot, Copilot Studio, generative AI, AI agents, machine learning, predictive analytics, prompt engineering, knowledge retrieval, optimization, or automation concepts is preferred.
- Familiarity with Power BI, including reports, dashboards, data models, measures, or related business intelligence concepts.
- Experience with Snowflake or comparable data platforms, semantic models, APIs, system integration, workflow automation, or modern software development practices is preferred.
- Experience taking technical initiatives from problem identification through requirements, prototype, testing, implementation, documentation, and adoption.
- Ability to partner directly with Engineering stakeholders, gather requirements, clarify needs, and convert business problems into practical technical solutions.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills with the ability to explain technical concepts and business value to Engineering, IT, and leadership audiences.
- Ability to work independently and as an integral part of a cross-functional team.
OTHER REQUIREMENTS- Ability to travel (post-COVID) up to 10%. It is anticipated this position will travel 0-10%
