Data & AI Acceleration Manager (Raleigh, NC)

Data & AI Acceleration Manager

About the Role

Digital & IT is accelerating the responsible use of data, analytics and artificial intelligence across its functions. In this role, you will connect functional or market business priorities with the organization’s enterprise Data & AI strategy, governance, platforms and delivery model.

You will act as the entry point for all Data & AI demand within your assigned function or market, ensuring each initiative is qualified before delivery. Sitting within the D&IT function and working in alignment with the global Data, Analytics & Innovation (DA&I) team, you will connect the business agenda with enterprise standards. You will shape business needs, own initiatives from initial request through development, deployment, operational transition and adoption, and help teams use enterprise capabilities including conversational AI, Microsoft 365 Copilot, Copilot Studio, the Central Data Lake Platform, reporting and analytics solutions.

Responsibilities

• Own the function or market Data & AI backlog and its contribution to the three-year technology roadmap and annual strategic planning cycle. Partner with stakeholders to define business problems, value, data needs and feasibility, classify requests into the appropriate delivery route, and jointly prioritize demand with DA&I.
• Own end-to-end delivery of the Data & AI portfolio on time, within budget and to agreed scope, quality and business outcomes, coordinating business, IT, DA&I and external partners. Ensure testing, release readiness, documentation and support models are in place.
• Ensure solutions follow enterprise architecture, data management, security, integration and technology standards, securing required approvals before build starts. Promote the Central Data Lake Platform, Global Data Model and reusable components, reduce duplication, contribute reusable assets back to the enterprise and resolve deviations through governance channels rather than local exceptions.
• Govern AI use cases from idea through production using the agreed AI scaling process and stage gates and AI Governance Guidelines. Coordinate Legal, Data Protection, compliance, security and risk reviews, document approvals before deployment, and monitor transparency, human oversight, bias and quality controls and records of use after go-live. Maintain an inventory of solutions and agents, including ownership, purpose and approval status.
• Drive adoption of enterprise conversational AI and business agents, Microsoft 365 Copilot, Copilot Studio, self-service analytics and approved data platforms, tracking active usage and realized value. Guide and govern citizen development so that business-built agents and solutions remain within approved guardrails.
• Own Data & AI literacy building across the IT team and business population, including AI Academy completion, playbook-based guidance, training and community engagement. Identify hackathon and AI Factory candidates, prepare business cases and supporting data, mobilize business participants, and share successful use cases and lessons across functions and the DA&I community.

Within your first six months, you will

• Build trusted relationships with functional or market leadership, business stakeholders, Data & AI teams, platform owners and delivery partners.
• Establish a clear view of the function or market Data & AI demand, active initiatives, priorities, governance status and adoption opportunities.
• Take ownership of priority initiatives and put in place effective delivery, governance, reporting and adoption routines.

Requirements

• 5+ years of professional experience in Data & Analytics, business technology or solution delivery within a large multinational, ideally FMCG, with proven accountability from demand intake and solution shaping through build, deployment and operational transition, working with internal teams and external partners.
• Experience partnering with senior stakeholders to shape requests, challenge scope, develop business cases and prioritize portfolios, with strong communication and influencing skills.
• Practical understanding of enterprise data platforms, data models, analytics and reporting solutions, Generative AI and Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot Studio, sufficient to shape solutions, challenge designs and guide citizen development. Hands-on engineering or coding is not required.
• Strong project and delivery-management skills across the solution lifecycle, including planning, estimation, risks, dependencies, testing, deployment and reporting.
• Proven experience delivering Machine Learning solutions, with practical understanding of data preparation, model development, evaluation, deployment and monitoring
• Understanding of data governance, data quality, privacy, information security and responsible-AI practices, including exposure to Legal, Data Protection and compliance reviews.
• A college or university degree, preferably in Information Systems, Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, Business Administration or a related field; postgraduate qualifications or project/programme management or Data & Analytics/AI certifications are an advantage.
• Fluent written and spoken English is required; a relevant local language is an advantage. Ability to manage competing priorities and drive outcomes without direct authority in a matrixed, remote organization with dual reporting lines.

What to Expect

• Make your mark in a visible role, connecting business priorities with the enterprise Data & AI agenda.
• Bring Data & AI capabilities to life and scale their impact through collaboration with business, technology, governance and external partner teams.
• See the difference your work makes across a portfolio of initiatives—through successful delivery, adoption, compliance, stakeholder satisfaction and tangible business value.