Business Operations manager-AI program manager

Macdonald, Dettwiler And Associates Corporation; Quebec; Hybrid; CAD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Macdonald, Dettwiler And Associates Corporation in Canada is seeking an AI Program Manager to partner with local business departments and enable responsible AI adoption across the business unit. This role coordinates AI delivery, policy stewardship, and day-to-day execution to ensure well-governed AI initiatives aligned with company values.

The ideal candidate will work at the Montreal office, coordinating with AI development teams, stakeholders, and compliance to drive value while maintaining

Qualifications

• 5+ years of program management, operations, product enablement, or technology delivery roles.
• Experience with AI, data, analytics, or digital transformation initiatives.
• Deep understanding of GenAI, including high-impact enterprise use cases, safety and security, prompts, and adoption metrics.
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate teams, manage priorities, and deliver across multiple initiatives.
• Excellent written and verbal communications, including documentation and training content.
• Comfortable operating in ambiguity and rapid change, with evolving technology.
• Bilingual French-English (interaction with customers outside Quebec and head office managers in Ontario).

Responsibilities

• Lead AI project planning, budgeting, scheduling, and execution of core enterprise AI initiatives.
• Develop, prioritize, and coordinate the AI roadmap for the business unit.
• Coordinate with internal AI development teams on evaluation, datasets, and workflows while ensuring policy compliance.
• Translate strategic AI direction into actionable plans and day-to-day execution.
• Monitor deployed AI tools and coordinate timely resolution with relevant teams.
• Act as primary operational contact for business teams engaging with AI capabilities.
• Manage intake and response for AI inquiries across the site.
• Support change management to help teams adopt AI effectively and appropriately.
• Uphold AI policies, standards, and governance; promote responsible AI practices including data security and privacy.
• Develop, maintain AI knowledge assets, including FAQs and approved tools lists; ensure documentation is current and aligned with policy.
• Identify and explore new AI use cases; assess feasibility, value, and readiness; support experiments and iterative improvement of AI solutions.

Skills

Program management

AI governance

Stakeholder engagement

GenAI concepts

Change management

Bilingual French-English

Job description

Business Operations manager-AI program manager

Job Category: Program Management

Locations

Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC H9X3R2, CAN

Description

Building the space between proven and possible, MDA Space is a trusted mission partner to the global space industry. A robotics, satellite systems and geointelligence pioneer with a 55-year+ story of world firsts and more than 450 missions, MDA Space is a global leader in communications satellites, Earth and space observation, and space exploration and infrastructure. The global MDA Space team of more than 5,500 space experts has the knowledge and know-how to turn an audacious customer vision into an achievable mission – bringing to bear a one-of-a-kind mix of experience, engineering excellence and wide-eyed wonder that’s been in our DNA since day one. For those who dream big and push boundaries on the ground and in the stars to change the world for the better, we’ll take you there. For more information, visit www.mda.space .

We are looking for an AI Program Manager to join our satellite systems team at our Montreal office.

As the leading global independent commercial supplier of antennas, payloads, and electronics for communication and radar satellites, our team has successfully contributed to hundreds of missions in the past 60 years. With an extensive heritage in a wide range of solutions delivered to customers globally, our Satellite Systems team continues to grow and evolve on the ground and in the stars.

We’re a dream team of purpose-driven, collaborative and passionate people, and we are constantly looking for others to join #TeamMDA to ignite new and innovative approaches to problem-solving that push us forward to improve life on and above Earth. If you’re excited to expand our place in space and driven to inspire the next generation, we’ll take you there.

We have entered a new era of exploration and development, and MDA welcomes all who yearn to suit up and be part of it. An equal opportunity employer prizing diversity, integrity and collaboration, we are committed to growing MDA’s and Canada’s leadership in this next golden age.

About the Role

We are seeking an AI Program Manager to partner with local business departments and enable the responsible adoption of AI across the business unit. This role serves as the operational and enablement lead for the AI function by translating strategy into execution, coordinating delivery, and supporting secure, effective, and value-driven AI adoption.

The AI Program Manager will operate at the intersection of AI delivery, stakeholder enablement, policy stewardship, and day-to-day execution to ensure AI initiatives are well governed, well monitored, clearly catalogued, and aligned with organizational standards and values.

Key Responsibilities

AI Project Management

• Lead planning, budgeting, scheduling, and execution of core enterprise AI initiatives
• Develop, prioritize, and coordinate the AI roadmap for the business unit
• Coordinate with the internal AI development team on product evaluation, benchmarking, dataset creation, and the development or adaptation of AI tools and workflows while ensuring compliance with corporate policies
• Translate strategic AI direction into actionable plans and day‑to‑day execution
• Monitor deployed AI tools, identify issues, and coordinate timely resolution with the appropriate teams

Stakeholder Engagement & Enablement

• Act as a primary operational point of contact for business teams engaging with AI capabilities
• Manage intake, triage, and response for day‑to‑day AI and ChatMDA inquiries from across the site
• Support change management and adoption efforts to help teams use AI effectively and appropriately

Responsible AI & Data Security Stewardship

• Uphold, promote, and help operationalize the organization’s AI policies, standards, and governance principles
• Champion responsible AI practices, including cyber and data security, privacy, and appropriate use of AI tools

Knowledge Management & Communications

• Develop, maintain, and curate AI knowledge assets, including FAQs, internal web pages, approved AI tools lists, and guidance materials
• Ensure AI documentation is clear, accurate, current, and aligned with policy and security expectations
• Share lessons learned and practical knowledge with other business areas

Use‑Case Discovery & Continuous Improvement

• Proactively identify and explore new AI and automation use cases within the business area
• Collaborate with stakeholders to assess feasibility, value, and readiness of potential AI applications
• Support business area experimentation, pilots, dataset generation, and iterative improvement of AI solutions

  Required Experience & Qualifications

  • 5+ years of experience in program management, operations, product enablement, or technology delivery roles
  • Experience working with AI, data, analytics, or digital transformation initiatives
  • Deep understanding of GenAI, including high-impact use cases for enterprises, safety and security considerations, prompt engineering techniques, shortcomings, failure modes and mitigation strategies, and adoption and quality metrics
  • Demonstrated ability to coordinate teams, manage priorities, and deliver across multiple parallel initiatives
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including documentation and training content
  • Comfortable operating in environments with ambiguity, rapid change, and evolving technology
  • Bilingual French English (Contact with customers outside Quebec and head office managers in Ontario).

  Preferred Experience

  • Experience supporting enterprise AI platforms (e.g., copilots, chatbots, internal AI assistants)
  • Familiarity with Agile or iterative delivery models
  • Experience partnering with learning & development, cybersecurity, legal, and/or compliance teams
  • Strong curiosity about responsible AI and practical, business‑driven AI use cases

  What Success Looks Like

  • AI initiatives move forward smoothly with clear coordination and strong stakeholder alignment
  • AI becomes a meaningful driver of the operating model by improving decision‑making, productivity, and business value
  • AI policies and data security principles are understood and reinforced in day‑to‑day work
  • Responsible AI practices, approved tools, and data security expectations are consistently applied across teams
  • Knowledge assets are current, accessible, and trusted

  #LI-DM1 #IND1 #SP

  Special Considerations:

  Successful candidates must obtain and hold security clearance at the reliability status level, and pass security assessment for the Controlled Goods Program (CGP).

  We’re a dream team of purpose-driven, collaborative and passionate people, and we are constantly looking for others to join #TeamMDA to ignite new and innovative approaches to problem‑solving that push us forward to improve life on and above Earth. If you’re excited to expand our place in space and driven to inspire the next generation, we’ll take you there.

  We have entered a new era of exploration and development, and MDA welcomes all who yearn to suit up and be part of it. An equal opportunity employer prizing diversity, integrity and collaboration, we are committed to growing MDA’s and Canada’s leadership in this next golden age.

  MDA provides competitive compensation and benefits packages for its employees at all locations. As a team member of MDA, you and your qualified dependents are eligible to participate in a benefit plan that ensures a comprehensive level of protection through competitive health care including; extended healthcare and flexible drug plans, dental and vision benefits, disability income protection, life insurance, group retirement savings plans; and an employee and family assistance program.

  MDA is proud to provide accommodation(s) during the recruitment process. Should you require any accommodations, please indicate this on your application/cover letter and we will work with you to meet your accessibility needs.