Associate IT Project Manager

WORLDPAC Canada; Oak Brook (IL); On-site; USD 75,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Worldpac, Inc. seeks an Associate Project Manager to join its PMO and accelerate enterprise AI initiatives across our wholesale distribution business.

You will plan, coordinate, and manage small to medium AI projects end to end, collaborating with AI Engineering, AI Product Management, and business stakeholders. The ideal candidate has solid project management fundamentals, hands-on exposure to AI project implementations, strong organizational skills, and a drive to grow into a senior PM role

Qualifications

• 3–4 years of project management or lead experience in an IT or enterprise technology environment.
• Hands‑on experience supporting or managing the implementation of enterprise AI projects (generative AI, agentic AI, AI-enabled process automation, or advanced analytics).
• Experience with or exposure to enterprise AI platforms and services such as AWS Bedrock, Microsoft Azure AI Foundry/Azure OpenAI, Google Vertex AI, or similar.
• Familiarity with AI projects integrating with Oracle Fusion, Salesforce, Workday, ServiceNow, and enterprise data platforms like Snowflake or Databricks.
• Foundational understanding of AI concepts including LLMs, prompt engineering, retrieval‑augmented generation, AI agents, and AI risk.
• Working knowledge of Agile / Scrum and waterfall PM methodologies.
• Strong expertise in Jira and Confluence; MS Project / Smartsheet experience preferred.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, Word).
• Excellent communication and multitasking in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment.

Responsibilities

• Manage small to medium-sized AI and technology projects end to end, and support Project Managers on larger initiatives.
• Develop and maintain project plans, schedules, task lists, RACI matrices, and PMO-standard documentation.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams (AI engineers, data, infra, security, QA, vendors, business users) to stay on track.
• Facilitate project meetings and Agile ceremonies; document decisions and actions.
• Track tasks, milestones, and dependencies in PM tools and ensure timely completion.
• Support delivery of AI solutions including generative AI assistants, RAG workflows, and AI-enabled automation.
• Help manage pilots and proofs of concept; gather user feedback and metrics for go/no-go decisions.

Skills

Project management

Agile / Scrum

Communication

Organizational skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science / Information Systems / Business Administration

CAPM or PMP certification preferred

Agile certification (CSM/PSM) or AI-related certifications a plus

Tools

Jira

Confluence

Microsoft Project

Smartsheet

Job description

Position Overview

Worldpac is seeking a motivated Associate Project Manager (“APM”) to join our Project Management Office (PMO) and help accelerate the delivery of Worldpac's enterprise AI program across our high-volume wholesale distribution and automotive aftermarket business. This role will plan, coordinate, and manage small to medium-sized AI and technology projects.

Working with the PMO Manager, Project Managers, the Director AI Product Management, AI Engineering, and business stakeholders, the APM helps ensure AI initiatives are well organized, tracked, and delivered on time and to the expected business outcomes. The ideal candidate has solid project management fundamentals, hands‑on exposure to enterprise AI project implementations, strong organizational skills, and a desire to grow into a more senior project management role.

Key Responsibilities

Project Planning & Coordination

• Manage small to medium-sized AI and technology projects end to end, and support Project Managers on large, complex enterprise initiatives.
• Develop and maintain project plans, schedules, task lists, RACI matrices, and project documentation in line with PMO standards.
• Coordinate cross-functional team activities, including AI engineers, data, infrastructure, security, QA, vendors, and business users, to keep work on track.
• Facilitate project meetings, Agile ceremonies (stand‑ups, sprint planning, reviews, retrospectives), and working sessions, documenting decisions and action items.
• Track tasks, milestones, and dependencies in project management tools, and follow up to ensure timely completion.

Enterprise AI Project Support

• Support the delivery of AI solutions such as generative AI assistants, agentic AI workflows, retrieval‑augmented generation (RAG) solutions, and AI‑enabled process automation.
• Coordinate AI‑specific delivery activities, including data readiness tasks, AI platform environment requests, testing and validation of AI outputs, and user acceptance testing.
• Help manage pilots and proofs of concept, gathering user feedback and metrics to support go/no‑go decisions and production rollout.
• Track AI governance steps and approvals with the AI Governance Committee, Cybersecurity, Legal & Compliance, and Data Governance.
• Maintain project information for the AI use case and project inventory in partnership with the Director AI Product Management.

Status Reporting & Communication

• Prepare clear, accurate weekly status reports, dashboards, and steering committee materials for the PMO Manager and stakeholders.
• Maintain RAID logs (risks, assumptions, issues, dependencies), escalating risks and issues to the Project Manager or PMO Manager as needed.
• Support communication, training, and change management activities that drive user adoption of AI solutions.

Financial & Vendor Support

• Track project budgets, actuals, and forecasts, including AI platform and model usage costs, in partnership with the PMO Analyst and Finance.
• Coordinate with vendors and implementation partners on deliverables, timelines, and SOW milestones.

PMO Practice & Development

• Follow and help improve PMO processes, templates, and tools, including practices tailored to AI project delivery.
• Capture lessons learned from AI projects and contribute to repeatable delivery playbooks.
• Continuously build project management and AI knowledge through mentoring, training, and certification.

Required Qualifications & Skills

• 3‑4 years of project management or lead experience in an IT or enterprise technology environment.
• Hands‑on experience supporting or managing the implementation of enterprise AI projects, such as generative AI, agentic AI, AI‑enabled process automation, or advanced analytics solutions.
• Experience with or exposure to enterprise AI platforms and services such as AWS Bedrock, Microsoft Azure AI Foundry/Azure OpenAI, Google Vertex AI, other agentic platforms and repositories, and AI gateways such as Kong.
• Familiarity with AI projects that integrate with enterprise systems, for example Oracle Fusion, Salesforce, Workday, ServiceNow, IBM i (iSeries), and enterprise data platforms such as Snowflake or Databricks.
• Foundational understanding of AI concepts, including large language models, prompt engineering, retrieval‑augmented generation (RAG), AI agents, model evaluation, and AI risk considerations.
• Working knowledge of Agile / Scrum and waterfall project management methodologies.
• Strong expertise in Jira and Confluence project management tools required, preferred experience in Microsoft Project, Smartsheet or other similar tools.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and Word.
• Exceptional organizational, time management, and follow‑through skills, with strong attention to detail.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to work effectively with technical and non‑technical stakeholders.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast‑paced, cross‑functional environment.
• Self‑starter with a proactive mindset and eagerness to learn.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in the automotive aftermarket or other high‑volume wholesale distribution, supply chain, or logistics environments.
• Experience working in an IT PMO.
• Exposure to AI capabilities embedded in enterprise platforms (e.g., Salesforce, ServiceNow, Oracle Fusion, Workday).
• Familiarity with AI governance and Responsible AI frameworks (e.g., NIST AI RMF).

Education / Certifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Business Administration, or a related field, or equivalent work experience.
• CAPM or PMP certification preferred, or willingness to obtain within 12‑18 months.
• Agile certification (e.g., CSM, PSM) or AI‑related certifications (e.g., Azure AI Fundamentals, AWS AI Practitioner) are a plus.

Posted Salary Range

USD $75,000.00 - USD $90,000.00 /Yr.