Business Automation & AI Program Manager

AKS Engineering & Forestry; Tualatin (OR); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage

401(k) match

Paid holidays

Weekly team lunches

Job summary

AKS Engineering & Forestry seeks a Business Automation & AI Program Manager to lead AI strategy, automation, and data initiatives across the enterprise. You will collaborate with executives, discipline leaders, and technical teams to map current processes, identify automatable opportunities, and deliver scalable digital solutions.

The role emphasizes business impact, governance, and hands-on implementation of Power Platform capabilities, with a focus on secure, measurable outcomes across the

Qualifications

• ,

Responsibilities

• Lead the enterprise roadmap for AI, automation, data, and digital transformation.
• Identify and prioritize high-value opportunities based on business impact, complexity, risk, and organizational readiness.
• Lead practical adoption of generative AI, enterprise AI assistants, AI agents, workflow automation, and data-driven tools.
• Ensure AI and automation initiatives are tied to measurable business outcomes rather than technology for technology’s sake.
• Work directly with discipline and department leaders to understand current-state business processes and proactively identify manual, repetitive, spreadsheet-driven, email-driven, or disconnected processes that can be simplified, improved, automated, or redesigned.
• Design improved future-state processes and determine when automation, applications, integrations, analytics, or AI are appropriate.
• Challenge existing processes when appropriate rather than simply automating the way work is performed today, with a focus on simplifying and improving the process before technology is applied.
• Provide leadership and technical direction for Microsoft Power Automate, Power Apps, Dataverse, and related Power Platform capabilities.
• Establish standards for environments, security, development, testing, documentation, deployment, support, and lifecycle management.
• Provide leadership, prioritization, technical direction, and mentorship to team members and technical resources responsible for delivering Power Platform, automation, integration, data , and AI solutions.
• Set the organization’s Microsoft Fabric and OneLake direction in partnership with IT, data teams, and vendors.
• Guide enterprise data integration, pipelines, semantic models, Power BI and analytics capabilities, data quality, governance, and security.
• Define the strategy for integrating enterprise systems using REST APIs, JSON, HTTP, OAuth 2.0, webhooks, connectors, and related technologies.
• Build strong, trusted relationships with executives, discipline leaders, department leaders, technical teams, and end users.
• Lead organization adoption of new AI, automation, and digital solutions through stakeholder engagement, communication, demonstrations, pilot programs, training, feedback, and change management.
• Translate business challenges into technology opportunities and explain technical concepts clearly to nontechnical audiences.
• Establish success metrics and measure the business impact of initiatives, including hours saved, cycle-time reduction, error reduction, user adoption, ,improved data quality,, cost avoidance, and other measurable operational improvements.
• Establish and maintain governance for AI usage, Power Platform development, data access, security, documentation, solution ownership, and lifecycle management.
• Manage a portfolio of AI, automation, integration, data, and analytics initiatives.

Skills

Power Platform

Power Automate

Power Apps

Power BI

REST APIs

Data governance

Security

Change management

Stakeholder management

Project management

Tools

Dataverse

Fabric

OneLake

Azure

SQL

Python

PowerShell

Job description

At AKS, we are growing and building for the future. We bring together multidisciplined experts across the land development, energy, and infrastructure markets to take on bigger challenges and deliver solutions that make a real difference. Our teams combine creativity, technical excellence, and a collaborative, hands‑on approach to solve complex problems and deliver results our clients and communities can count on. We take pride in our work and our ability to provide opportunities for our teams, support each other’s growth, and look ahead to what’s next. When you join AKS, you will find opportunities to take ownership of meaningful projects, learn, lead, and make an impact from day one.

The Business Automation & AI Program Manager leads AKS’s strategy and execution for artificial intelligence, workflow automation, business process improvement, application development, systems integration, data, and analytics. This role partners closely with executives, discipline leaders, department leaders, and technical teams to understand how work is performed today, identify opportunities for improvement, and turn those opportunities into practical, secure, scalable digital solutions. The ideal candidate is curious, collaborative, technically capable, and highly business-oriented. They are comfortable discussing AI strategy with executives, mapping a process with discipline leaders, reviewing an API integration with developers, and demonstrating a new digital solution to employees.

What You’ll Do

• Lead the enterprise roadmap for artificial intelligence, automation, data, and digital transformation.
• Identify and prioritize high-value opportunities based on business impact, complexity, risk, and organizational readiness.
• Lead practical adoption of generative AI, enterprise AI assistants, AI agents, workflow automation, and data-driven tools.
• Ensure AI and automation initiatives are tied to measurable business outcomes rather than technology for technology’s sake.
• Work directly with discipline and department leaders to understand current-state business processes and proactively identify manual, repetitive, spreadsheet-driven, email-driven, or disconnected processes that can be simplified, improved, automated, or redesigned.
• Design improved future-state processes and determine when automation, applications, integrations, analytics, or AI are appropriate.
• Challenge existing processes when appropriate rather than simply automating the way work is performed today, with a focus on simplifying and improving the process before technology is applied.
• Provide leadership and technical direction for Microsoft Power Automate, Power Apps, Dataverse, and related Power Platform capabilities.
• Establish standards for environments, security, development, testing, documentation, deployment, support, and lifecycle management.
• Provide leadership, prioritization, technical direction, and mentorship to team members and technical resources responsible for delivering Power Platform, automation, integration, data , and AI solutions.
• Set the organization’s Microsoft Fabric and OneLake direction in partnership with IT, data teams, and vendors.
• Guide enterprise data integration, pipelines, semantic models, Power BI and analytics capabilities, data quality, governance, and security.
• Define the strategy for integrating enterprise systems using REST APIs, JSON, HTTP, OAuth 2.0, webhooks, connectors, and related technologies.
• Build strong, trusted relationships with executives, discipline leaders, department leaders, technical teams, and end users.
• Lead organization adoption of new AI, automation, and digital solutions through stakeholder engagement, communication, demonstrations, pilot programs, training, feedback, and change management.
• Translate business challenges into technology opportunities and explain technical concepts clearly to nontechnical audiences.
• Establish success metrics and measure the business impact of initiatives, including hours saved, cycle-time reduction, error reduction, user adoption, ,improved data quality,, cost avoidance, and other measurable operational improvements.
• Establish and maintain governance for AI usage, Power Platform development, data access, security, documentation, solution ownership, and lifecycle management.
• Manage a portfolio of AI, automation, integration, data, and analytics initiatives.

Who You Are

• Experience with Power Platform solutions, environment management, connection references, environment variables, deployment between development/test/production environments, and application lifecycle management.
• Demonstrated experience with business process analysis, process improvement, and converting manual or inefficient processes into scalable digital workflows.
• Demonstrated experience with Microsoft Power Automate, Power Apps, and Power BI, with the ability to provide technical direction and evaluate solution approaches.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Fabric, OneLake, Dataverse, or comparable enterprise data platforms.
• Strong understanding of REST APIs, JSON, HTTP, OAuth 2.0, webhooks, and system integration patterns.
• Experience gathering business requirements and translating them into practical technical solutions.
• Strong understanding of data governance, access controls, security, permissions, and enterprise data architecture.
• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, facilitation, and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to build credibility and trusted relationships with technical and nontechnical stakeholders, influence change across departments, and drive successful adoption of new technologies, processes, and ways of working.
• Personable, approachable leadership style with the ability to build genuine trust and relationships across field crews, engineers, surveyors, project teams, and executives; a strong cultural fit for a collaborative, hands‑on AEC organization.
• Strong project and program management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities.

Nice To Have

• Experience leading an enterprise AI, automation, or digital transformation program, including generative AI, AI agents, RAG, LLMs, or enterprise AI platforms.
• Experience with Microsoft Fabric, OneLake, Data Factory, semantic models, and Power Platform governance or Center of Excellence practices.
• Experience with Azure, SQL, Python, PowerShell, or other data and integration technologies.
• Experience integrating ERP, HR, finance, project management, CRM, or other enterprise business systems.
• Experience supporting an architecture, engineering, construction (AEC), surveying, or land development organization, with an understanding of field operations, project delivery, and how platforms such as AutoCAD, Civil 3D, or Revit fit into the broader technology and data ecosystem.

Why AKS?

At AKS, we believe your work should support your life, not the other way around. Here's what you can count on when you join our team:

• Meaningful Growth: Whether you're just starting out or looking to advance, we offer hands‑on training, mentorship, and clear paths for professional development so you can grow with purpose.
• Real Collaboration: Join a team that brings diverse perspectives together to solve complex challenges with creativity, curiosity, and a shared commitment to quality.
• Respect for Your Time: We value work‑life balance and offer generous PTO and a supportive environment that helps you manage both personal and professional responsibilities.
• Benefits That Care: You’ll have access to health coverage that supports your total well‑being, plus a 401(k) match, paid holidays, and more resources to help you thrive.
• Weekly Team Lunches: Take a break and recharge with your teammates, we believe food brings people together.
• Culture That Connects: We invest in experiences that build strong teams and strong communities.
• A Place People Love to Work: We’ve been named one of the Top Workplaces year after year.

Join us and be part of a team that values your contributions, celebrates initiative, and is committed to doing things the right way for our employees, clients, and communities.