Director, AI Enablement

Zebra Technologies; Lincolnshire (IL); Hybrid; USD 178,000 - 267,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work

Performance-based incentive

Total Rewards

Job summary

Zebra Technologies seeks a Director, AI Enablement to drive consistent, scalable AI adoption across Product & Solutions. You will establish operating models, guardrails, and governance to enable teams to deliver AI-enabled improvements while aligning with enterprise priorities.

The role requires deep product delivery experience, strong leadership, and the ability to translate technical topics into data-driven recommendations for senior leaders.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Data Science, or a highly quantitative field.
• 10+ years of progressive leadership in product development, digital transformation, or data/AI initiatives.
• 5+ years operating within a product development team.
• Experience delivering transformation across multiple business units or geographies with measurable metrics.
• Direct people management of analytics, BI, engineering, data science, or tech program teams.

Responsibilities

• Establish and maintain a clear operating model for internal AI adoption across P&S.
• Provide portfolio visibility into AI initiatives and identify duplication and scaling opportunities.
• Maintain a reuse register of AI patterns, workflows, and lessons learned.
• Translate governance, security, and regulatory requirements into actionable expectations.
• Serve as thought partner to PMO, Engineering, and Product leaders for AI applications.
• Establish a common measurement framework for AI adoption and outcomes.
• Lead and develop an internal BI team toward predictive analytics.
• Capture successful AI practices and enable reuse across teams.
• Drive alignment and outcomes across P&S to enable autonomous AI improvements.
• Act as trusted advisor to leadership, synthesizing AI trends and maturity data.
• Identify and escalate alignment issues that pose risk or cost.

Skills

Leadership

AI strategy

Product development

Cross-functional collaboration

Data analytics

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Data Science, or quantitative field

Master’s degree (MBA or equivalent)

Job description

Overview:

At Zebra, we are a community of innovators who come together to create new ways of working. United by curiosity and a culture of caring, we develop smart solutions that anticipate our customer’s and partner’s needs and solve their challenges.

Being part of Zebra Nation means you are seen, heard, valued, and respected. Drawing from our unique perspectives, we collaborate to deliver on our purpose. Here you are part of a team pushing boundaries today to redefine the work of tomorrow for organizations, their employees, and those they serve.

You’ll have opportunities to learn and lead in a forward-thinking environment, defining your path to a fulfilling career while channeling your skills toward causes you care about—locally and globally.

Come make an impact every day at Zebra.

What We’re Looking For:

The Director, AI Enablement is responsible for enabling consistent, scalable, and responsible internal AI adoption across Product & Solutions (P&S).

This role establishes the operating model, alignment mechanisms, and practical guardrails that allow P&S organizations to independently drive AI enabled improvements while ensuring those efforts align with enterprise requirements and P&S priorities.

The role requires deep understanding of product development and delivery lifecycles and the ability to engage credibly with engineering and technical teams to evaluate approaches, challenge assumptions, and shape how AI is applied, measured and scaled.

Success in this role requires the ability to translate complex technical and operational topics into clear, data-driven recommendations for senior leaders and drive alignment across business units and functions.

This role requires a minimum of 3-days per week in our Holtsville, NY office, 2 days remote (US).

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Establish and maintain a clear, repeatable operating model for internal AI adoption across P&S, ensuring AI initiatives consistently address workflow design, risk considerations, reuse opportunities, adoption planning, and outcome measurement.

• Provide portfolio level visibility into AI initiatives across P&S, actively engaging with execution teams to identify duplication, conflicting approaches, and opportunities to scale effective solutions.

• Maintain a reuse register capturing AI patterns, workflows, agents, vendors, and lessons learned, and actively guide teams toward reuse where it improves scale, cost, or consistency.

• Translate enterprise AI governance, security, legal, and regulatory requirements into practical, actionable expectations for P&S teams, working directly with execution leaders to integrate requirements into existing workflows.

• Serve as an active thought partner to PMO, Engineering, and Product leaders, helping teams evaluate approaches, challenge assumptions, and determine how AI should be applied, where it adds value, and how success should be measured in the context of their workflows.

• Establish a common measurement framework for AI adoption across P&S and work with execution teams and analytics partners to enable consistent visibility into adoption, productivity, and business outcomes.

• Lead and develop an internal business intelligence team, guiding their evolution toward predictive analytics and improved data readiness to support the broader AI operating model.

• Capture successful AI practices emerging from execution teams and enable reuse through shared guidance, reference examples, and cross-team knowledge sharing.

• Drive alignment and outcomes across P&S through influence, partnership, and guidance, enabling teams to independently execute AI-enabled improvements within shared standards.

• Act as a trusted advisor to P&S leadership by synthesizing AI adoption trends, outcomes, and maturity to support executive decision-making and cross-functional alignment.

• Identify and escalates alignment issues, at both the team and organizational level, that create material risk, cost, or scalability concerns for AI adoption across P&S.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Data Science, or a highly quantitative related field.
• Minimum 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in product development, digital transformation, data science/analytics or related domains with significant exposure to AI enabled initiatives
• Minimum of 5+ years’ operating as part of a product development team.
• Must have experience delivering transformation initiatives spanning multiple business units or global geographies, supported by verifiable metrics, such as number users impacted, and percent efficiency gains.
• Must have direct people management experience leading and developing data analytics, business intelligence (BI), engineering, data science, or technical program/product management teams.

Preferred Qualifications:

Master’s degree (MBA or equivalent).

• Direct leadership of at least one significant cross-functional GenAI or automation initiative focused on modernizing operational workflows.
• Deep understanding of product development and delivery lifecycles, with the ability to engage credibly with Engineering, Product, and PMO leaders.
• Proven ability to translate cross functional initiatives into measurable business impact and productivity improvements.
• Strong understanding of data architecture principles and what constitutes “AI data readiness” at enterprise scale.
• Strong track record of influencing outcomes and driving alignment without direct authority.
• Demonstrated ability to synthesize complex technical and operational topics into clear, concise recommendations for executive-level audiences.
• Strong understanding of modern machine learning techniques and large language models, with the ability to guide decision making across data, modeling, engineering, and cloud platform teams.
• Familiarity with enterprise governance, risk, security, or regulatory environments.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

Zebra is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability and protected veteran status, or any other basis prohibited by law. If you are an individual with a disability and need assistance in applying for a position, please contact us at [e-mail].

Know Your Rights:

https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/2022-10/EEOC_KnowYourRights_screen_reader_10_20.pdf

Conozca sus Derechos:

https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/2022-10/22-088_EEOC_KnowYourRightsSp_10_20.pdf

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation at [e-mail].

Pay Range:

$177,920.00 - $266,880.00 Annual

Incentive Compensation:

In addition to base pay, Zebra offers this role the opportunity to earn a performance-based annual cash incentive, at a target equal to 25% of base pay, in accordance with the terms of the applicable incentive plan.

Zebra Total Rewards:

Zebra Total Rewards includes more than just pay and is structured to meet the needs of our changing global business and evolving talent. We are committed to providing our employees with a benefits program that is comprehensive and competitive – including healthcare, wellness, inclusion networks, and continued learning and development offerings. We offer community service days, in addition to the traditional insurances, compensation, parental leave, employee assistance program and paid time off offerings depending on the country where you work.

Salary offered will vary depending on your location, job-related skills, knowledge, and experience.

Additionally, all Zebra roles are eligible for cash incentive programs. For example, sales roles have additional opportunity to earn substantial variable compensation tied to quota achievement. In most other roles, the Zebra annual cash incentive program links Company and individual performance together. Some roles may also be eligible for long-term incentive equity awards.

Benefits:

We understand the importance of work-life balance and wellbeing, which is why we offer flexibility for our teams including: hybrid work, adaptable hours, Summer Flex Fridays, Focus Fridays, and an annual companywide well-being day to promote revitalization and success.

Job Posting Statement:

To protect candidates from falling victim to online fraudulent activity involving fake job postings and employment offers, please be aware our recruiters will always connect with you via @zebra.com email accounts. Applications are only accepted through our applicant tracking system and only accept personal identifying information through that system. Our Talent Acquisition team will not ask you to provide personal identifying information via e-mail or outside of the system. If you are a victim of identity theft contact your local police department.

AI Technology Statement:

Zebra Technologies leverages AI technology to evaluate job applications using objective, job-relevant criteria. This approach enhances efficiency and promotes fairness in the hiring process. However, every decision regarding interviews and hiring is made by our dedicated team, because we believe people make the best decisions about people. For more on how we use technology in hiring and how we process applicant data, see Zebra Privacy Policy.