Interim Change Manager

Gofractional; Baltimore (MD); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Part time

Job summary

Sand's expanding team in Baltimore seeks a Change Management Professional to drive adoption of AI-enabled products and data-driven solutions within U.S. public sector clients. This is a 10-month on-site contract requiring 75% travel to client locations.

You will lead executive alignment, stakeholder engagement, governance design, and comprehensive change activities to embed Intelligence Center offerings into daily decision-making and operations.

Qualifications

• 10+ years leading large-scale digital/AI transformation programs.
• Proven track record driving executive alignment and adoption.
• Experience with public sector or enterprise transformation programs.

Responsibilities

• Drive adoption and operational integration of AI-enabled solutions across city stakeholders.
• Lead executive stakeholder engagement and alignment sessions.
• Design governance forums, cadences, escalation paths, and feedback loops.
• Develop change management, communications, and adoption strategies.
• Conduct stakeholder impact assessments and readiness evaluations.
• Develop trust-building and adoption strategies for AI decision-support.
• Design executive communications, coaching plans, and training programs.
• Collaborate with product, engineering, data science, and delivery teams.
• Ensure onboarding and sustained usage of Intelligence Center products.
• Own adoption KPIs and stakeholder feedback mechanisms.
• Identify blockers and drive mitigation with city leadership.
• Support capability transfer for sustained operating model adoption.

Skills

Change management

Stakeholder management

Executive communication

Strategic planning

Cross-functional collaboration

Job description

About the role

Sand's expanding team is now looking for a Change Management Professional to support the successful adoption of our AI platforms and data-driven solutions within public sector organizations across the United States. This is a 10-month contract with the need to be regularly on-site in Baltimore.

What you'll do

• Drive measurable adoption and operational integration of the Baltimore Intelligence Center's AI-enabled products, workflows, and operating model across city stakeholders and agency partners.
• Lead executive stakeholder engagement, alignment sessions, and decision-readiness activities across delivery center, agency leadership, and operational teams.
• Design and operationalize governance forums, operating cadences, escalation paths, and feedback loops that embed Intelligence Center products into day-to-day decision-making and city operations.
• Develop and implement comprehensive change management, communications, and adoption strategies that build user trust while minimizing organizational resistance across public sector environments.
• Conduct stakeholder impact assessments, organizational readiness evaluations, and adoption risk analyses across multiple departments and user groups.
• Develop trust-building and adoption strategies for AI-enabled decision-support systems, including communication of model outputs, governance practices, explainability principles, and human-in-the-loop workflows.
• Design and execute executive communications, sponsor roadmaps, coaching plans, training programs, and resistance management plans tailored to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Work closely with product, engineering, data science, and delivery teams to integrate change management activities into the overall deployment roadmap and operating model.
• Ensure successful onboarding, operating model adoption, workflow integration, and sustained usage of Intelligence Center products in real operational environments.
• Own adoption KPIs, behavioral change metrics, operational usage reporting, and stakeholder feedback mechanisms across the engagement.
• Surface organizational blockers, alignment risks, and adoption challenges early, and drive coordinated mitigation plans with city leadership and delivery teams.
• Support capability transfer and organizational readiness efforts that enable Baltimore City teams to sustain and extend the Intelligence Center operating model beyond the vendor-led implementation phase.

Who you are

• 10+ years of experience leading large-scale digital, AI, analytics, or operational transformation programs within complex enterprise or public sector environments.
• Proven track record driving executive alignment, organizational adoption, and operating model transformation for enterprise technology initiatives.
• Experienced working across senior leadership, operational stakeholders, and technical teams to embed new ways of working and drive measurable business outcomes.
• Strong understanding of AI/ML-enabled operating models, governance, stakeholder management, and behavioral change in complex organizations.
• Comfortable operating in ambiguous, fast-paced, and politically sensitive environments with multiple stakeholders and competing priorities.
• Exceptional communicator with strong executive presence and the ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear business narratives.
• Highly strategic, collaborative, and execution-oriented, with a bias toward ownership, problem-solving, and driving adoption at scale.
• Experience in consulting, enterprise transformation, or public sector modernization environments preferred (e.g., BCG, Accenture, Deloitte, McKinsey, Slalom, etc.).
• Holds a recognized change management certification (e.g., Prosci, CCMP) or equivalent transformation leadership experience

Location

We are looking to hire specifically in and around Baltimore in the United States. This is not a remote position as the role requires 75% travel to client locations.

How we work

Due to the highly collaborative and internationally distributed nature of our work, successful candidates must be comfortable operating in small teams while contributing to larger, globally coordinated efforts. A strong sense of ownership, self-motivation and discipline in maintaining clear and consistent communication through virtual collaboration tools and video conferencing is essential.