Sr. Director, Data & AI Program Portfolio Management

Jobtailor; California (MO); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Jobtailor is seeking a senior leader to head the Data & AI portfolio and PMO, ensuring strategic alignment and delivery excellence across enterprise initiatives. You will oversee governance, operating rhythms, and executive reporting, partnering with finance, procurement, and legal to manage budgets and value realization.

You will drive change, build high-performing teams, and champion measurable business outcomes through data-driven insights and cross-functional collaboration.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of progressive experience in portfolio management or PMO leadership.
• Experience leading enterprise-scale programs with executive visibility.
• Designing and implementing portfolio governance frameworks and operating models.
• Experience in Data, Analytics, AI, or digital transformation portfolios a plus.
• Proven ability to drive financial discipline, budgeting, forecasting, and value realization.

Responsibilities

• Lead Data & AI operating model and portfolio governance, ensuring strategic alignment and measurable outcomes.
• Establish enterprise portfolio standards, governance, risk management, and executive reporting.
• Provide data-driven portfolio insights for executive decision-making and prioritization.
• Oversee governance rhythms, KPI management, and executive forums.
• Collaborate with Finance, Procurement, Legal on budgeting, vendor governance, and cost transparency.
• Champion change management and benefits realization through stakeholder engagement and training.
• Drive service management and reliability across Data & AI platforms, enabling continuous improvement.
• Reduce cost-to-serve via automation and AI-enabled operations.
• Act as trusted advisor to senior leadership on portfolio strategy and investments.
• Build high-performing teams across portfolio management, PMO, and business operations.

Skills

Portfolio management

PMO leadership

Business operations

Enterprise transformation

Executive communication

Stakeholder engagement

Budgeting

Vendor governance

Education

Bachelor's degree

Advanced degree

Job description

• Lead the Data & AI operating model, overseeing portfolio intake, prioritization, governance, execution oversight, and business operations to ensure strategic alignment, delivery excellence, and measurable business outcomes.
• Establish enterprise portfolio and PMO standards, including governance frameworks, stage-gate reviews, risk and dependency management, executive reporting, and intervention plans for critical initiatives.
• Drive executive decision-making through data-driven portfolio insights, providing visibility into priorities, investments, milestones, risks, resource constraints, business impacts, and strategic tradeoffs.
• Lead the Data & AI organization's governance and operating rhythms, including portfolio reviews, operational reviews, financial performance discussions, KPI management, and executive decision forums.
• Partner with Finance, Procurement, Legal, and business stakeholders to strengthen financial and commercial management through budgeting, forecasting, vendor governance, cost transparency, contract oversight, and value realization.
• Champion organizational change, adoption, and benefits realization by leading stakeholder engagement, communications, training, business readiness, and post-implementation value assessments.
• Establish and govern service management practices across critical Data & AI platforms, driving service reliability, observability, resilience, operational excellence, and continuous improvement.
• Reduce cost-to-serve and improve operational performance through process simplification, automation, AI-enabled operations, and proactive incident and problem management.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leadership on portfolio strategy, execution risks, organizational effectiveness, operational performance, and investment priorities.
• Build and develop high-performing teams across portfolio management, PMO, business operations, vendor management, and service excellence functions while fostering a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and collaboration.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree with 15+ years of progressive experience in portfolio management, PMO leadership, business operations, program governance, enterprise transformation, or technology leadership, including 10+ years of people leadership experience; or an advanced degree with 13+ years of relevant experience and 10+ years of people leadership experience.
• Proven success leading large-scale, enterprise-wide portfolios comprised of complex, interdependent programs with significant executive visibility, strategic importance, and cross-functional stakeholder engagement.
• Demonstrated experience designing and implementing portfolio governance frameworks, operating models, prioritization processes, delivery standards, and execution disciplines within highly matrixed global organizations.
• Experience leading enterprise Data, Analytics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Digital, Platform, Technology, or business transformation portfolios is a plus.
• Proven track record building, scaling, or leading Enterprise PMO, Portfolio Management, Business Operations, Strategy Execution, or Transformation Management functions.
• Strong knowledge of enterprise technology operations, service management, platform delivery, Site Reliability Engineering (SRE), AIOps, operational excellence, or continuous improvement disciplines.
• Demonstrated success improving operational performance, service reliability, automation, observability, and business outcomes through technology-enabled transformation initiatives.
• Executive presence with exceptional communication, change leadership, and influencing skills, including the ability to effectively engage and build credibility with senior leaders across business and technology functions.
• Strong financial and operational acumen with experience managing portfolio investments, budgeting, forecasting, resource planning, vendor governance, and business case development to drive measurable business outcomes.

Core Competencies

Demonstrates expertise in portfolio management, PMO leadership, and business operations, with a strong focus on governance frameworks, financial management, and operational excellence. Proven ability to lead large-scale enterprise transformations and drive measurable business outcomes through data-driven insights and stakeholder engagement.