Sr. Manager of Data, AI & Innovation

CFS; Grand Rapids (MI); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/dental/vision

Retirement Plan with 6% match

3 Weeks PTO

Tuition Reimbursement

Bonus Potential

Job summary

CFS seeks a Sr. Manager of Data, AI & Innovation to lead enterprise data strategy and analytics initiatives. You will partner with Finance, Operations, Sales, HR, and others to define opportunities where data and automation drive business outcomes.

You will establish governance, own the data platform, and guide AI strategy while building a capable team and scalable practices across the organization.

Qualifications

• Experience leading data analytics, AI strategy and BI initiatives.
• Ability to build strategic roadmaps and drive tech-driven business improvements.
• Strong background in data warehousing, pipelines and modeling.
• Experience implementing data governance programs, including data quality and master data management.
• Understanding of AI, predictive analytics and intelligent automation in a business setting.
• Proven ability to influence stakeholders and drive cross-functional initiatives.
• Leadership experience building and guiding teams through ambiguity.

Responsibilities

• Lead the organization's innovation, data, analytics, and AI strategy, aligning technology investments with business priorities and measurable outcomes.
• Partner with business stakeholders to identify challenges and opportunities for data-driven value creation.
• Develop and maintain a prioritized roadmap for innovation, BI, analytics, and AI initiatives.
• Establish and lead enterprise data governance practices covering ownership, quality, security, privacy, and retention.
• Own the enterprise data platform and data warehouse strategy, including pipelines and architecture for trusted reporting.
• Advance analytics and BI to deliver reliable, self-service insights from a single source of truth.
• Define and guide the organization's AI strategy, evaluating use cases and governance.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and automation platforms for meaningful business value.
• Build and lead a small team focused on innovation and data initiatives with stakeholders and vendors.

Skills

Data analytics

AI strategy

Business intelligence

Digital transformation

Innovation leadership

Roadmap development

Stakeholder management

Data governance

Data warehousing

Data pipelines

Data modeling

Predictive analytics

Intelligent automation

Leadership

Job description

Position

Sr. Manager of Data, AI & Innovation

Salary

$150,000-$210,000 + Bonus

Benefits

Medical/dental/vision, Retirement Plan w/ 6% match, 3 Weeks PTO, Tuition Reimbursement, Bonus Potential, etc.

Location

Hybrid/Remote flexibility

Job Overview

The Sr. Manager of Data, AI & Innovation will lead enterprise-wide data, analytics, AI, and innovation initiatives. This role will partner closely with business leaders across Finance, Operations, Sales, HR, and other functional areas to identify opportunities where technology, data, and automation can improve business outcomes. The ideal candidate is equally comfortable discussing business strategy and technical concepts, with the ability to build a long-term roadmap while establishing the data governance, analytics, and AI foundations needed to support future growth. This is a highly visible leadership role with the opportunity to build and scale a growing innovation and data function from the ground up.

Responsibilities of the Sr. Manager of Data, AI & Innovation

• Lead the organization's innovation, data, analytics, and AI strategy, aligning technology investments with business priorities and measurable outcomes.
• Partner with business stakeholders to identify challenges, improvement opportunities, and areas where data-driven solutions can create value.
• Develop and maintain a prioritized roadmap for innovation, business intelligence, analytics, and AI initiatives.
• Establish and lead enterprise data governance practices, including data ownership, stewardship, quality standards, security, privacy, and retention policies.
• Own the enterprise data platform and data warehouse strategy, including data pipelines, integrations, and architecture that support trusted reporting and analytics.
• Drive the analytics and business intelligence strategy, helping transition reporting environments toward reliable, self-service insights and a single source of truth.
• Define and guide the organization's AI strategy, including use case evaluation, governance, responsible implementation, and adoption.
• Evaluate emerging technologies, automation platforms, and innovation opportunities, determining where they can provide meaningful business value.
• Build and lead a small team focused on innovation and data initiatives while partnering with internal stakeholders and external vendors.

Preferred Experience of the Sr. Manager of Data, AI & Innovation

• Experience leading or managing initiatives related to data analytics, AI strategy, business intelligence, digital transformation, innovation, product management, or similar functions.
• Experience building business cases, strategic roadmaps, and technology-driven business improvement programs.
• Strong background in data analytics, business intelligence, data warehousing, data pipelines, and data modeling.
• Experience implementing or managing data governance programs, including data quality, stewardship, and master data management.
• Understanding of AI, predictive analytics, and intelligent automation concepts in a business environment.
• Proven ability to work closely with business stakeholders, influence decisions, and drive cross-functional initiatives.
• Leadership experience, including developing teams, managing priorities, and navigating ambiguity while building new processes and capabilities.
• Strong business acumen, communication skills, curiosity, and a continuous improvement mindset.

Bonus Experience of the Sr. Manager of Data, AI & Innovation

• Experience in the Manufacturing industry, OT/IT or multi-site operations.
• Knowledge of the Medallion architecture.
• Experience building a data, analytics, or innovation function from the ground up.
• Experience supporting both IT and operational/manufacturing data environments.
• Degrees or certifications related to AI, predictive analytics, data/BI, data governance, etc.