Applied AI Lead; P4518 Cincinnati, OH; Chicago, IL

84.51° is a retail data science, insights and media company. We help The Kroger Co., consumer packaged goods companies, agencies, publishers and affiliates create more personalized and valuable experiences for shoppers across the path to purchase.

Powered by cutting-edge science, we utilize first-party retail data from more than 62 million U.S. households sourced through the Kroger Plus loyalty card program to fuel a more customer-centric journey using 84.51° Insights, 84.51° Loyalty Marketing and our retail media advertising solution, Kroger Precision Marketing.

84.51° follows a 5‑day in‑office work schedule to support collaboration, alignment, and team connection.

Join us °!

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Applicants for employment in the US must have work authorization that does not now or in the future require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the United States and with the Kroger Family of Companies (i.e. H1-B visa, F-1 visa (OPT), TN visa or any other non-immigrant status).

We’re looking for a strategic, collaborative, and delivery‑minded Applied AI Lead to help bring AI to life across Kroger, KTD and 84.51°. This role sits at the intersection of AI capability development and business impact, focused on driving AI adoption and application, from consultation to co‑development.

You’ll lead prototyping efforts, drive tangible use case delivery, and serve as a champion for scaling AI Enablement tools and services. This is a high‑visibility, high‑impact role that requires someone who can connect technical potential with business value — and deliver quickly.

The ideal candidate will be responsible for bridging the gap between cutting‑edge, foundational AI technologies and Kroger, KTD, and 84.51° business strategies. This individual will play a crucial role in understanding business needs, users’ problems and tying them back to the Kroger AI Enablement technical roadmap. This role will ensure AI initiatives and priorities are aligned with business vertical objectives to drive innovation and efficiency.

They will help to drive adoption of AI capabilities across the business by being the conduit between the technical teams and the business.

• Partner with domain business and product teams to identify, co‑develop, and validate high‑impact use cases
• Work across the organization to identify opportunities to embed AI in workflows and drive measurable business outcomes
• Lead Applied AI MVP and prototype delivery in close collaboration with data scientists, engineers, and UX
• Drive adoption of AI Enablement services, GenAI tooling, and reusable components across business teams
• Facilitate and scale discovery through AI workshop sessions
• Establish and maintain feedback loops with the AI Enablement team to ensure platform services align with real user needs and enable broader adoption
• Champion responsible, explainable, and user‑centered AI in all applied solutions

• Domain Product & Business Teams: Co‑develop use cases, drive adoption, embed AI where it matters
• AI Enablement Team: Shape scalable services, relay feedback, align tooling with real needs
• Data Science & Engineering: Translate opportunity into prototypes and working solutions
• Vendors/Partners: Guide third‑party development and delivery with strategic alignment
• Change Management & Enablement: Support onboarding, activation, and success metrics tracking

Successful candidates will thrive in a fast‑paced environment that is a little unorthodox at times and will possess the following:

• 7+ years of experience influencing and driving business strategy, bridging technical and business needs, and driving cross‑functional impact
• Strong understanding of AI/ML and GenAI technologies, and how to apply them to business problems
• Stakeholder management – proven relationship‑builder with ability to lead cross‑functional initiatives, facilitate workshops, influence and align diverse stakeholder groups to drive change
• Technical liaison – ability to effectively translate business requirements into clear technical specifications for DSR and…