AI Program Manager

AI Program Manager page is loaded## AI Program Manager locations:
Pineville, LAtime type:
Full time posted on:
Posted Yesterday job requisition :
13161
** At Cleco, we're not just powering lives—we're powering a cleaner, smarter future for Louisiana.
** With bold investments in innovative energy solutions, we’re transforming how we power our communities: smarter, cleaner, and more sustainable. This is a long-term commitment to our people and our communities because our future—and the future of generations to come—depends on it. If you're ready to make an impact where it matters most, join us at Cleco—
** where we're Energizing Your Tomorrow.
** The
** AI Program Manager
** is responsible for orchestrating the intake, prioritization, and delivery of AI initiatives across the enterprise through a structured AI execution and governance model. This role ensures alignment of the AI initiative portfolio and product roadmaps with business objectives and compliance with regulatory, security, and data governance requirements. Acting as a communication bridge between business and technical teams, the AI Program Specialist leads AI demand intake, defines AI problem statements and charters, and translates business needs into executable AI product and project requirements, while articulating AI outcomes in clear, actionable terms.

The role provides hands-on program and product management oversight for AI initiatives, manages cross functional workflows, and ensures adherence to governance, testing, and deployment standards. Additionally, the role drives responsible and scalable AI adoption by embedding continuous improvement practices, standardized delivery playbooks, and operational readiness, ensuring all AI solutions meet fairness, privacy, and security expectations before deployment.
** Key Responsibilities
*** Champions a corporate culture that emphasizes transparency, integrity, safety, environmental responsibility, employee development, diversity and inclusion, customer service, and operational excellence.
* Own and maintain an enterprise AI roadmap and intake backlog that aligns with organizational strategic goals and communicates priorities effectively to stakeholders and vendors.
* Plan, govern, and execute AI initiatives as products and programs, ensuring AI capabilities are implemented across different products with consistent user experiences.
* Bridge experimentation and production by operationalizing AI use cases, ensuring technology solves real-world business problems.
* Manage the end-to-end lifecycle of AI initiatives, guaranteeing post-launch value generation, collecting feedback, and evolving products for continuous impact.
* Lead AI value discovery, justification, and prioritization, articulating business pain points, justifying AI solutions’ business value, and managing product backlogs to focus on high-value initiatives.
* Define AI charters, product specifications, epics, user stories, and acceptance criteria, independently and in collaboration with engineering, design, and documentation teams.
* Embed governance-by-design by engaging with compliance and legal teams throughout the product lifecycle.
* Serve as a visible advocate for AI-enabled continuous improvement, leveraging examples from within the organization and other industries to secure buy-in and funding for data-driven initiatives.
* Enable organizational readiness for AI adoption, by contributing to the design and delivery of targeted training programs, awareness campaigns, and narratives that encourage responsible AI and data use.
* Partner with QA, MLOps, SRE, and platform teams to implement product release cycles and ensure operational quality standards before deployment.
* Establish and continuously improve AI intake, prioritization, and execution frameworks, enabling transparent decision-making, standardized charters, and portfolio-level visibility across all AI initiatives.
** Qualifications
* *** Required Education, Skills & Experience
*** A bachelor’s degree in business, engineering, computer science, data science, AI, or a related field (advanced degree preferred)
* At least four years of experience managing AI, data, or advanced…