AI Service Manager

** AI Service Manager**
* ** Position Number:
** 6796279
* *
* Location:

** Santa Cruz, CA
* ** Position Type:
** Computing - Management/Director
* Respond to and resolve incidents and inquiries for the service and its offerings in alignment with the service level agreement. Escalate incidents as appropriate to subject matter experts in other service areas.
* Fulfill pre-defined service requests. Identify and define new service requests.
* Manage changes; identify, analyze, and resolve problems; and identify and respond to major incidents in collaboration with the Service Desk.
* Knowledge and Training Management Draft, publish, and manage knowledge articles and knowledge feedback, ensuring articles are accurate, useful, and effective for client self-service and the Service Desk.
* Provide direct training, knowledge and feedback to the Service Desk to ensure early resolution of incidents and inquiries for clients.
* Coach and train service team members in incident, service request, major incident, problem, change, and knowledge management.
* Serve as the central point of coordination for platform stakeholders, including faculty, staff, students, vendors, and governance bodies.
* Lead stakeholder engagement efforts including needs assessment, requirements gathering, use case development, and ongoing feedback loops.
* Build and facilitate communities of practice to cultivate shared learning and more sophisticated uses of GenAI platforms.
* Oversee ITS communications, training, and change management activities to ensure successful platform rollouts and service sustainability.
* Collaborate with partner organizations (such as Academic Affairs and Staff HR) on communications and training to support adoption and utilization of GenAI platforms.
* Interact with peer managers across the organization.
* Translate business and academic needs into technical requirements, and support solution design in partnership with technical leads and subject matter experts.
* Manage platform scope, priorities, and timelines in coordination with ITS leadership and project sponsors.
* Collaborate with cross-functional teams to design and develop platform solutions that meet user expectations, ensuring compliance with university policies on data privacy, security, and accessibility.
* Ensure compliance with UC and campus guidance and policies regarding data privacy, information security, and accessibility.
* Provide leadership and coordination for the AI Service function, fostering collaboration across ITS and campus partners to ensure effective service delivery and advancement of divisional goals.
* Establish clear goals, expectations, and performance standards for project work, ensuring accountability and alignment with organizational priorities.
* Support the professional growth of colleagues and project team members by modeling best practices, providing feedback, and identifying development opportunities.
* This role may assume formal supervisory responsibilities as the AI Service function expands.
* Bachelor's degree in related area and / or equivalent experience / training.
* Demonstrated experience managing complex GenAI technology services or projects in an enterprise, higher education or research environment.
* Demonstrated ability to translate complex technical concepts into practical, accessible applications for non-technical users.
* Advanced knowledge of business analysis methodologies and experience leading cross-functional planning and delivery efforts.
* Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to navigate and influence in a decentralized environment.
* Proven ability to lead stakeholder engagement, gather and analyze business requirements, and deliver high-quality service outcomes through continuous assessment and service improvements.
* Ability to recruit and retain excellent staff, provide constructive feedback, effectively evaluate performance, and motivate others.
* Ability to exercise sound judgment in developing creative solutions to service, coordination, and policy challenges.
* Demonstrated experience with strategic planning, service design, or IT governance in higher education.
* Proven capacity to…