> Markdown version of [/jobs/ext/494569-head-of-ai](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/jobs/ext/494569-head-of-ai). Every page supports `.md` or `Accept: text/markdown`. Links point to the HTML versions so they work for humans too. Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Head of AI - **Company:** P & A Engineering Inc - **Location:** Waterford Township, MI, United States - **Experience:** Expert - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** Artificial Intelligence, Business Process Management, Cyber Security, Data Security, Software Debugging, Decision Support Systems, Machine Learning, Oracle (Applications), SAP (Applications), Large Language Models, Build Management, Information Technology, Epicor ERP, GPT - **Published:** June 3, 2026 - **Apply:** https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=18a67a56ccbd652d ## About the Role Do you have experience in Team supervision?, * 7-12 years of progressive experience in technology, operations, or strategy roles * Bachelor's degree in engineering, computer science, operations research, industrial engineering, or a related technical field * Demonstrated success in operational improvement or transformation programs - Lean, Six Sigma, BPM, or equivalent with experience building business cases, measuring ROI, and sustaining adoption after implementation * Hands-on familiarity with modern AI/ML technologies, especially large language models (Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini) and their practical applications to business processes, including workflow automation, knowledge retrieval, decision support, and productivity improvement * Track record of leading teams of 2-5 people in cross-functional environments * Comfort and credibility across all levels of an industrial organization - from shop floor operators and department managers to BU executives, * Prior experience as a or with Forward Deployed Engineers, applied AI engineers, or solutions architects at a leading AI or analytics company. * Manufacturing or industrial operations background - ideally aerospace, automotive, electronics, or fasteners - with exposure to commercial, engineering, quality, supply chain, or plant-floor workflows * Familiarity with ERP environments (SAP, Oracle, Epicor) sufficient to know where data lives and how to extract it * MBA, MS, or other advanced technical or business degree * Prior P&L responsibility, product ownership, or general management experience, * High agency. Comfortable taking ambiguous problems, defining solutions, and shipping with limited supervision. * Bias to action. Prefers rough solutions in production over polished ones in drafts, and iterates with real users. * Credibility across the stack. Can present to a board and debug a workflow on the shop floor the same day. * AI realist, not AI evangelist. Focused on practical applications with measurable ROI; skeptical of hype. * Change leader. Able to create trust, drive adoption, and help teams change how work gets done without making AI feel threatening or imposed * Operating instinct. Thinks in processes, metrics, and unit economics - not in slideware. Physical & Environmental Requirements * Able to sit or stand for 8 hours a day. * Unairconditioned manufacturing facility and air-conditioned office * On-site 5 days per week ## Description The Head of AI for the Business Unit is the senior leader responsible for the BU's AI strategy and execution, with a mandate to convert AI capability into measurable business performance. Reporting to the BU President, this role owns the BU's AI roadmap end-to-end: from mapping the BU's processes, to scoring automation opportunities by ROI and feasibility, to building and deploying AI-powered solutions, to driving adoption and measuring the resulting business impact across productivity, quality, speed, margin, and decision-making. This is a hands-on leadership role. The Head of AI manages a small team of Forward Deployed Engineers (FDEs) embedded in the BU's departments, partners with the central AI Enablement function at corporate for platform support, and engages with the company-wide AI Steering Committee on cross-BU patterns. We are looking for a leader senior enough to be credible with the BU President and to operate a function independently - but hands-on enough to spend meaningful time on the shop floor, in the data, and in front of users. Key Responsibilities & Essential Functions * Own the BU's AI roadmap, accountable to the BU President for measurable business impact across growth, margin, productivity, quality, speed, and decision-making * Lead the BU's end-to-end process mapping effort - building the complete inventory of departmental processes that serves as the funnel for AI applications * Score and prioritize automation candidates by ROI, feasibility, adoption readiness, data availability, and business criticality; defend prioritization decisions to BU leadership * Recruit, manage, and develop a team of department-level Forward Deployed Engineers - initially 1-3 per BU onshore/offshore, scaling with demonstrated readiness * Build and deploy AI applications using Claude and other approved tools; design measurement frameworks to track impact per application, including baseline, expected benefit, user adoption, and realized business impact * Drive enterprise AI tool adoption across the BU; serve as the local champion and trainer * Partner with the central AI Enablement function (corporate IT) for tools, data access, vendor agreements, governance, cybersecurity, and responsible AI standards - escalating blockers through the company's Unblock queue * Represent the BU in the company-wide AI Steering Committee on cross-BU patterns, shared learnings, and structural improvements * Track and report against KPIs: percent of BU processes mapped, percent automated by milestone, business impact per deployed application, adoption by target users, Finance-validated business impact, and scalability of deployed application ## Related Videos - [AI-Enabled Organisations: From Strategy to Practice](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100171-ai-enabled-organisations-from-strategy-to-practice) - [Crypto-secure Data Management with In-Database Blockchain](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/632-crypto-secure-data-management-with-in-database-blockchain) - [ Evaluating AI models for code comprehension](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1462-evaluating-ai-models-for-code-comprehension) - [Big Business, Big Barriers? Stress-Testing AI Initiatives.](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1022-big-business-big-barriers-stress-testing-ai-initiatives) - [Web-based Information Visualization](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/84-web-based-information-visualization) - [Speak, Code, Deploy: Transforming Developer Experience with Voice Commands](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1159-speak-code-deploy-transforming-developer-experience-with-voice-commands) ## Related Articles - [How to Become an AI Engineer](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/331-how-to-become-an-ai-engineer) - [Stephan Gillich - Bringing AI Everywhere](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/489-stephan-gillich-bringing-ai-everywhere) - [What Industries Outside of AI Are Hiring The Most AI Experts?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/98-what-industries-outside-of-ai-are-hiring-the-most-ai-experts) - [Navigating the AI Shift](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/629-navigating-the-ai-shift) - [MLOps And AI Driven Development](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/82-mlops-and-ai-driven-development) - [Coffee with Developers - Maria Apazoglou - Making AI understandable for all in production](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/475-coffee-with-developers-maria-apazoglou-making-ai-understandable-for-all-in-production)