Program Manager - AI Pipeline Management

Job Summary

We are seeking a highly organized and technically savvy Program Manager with expertise in AI pipeline management to support Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) initiatives focused on AI/ML operations, healthcare analytics, automation, and scalable digital transformation. This role will oversee the planning, coordination, execution, and optimization of AI development pipelines across data engineering, model development, deployment, governance, cybersecurity, and operational monitoring within a federal healthcare environment.

The ideal candidate combines strong program management capabilities with hands-on understanding of AI workflows, MLOps, cloud infrastructure, federal compliance requirements, and enterprise-scale healthcare technology delivery practices. The Program Manager will work closely with VA stakeholders, clinical and business teams, engineers, architects, and federal leadership to ensure successful delivery of secure, compliant, and mission-driven AI solutions that improve Veteran outcomes and operational efficiency.

Primary Responsibilities

Program & Portfolio Management

• Lead enterprise AI initiatives from planning through deployment and operationalization.
• Manage timelines, budgets, dependencies, risks, and stakeholder communications across multiple AI programs.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams including data scientists, ML engineers, software engineers, cloud architects, security, and business stakeholders.
• Establish program governance frameworks, KPIs, and reporting structures.

AI Pipeline Management

• Design, optimize, and oversee AI/ML lifecycle pipelines including:
• Data ingestion and preprocessing
• Model training and validation
• CI/CD for ML models
• Model deployment and monitoring
• Retraining and performance management
• Collaborate with engineering teams to improve automation, scalability, and reliability of AI workflows.
• Ensure integration of AI systems with enterprise platforms and business applications.
• Drive implementation of MLOps best practices and standardized delivery frameworks.

Operational Excellence

• Monitor AI pipeline performance, SLAs, and operational metrics.
• Identify bottlenecks and implement process improvements.
• Ensure compliance with security, privacy, governance, and responsible AI standards.
• Support incident management and root cause analysis related to AI systems.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Translate technical AI concepts into business-focused updates and recommendations.
• Facilitate executive-level reporting and strategic planning.
• Align AI program objectives with organizational goals and digital transformation initiatives.

Minimum Qualifications