Senior Project Lead - Data Engineering and AI Contractor - 529601724R - RE/SPEC Inc.

This is a high-impact opportunity for a seasoned project management professional to step into a critical leadership role at the intersection of data engineering, cloud modernization, and artificial intelligence. You will serve as the primary project lead supporting a Technical Program Manager on a complex, enterprise-wide data and AI adoption program within a major Texas health and human services agency. Your work will directly influence how the agency leverages data to serve millions of Texans — coordinating cross-functional teams, managing deliverables across business and engineering stakeholders, and keeping a sophisticated technology transformation on track and on time.

If you thrive in fast-moving, mission-driven environments and have a proven track record leading data-heavy technical programs, this role was built for you.

Core Responsibilities

As the Senior Project Lead, you will own the day-to-day coordination and execution of a data engineering and AI adoption program. This means defining and tracking project scope, milestones, timelines, and success metrics while managing budgets, forecasting resource needs, and delivering clear financial status reports to leadership. You will serve as the connective tissue between data engineers, developers, business analysts, and executive stakeholders — translating complex technical concepts into actionable insights for non-technical audiences and ensuring alignment across all workstreams.

You will lead cross-functional teams and vendor relationships, facilitate requirements gathering and business analysis, and drive specifications development through to system implementation. Maintaining rigorous project documentation — including charters, project plans, schedules, and lessons learned — is a core expectation of this role. You will also support platform and data engineering initiatives, track deliverables tied to cloud and AI/ML adoption efforts, and proactively surface risks and blockers before they become issues.

Required Technical Experience

All of the following represent minimum requirements. Candidates must be able to demonstrate 10 years of hands-on experience in each area:

· Leading technical projects or programs in data, analytics, and cloud environments

· Driving data architecture, data modeling, and data warehousing initiatives from planning through delivery

· Managing business intelligence, big data, and analytics projects in complex enterprise settings

· Supporting healthcare data initiatives, with familiarity in standards such as FHIR, CCDA, and HL7

· Applying working knowledge of SQL and database technologies to support project planning, estimation, and issue resolution

· Communicating complex technical concepts clearly to business and executive audiences

· Leading cross-functional teams, vendors, and complex project timelines