Bechtel Corporation
Deputy AI Program Manager
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Requisition ID: 299496
Relocation Authorized: National - Family
Telework Type: Part-Time Telework
Work Location: Reston, VA
Salary Range: $159,700 - $231,000 annually (salary range is based on market data; final salary offered is determined by education, experience, and qualifications of the applicant.)
Extraordinary Teams Building Inspiring Projects
Since 1898, we have helped customers complete more than 25,000 projects in 160 countries on all seven continents that have created jobs, grown economies, improved the resiliency of the world's infrastructure, increased access to energy, resources, and vital services, and made the world a safer, cleaner place. Differentiated by the quality of our people and our relentless drive to deliver the most successful outcomes, we align our capabilities to our customers' objectives to create a lasting positive impact. We serve the Infrastructure; Nuclear, Security & Environmental; Energy; Mining & Metals, and the Manufacturing and Technology markets. Our services span from initial planning and investment, through start-up and operations. Core to Bechtel is our Vision, Values and Commitments. They are what we believe, what customers can expect, and how we deliver. Learn more about our extraordinary teams building inspiring projects in our Impact Report.
Job Summary
We are seeking a Deputy AI Program Manager to help lead the corporate artificial intelligence program within our Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) Transformation organization. The role carries senior accountability for the program's portfolio, from use case intake through production service and enterprise-wide adoption, and for the governance, funding, and partner arrangements that hold it together. Success is measured less by any single deliverable than by the steady, predictable operation of a portfolio that spans pilots, production services, and sustained change across the business.
This is a working leadership role rather than an administrative one. In a given week it may involve shaping the business case for a new use case, arbitrating priorities between competing projects, reviewing a solution design with an engineering team, briefing an executive sponsor on benefits realization, and coaching a delivery lead through a difficult stakeholder conversation. The successful candidate moves comfortably between that strategic and hands-on register, and is credible with technical practitioners and senior business leadership alike. Experience in the EPC industry is preferred.
In this role, you may be required to travel to other corporate or project offices.
This position is designated as part-time telework per our global telework policy and will require at least three days of in-person attendance per week at the assigned office or project. Weekly in-person schedules will be determined by the individual and their supervisor, in consultation with functional or project leadership.
Major Responsibilities
- Provide senior leadership across the AI program, exercising decision rights over scope, priority, and resourcing within agreed program tolerances and escalating promptly where a decision falls outside them.
- Maintain the program roadmap, intake process, and prioritization criteria so that new demand is assessed consistently against business value, feasibility, data readiness, and risk.
- Chair program governance forums, prepare decision material for steering committees, and ensure decisions taken are recorded, communicated, and followed through.
- Represent the AI program in planning cycles, including budget preparation, resource forecasting, and annual objective setting.
- Own the health of the delivery portfolio end to end, from concept through production support, holding delivery leads accountable for schedule, cost, quality, and benefit commitments.
- Review solution architectures and delivery approaches with engineering and data leads to confirm they are supportable, secure, and aligned to enterprise technology standards.
- Manage dependencies between AI initiatives and adjacent programs such as the data platform, cybersecurity, and enterprise applications.
- Drive the transition of successful pilots into supported production services, including operating model, support coverage, and total cost of ownership.
- Ensure every initiative operates within Bechtel's policies for data protection, information security, ethics, and the responsible use of artificial intelligence, coordinating with Legal, Information Security, Internal Audit, and Data Privacy as required.
- Maintain the program risk and issue register, with named owners, mitigation plans, and clear escalation thresholds.
- Serve as a senior point of contact for business sponsors across engineering, procurement, construction, project controls, and the corporate functions, translating business problems into candidate AI use cases and technical constraints back into terms a functional leader can act on.
- Prepare and deliver briefings for executive audiences covering program status, benefit realization, and investment requests.
- Partner with the adoption and user experience function to convert delivered capability into sustained use, sponsoring training, enablement, and communication plans and monitoring adoption metrics against target.
- Provide day-to-day leadership to a mixed team of Bechtel employees and delivery partner personnel, setting clear objectives, providing regular coaching and feedback, and supporting career development.
- Manage delivery partner performance against statements of work, service levels, and commercial terms, working with Procurement on contract changes.
- Build succession depth across the team so that critical roles are not single-threaded, and provide continuity of leadership for the program as a whole.
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Education and Experience Requirements
- Bachelor's degree (or international equivalent) in Engineering, Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Science, or a related field. Master's degree preferred.
- 13-15 years of relevant professional experience, including at least 5 years managing technology programs or portfolios with multiple concurrent workstreams and delivery teams, or equivalent relevant work experience.
Required Knowledge and Skills
- Demonstrated experience delivering artificial intelligence, machine learning, or advanced analytics capabilities into production use, not solely at pilot stage.
- Working fluency with the current AI landscape, including large language models, retrieval-based architectures, model evaluation, and the operational practices required to run them safely.
- Solid technical background with understanding and hands-on exposure to AI technologies, including machine learning, natural language processing, and data analytics.
- Knowledge of the Azure AI stack and of MLOps practices for managing the AI lifecycle.
- Track record of managing budgets, business cases, and benefit tracking for technology investments.
- Proven ability to communicate with and influence senior executives, and to lead cross-functional teams without direct authority.
- Experience managing third-party system integrators or consulting partners, including commercial and performance management.
- Strong organizational skills, including attention to detail and the ability to manage competing priorities.
- Excellent communication, problem-solving, and collaboration skills.
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Preferred Qualifications
- Experience in the engineering, procurement, and construction industry, or in a closely adjacent capital projects environment such as energy, mining, infrastructure, or industrial manufacturing.
- Familiarity with EPC business processes and data, including engineering design and document control, procurement and subcontracts, construction execution, project controls, estimating, and scheduling.
- Exposure to AI applications in capital projects, such as specification and document analysis, schedule and cost risk analytics, quantity and progress tracking, or field productivity improvement.
- Understanding of data privacy, security, and AI ethics in enterprise applications.
- Formal program or project management credentials, such as PMP or PgMP.
- Experience operating in a global organization across multiple time zones, offices, and project sites.
Total Rewards/Benefits
For decades, Bechtel has worked to inspire the next generation of employees and beyond! Because our teams face some of the world's toughest challenges, we offer robust benefits to ensure our people thrive. Whether it is advancing careers, delivering programs to enhance our culture, or providing time to recharge, Bechtel has the benefits to build a legacy of sustainable growth. Learn more at bechtel.com/total-rewards.
Diverse Teams Build the Extraordinary
As a global company, Bechtel has long been home to a vibrant multitude of nationalities, cultures, ethnicities, and life experiences. This diversity has made us a more trusted partner, more effective problem solvers and innovators, and a more attractive destination for leading talent.
We are committed to being a company where every colleague feels that they belong—where colleagues feel part of "One Team," respected and rewarded for what they bring, supported in pursuing their goals, invested in our values and purpose, and treated equitably. Click here to learn more about the people who power our legacy.
At Bechtel, our employees enjoy a competitive total rewards package that includes comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans, along with optional disability and supplemental insurance options, generous paid time off (160 hours annually, accrued 6.16 hours per pay period), nine paid holidays, paid parental leave, discretionary bonuses, and a well-designed 401K plan with matching and profit-sharing components.
Equal Opportunity Employer
Bechtel is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, national origin, disability, citizenship status (except as authorized by law), protected veteran status, genetic information, and any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. Applicants with a disability, who require a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, may e-mail their request to acesstmt@bechtel.com.
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