AI Enablement Operations Manager

Cengage Group • Virtual US IL, IL

4d

About The Position

The Program Manager, AI Operations ensures that AI initiatives, tools, vendors, and operational processes at Cengage are delivered in a coordinated, scalable, and compliant manner. This role drives operational execution across AI enablement efforts, vendor intake, governance workflows, compliance coordination, and cross-functional delivery tracking. You will partner across AI Enablement, Legal, Security, Privacy, Procurement, Product, and Engineering teams to establish repeatable operating cadences, manage AI operational workflows, and ensure that AI adoption across the enterprise can scale responsibly and efficiently. This role is the operational backbone for AI Enablement — the person who ensures that initiatives move from intake through execution with clear governance, accountability, documentation, and stakeholder alignment. The ideal candidate has experience managing enterprise programs or operational portfolios at scale, demonstrates strong organizational rigor, and can move quickly in a rapidly evolving AI environment without compromising process discipline.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Information Systems, Program Management, Technology, or related field
• 5+ years of experience in program management, operations, governance, compliance operations, or cross-functional technology delivery
• Demonstrated experience managing enterprise operational programs or cross-functional initiatives
• Working knowledge of FERPA, GDPR, CCPA, and other privacy/data protection regulations
• Experience coordinating contracts, DPAs, MSAs, or vendor governance processes
• Strong attention to detail and operational discipline
• Excellent stakeholder management across Legal, Procurement, Security, Product, Engineering, and Business teams
• Ability to move quickly without compromising rigor
• Strong written and verbal executive communication skills including status reporting, meeting facilitation, and operational updates

Nice To Haves

• Experience in EdTech with FERPA and state-level student privacy regulations
• Experience supporting AI, data, platform, or technology programs in enterprise environments
• Familiarity with AI-specific regulatory frameworks (EU AI Act, NIST AI RMF)
• Familiarity with AI vendor landscape and typical contract terms
• Experience with GRC platforms and vendor management tools
• Certifications such as PMP, PgMP, Agile, SAFe, PROSCI, or privacy/compliance certifications are a plus

Responsibilities

• Manage and coordinate the operational cadence for enterprise AI initiatives, pilots, vendor onboarding, and governance activities
• Conduct and coordinate vendor risk assessments for AI tools, platforms, and integrations
• Manage the third-party AI intake process including security, privacy, and contract review
• Build and maintain the criteria matrix for AI vendor approvals and connector decisions
• Partner with Procurement on AI contracts, DPAs, and commercial terms
• Maintain the approved AI vendor list and periodic reassessment cadence
• Establish and maintain program governance artifacts including intake workflows, decision logs, action tracking, status reporting, and executive updates
• Coordinate cross-functional stakeholders across AI Enablement, Legal, Privacy, Security, Procurement, Product, Engineering, and Operations teams
• Track program milestones, dependencies, risks, and operational readiness across AI initiatives
• Support operational scaling of AI enablement activities including onboarding, documentation, communications, and process standardization
• Ensure FERPA, GDPR, CCPA, and other applicable regulatory compliance for AI use cases
• Monitor emerging AI regulation and translate requirements into operational requirements and implementation activities
• Partner with Legal and Privacy on DPIAs, PIAs, and regulatory assessments
• Maintain compliance documentation, attestations, and audit evidence
• Support external audits, customer security questionnaires, and due diligence requests
• Coordinate governance checkpoints and approval workflows to ensure compliance activities are completed on schedule
• Partner with Legal on operational support related to AI intellectual property, documentation, and innovation tracking
• Maintain centralized documentation for AI initiatives, vendor decisions, governance reviews, and operational procedures
• Track and report operational metrics including vendor approval cycle time, governance throughput, compliance adherence rates, and program status
• Deliver weekly updates on vendor intake, compliance, governance activities, and operational priorities
• Develop repeatable playbooks, templates, and operational processes that improve AI program execution at scale

Benefits

• Discretionary incentive bonus program

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level