AI Solutions Lead (Forward Deployed)

Columbia • North Reading, MA

9d • Onsite

About The Position

The AI Solutions Lead will shape and drive Columbia Construction’s AI strategy, adoption, and governance across the business. This new, forward-deployed role works directly with executive leadership and partners across Operations, IT, and other departments to identify practical opportunities, build solutions, and deliver measurable value. The position is a player-coach role: the lead will personally develop prototypes while establishing the strategy, governance, and roadmap for Columbia’s AI program. The role begins as a department of one, with executive sponsorship and budget, and may grow as the work justifies it.

The lead will develop a deep understanding of Columbia’s construction operations, project lifecycle, workflows, and business processes. They will spend time embedded with teams in the office and on project sites, observing how work happens and building solutions alongside the people who use them. The role includes partnering with leaders across operations, finance, preconstruction, estimating, project management, accounting, marketing, business development, and safety, as well as working with IT, developers, data teams, and external technology partners.

The position is primarily office-based at the North Reading headquarters, with travel to project sites and other Columbia offices as needed. The schedule may need to adjust to support pilots, training, and key project phases. Columbia describes its culture as supportive, collaborative, knowledge-sharing, and valuing personal and professional balance. The salary range is $110,000–$200,000.

Requirements

• At least 5 years of experience in technology, product, consulting, data, or operations roles, including meaningful hands-on solution building and implementation.
• Demonstrated success leading technology or AI initiatives in an environment requiring rapid learning of a new industry, operating model, or workflow and delivering measurable business impact.
• Significant familiarity with modern AI tools, including LLMs, enterprise AI platforms, automation tools, and integrations used to embed tools into day-to-day business processes.
• Working understanding of data structure, quality, and governance, and the requirements for making data usable for AI.
• A track record of leading organizational change, building alignment, influencing stakeholders, and helping teams adopt new tools and ways of working.
• Entrepreneurial mindset and comfort building something new and making decisions with incomplete information.
• Excellent written, verbal, visual, communication, and presentation skills, with the credibility to represent AI at Columbia.
• Sound judgment regarding risk, confidentiality, and client obligations.
• Collaborative, proactive leadership style that embodies Columbia’s core values.
• Curiosity, humility, and willingness to learn how construction teams work; prior construction experience is not required.

Nice To Haves

• A strong foundation in AI and technology gained through formal education, professional experience, or both, with the ability to evaluate models and platforms, design solutions, build prototypes, and lead technical decisions credibly.
• Experience establishing an AI program at a peer firm or serving as an early member of one, especially in an industry undergoing operational or digital transformation.
• Experience with vendor evaluation and pilot management.
• Experience with enterprise systems such as ERP, CRM, project management, or collaboration platforms; familiarity with Procore, Sage Intacct, Salesforce, or comparable systems.
• Hands-on experience with tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, Microsoft Copilot, Power BI, Power Automate, Zapier, n8n, Python, SQL, or APIs.

Responsibilities

• Develop and own Columbia’s AI strategy with executive leadership, recommending where to invest, pilot, scale, or set aside initiatives based on business needs.
• Establish and run a citizen development program with sanctioned tools, clear guardrails, and support for employees building workflow solutions.
• Identify, evaluate, and prioritize AI, automation, reporting, and analytics opportunities across construction-specific tools and enterprise platforms.
• Build hands-on prototypes, including custom GPTs, automations, and light integrations, and partner with IT, developers, data teams, and external technology partners to move successful prototypes into production.
• Lead AI initiatives from pilot through adoption, ensuring end-user engagement and measurable business impact.
• Bring data structure, quality, and governance considerations into AI initiatives, partnering with IT and Data Governance to understand Columbia’s data foundation.
• Establish AI policies, training, and governance that support confident use while protecting client data, contractual obligations, and the company.
• Build company-wide AI fluency through communication, training, and direct support for field, office, and leadership staff.
• Partner with department leaders across operations, finance, preconstruction, estimating, project management, accounting, marketing, business development, and safety to identify opportunities, develop ideas, and connect technical and operational perspectives.
• Learn Columbia’s construction operations, project lifecycle, workflows, and business processes by working alongside teams in offices and on project sites.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed