AI Strategy Manager

TravisMathew•Huntington Beach, CA

11d•Onsite

About The Position

TravisMathew is seeking an AI Strategy Manager to lead the development of the company's AI strategy and roadmap. This role will focus on identifying and prioritizing high-value AI use cases, driving enablement and adoption, and managing select initiatives to deliver measurable value. The AI Strategy Manager will collaborate across all business functions to transform AI from ad-hoc experimentation into a focused, value-generating capability, ensuring that adoption is both ambitious and responsible. This position is part of a new, fast-growing team focused on strategy, transformation, and innovation, with direct access to the Executive Leadership Team at a growing consumer brand. The role reports to the Director, Business Strategy.

Requirements

Strong working understanding of AI/ML and generative-AI capabilities, limitations, and risks.
Structured problem-solving and business-case development, including value, cost, and ROI analysis.
Familiarity with responsible-AI principles and evolving AI regulation.
Understanding of data governance, privacy, and security principles.
Vendor and platform evaluation and management.
Portfolio management skills, including intake, prioritization, and tracking value delivered.
Ability to translate technical concepts into clear business language for non-technical stakeholders.
Strong cross-functional influence, communication, and change-management skills.
Analytical rigor and sound judgment in ambiguous, fast-evolving situations.
Hands-on ability to build lightweight AI prototypes or automations (GenAI platforms, low-code tools) a plus.
Proficient in Microsoft applications (Excel, PowerPoint, Word).
Bachelor's Degree in Business, Economics, Finance, or related field (MBA a plus); technical background in Computer Science, Data/Analytics, or Information Systems welcome but not required.
5+ years in AI/ML strategy, technology strategy, management consulting, or a related field.
Consulting experience with AI or consumer-brand engagements strongly preferred.
Track record of identifying, business-casing, and deploying AI or analytics use cases that deliver value.
Experience partnering across business, technology, and legal functions, including with parent-company.
Excellent communication skills, including experience presenting to and influencing senior executives.

Nice To Haves

Consumer products, retail, or apparel industry experience a plus.

Responsibilities

Develop and own TravisMathew's AI strategy and multi-year roadmap, aligned to business priorities and goals.
Identify and prioritize AI use cases across functions, developing business cases with clear value, cost, and ROI.
Monitor emerging AI capabilities and market trends, translating them into practical opportunities and recommendations for leadership.
Lead select high-priority AI initiatives from concept to pilot to adoption, defining and tracking success metrics.
Partner closely with Callaway's AI builder as TravisMathew's day-to-day counterpart, translating TM priorities into build requests, co-developing shared solutions, and bringing parent-company capabilities to the brand.
Prototype lightweight solutions where speed matters, using GenAI tools, low-code platforms, and automations to prove value before committing build resources.
Collaborate with business functions to embed AI into workflows and measure realized value.
Build AI literacy across teams through training, playbooks, and communities of practice.
Evaluate AI tooling and vendors, recommending platforms and partnerships that fit TravisMathew's needs.
Drive change management so approved use cases are operationalized and deliver measurable impact.
Adapt our parent company's responsible-AI governance framework for TravisMathew, managing intake and ensuring initiatives adhere to policy and applicable regulation.
Provide regular visibility to the Executive Team on the AI portfolio, risks, and value delivered.