Director of AI for Productivity Program Management

Emerson•Austin, TX

About The Position

The Director of AI for Productivity Program Management will lead the centralized AI productivity program within Emerson’s Test & Measurement BU, reporting to the VP of Strategic Planning. This role is responsible for translating internal AI productivity opportunities into measurable business outcomes across T&M by enabling coordination, prioritization, and execution of AI initiatives across functions. The Director serves as a strategic partner to functional VPs (R&D, Sales/Marketing, Operations, Finance) helping achieve prioritized T&M objectives by bringing structure, transparency, and cross-functional alignment to AI-driven productivity efforts. The Director collaborates closely with IT leadership at T&M and at Corporate, helping to align the intercepts of future business process changes, future technology decisions, and the implications of AI on our work. Ultimately, success in this role is defined by the establishment of a durable, repeatable AI for productivity program that enables functional teams to move faster and delivers measurable business outcomes. The Director will help shift T&M from fragmented AI efforts to a coordinated, outcome-driven program—without displacing ownership from the functions themselves, or from the central role that IT must maintain. The role will lead the development of a multi-year roadmap for how AI evolves within T&M—from individual productivity tools to increasingly embedded workflows—while identifying required investments, dependencies, and sequencing across initiatives. The Director will operate a centralized AI4P program office that brings discipline and connectivity to a broad portfolio of function-owned AI initiatives. They will establish connections and reporting cadences that enable consistent tracking of initiatives, elevation of key decisions, and executive level awareness of timelines, dependencies, and expected outcomes. The Director will elevate AI discussions to the level of business and financial decision-making. This includes translating operational improvements into executive-ready narratives, linking AI initiatives to cost, capacity, and revenue outcomes, and supporting integration into profit planning and operational reviews. This leader will work closely with IT, Finance and functional teams to ensure AI initiatives are grounded in business impact. They will help translate productivity improvements into P&L implications—distinguishing between cost savings, cost avoidance, and redeployment—and support prioritization through clear ROI and scenario tradeoffs.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree
Relevant technical, program management, and leadership experience aligned with the level of this role.
Strong program leadership experience in complex, cross-functional environments.
Demonstrated success driving digital or operational transformation initiatives.
Strong executive level reporting and decision-making.
Ability to structure ambiguous problem spaces.
Ability to connect execution details to strategic and financial outcomes.
A combination of business acumen, operational rigor, and the ability to synthesize and communicate clearly at the executive level is essential.
Strong technical background regarding Generative AI, process automation, and the general IT landscape.
Staying up to date on the latest news and trends related to AI and can grow to be a thought leader in this space.
Authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship now and in the future.

Nice To Haves

Technical and/or business degrees are strongly preferred.
15+ years in relevant technical, program management, and/or leadership experience.

Responsibilities

Lead the centralized AI productivity program within NI Test & Measurement.
Translate internal AI productivity opportunities into measurable business outcomes across T&M.
Enable coordination, prioritization, and execution of AI initiatives across functions.
Serve as a strategic partner to functional VPs (R&D, Sales/Marketing, Operations, Finance).
Bring structure, transparency, and cross-functional alignment to AI-driven productivity efforts.
Collaborate closely with IT leadership at T&M and at Corporate.
Align future business process changes, future technology decisions, and the implications of AI on work.
Establish a durable, repeatable AI for productivity program.
Lead the development of a multi-year roadmap for how AI evolves within T&M.
Identify required investments, dependencies, and sequencing across initiatives.
Operate a centralized AI4P program office.
Establish connections and reporting cadences for tracking initiatives, decisions, and executive awareness.
Elevate AI discussions to the level of business and financial decision-making.
Translate operational improvements into executive-ready narratives.
Link AI initiatives to cost, capacity, and revenue outcomes.
Support integration into profit planning and operational reviews.
Ensure AI initiatives are grounded in business impact.
Translate productivity improvements into P&L implications.
Support prioritization through clear ROI and scenario tradeoffs.