Manager, AI and Automation

Apply now!•Durham, NC

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Manager, AI and Automation is responsible for building and operating the center of expertise for AI-enabled workflow automation. This role partners with IT business leaders (Enterprise Applications, Revenue Technology, IT Infrastructure), Information Security, Legal, and other functional leaders/stakeholders to identify, design, build, deploy, and continuously improve practical automation and AI solutions across the Relias organization. This position is a player/coach role and is expected to execute the standup of the CoE. This role will personally ensure delivery of AI and automation projects using approved enterprise tools, translate business problems into clear requirements and future-state workflows, configure or coordinate solutions as necessary, oversee testing and adoption, monitor usage and associated cost aspects of the models, and measure realized value as established at the beginning of projects. The role will establish a disciplined intake process, prioritization model, implementation standards, reusable templates, documentation practices, governance checkpoints, and support expectations for automation work. As the shared-service capability matures, this position is expected to build and manage a team of individual contributors, which may include workflow automation developers, business process analysts, and potentially AI and data engineers. The role will balance hands-on delivery with portfolio ownership, people leadership, stakeholder enablement, standards management, and scalable operating practices so AI and automation work is useful, secure, supportable, and measurable.

Requirements

6+ years of experience in workflow automation, business process improvement, enterprise applications, systems implementation, IT product ownership, data/AI delivery, consulting, or related roles.
2+ years of experience leading projects, workstreams, technical delivery, or individual contributors; prior direct people management is preferred for this working manager role.
Hands-on experience building or configuring automations using Microsoft Power Platform, Microsoft 365, low-code/no-code tools, APIs, RPA/workflow platforms, and SaaS enterprise systems.
Experience working with cross-functional stakeholders to gather requirements, document processes, test solutions, manage rollout, train users, and measure impact.
Proven experience supporting AI-enabled workflows, data-driven automation, reporting, dashboards, KPI tracking, or operational analytics in a governed business environment.
Bachelor's degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, Data Analytics, Business, Engineering, Operations, or a related field; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.

Nice To Haves

Consulting experience (either part of a team or individually) setting up a new function
Experience building or operating an automation, AI, business-process, or digital-transformation center of excellence, or product-led delivery model.
Experience with Microsoft Copilot, Copilot Studio, Power Automate, Power Apps, SharePoint, Dataverse, Power BI, Azure AI services, SQL, Python, and SaaS platforms.
Experience managing workflow automation developers, business process analysts, data analysts, data engineers, AI engineers, or similar technical/business-process roles.
Familiarity with AI governance, data privacy, information security, identity/access management, audit documentation, vendor risk, procurement intake, and regulated-data handling.
Microsoft Power Platform, Copilot Studio, Azure, data/AI, Agile, project management, business analysis, or process improvement certification.

Responsibilities

Own the enterprise AI and automation intake process, backlog, prioritization model, and roadmap. Evaluate opportunities based on business value, feasibility, urgency, risk, data sensitivity, systems impacted, stakeholder readiness, and supportability. Translate business needs into clear requirements, future-state workflows, success metrics, and delivery plans.
Design, configure, test, deploy, and maintain workflow automations using approved tools such as Microsoft 365, Power Automate, Power Apps, Copilot, Copilot Studio, SharePoint, Dataverse, Power BI, Salesforce workflow capabilities, APIs, RPA/workflow platforms, and related enterprise technologies. Build solutions directly where appropriate and coordinate Enterprise Applications, Revenue Technology, IT, Interface Engineering when deeper platform, integration, or architecture work is required.
Develop practical AI-enabled workflows such as document summarization, drafting support, content extraction, knowledge retrieval, classification, workflow triage, and decision-support processes using approved AI tools. Create prompt libraries, reusable templates, output review checklists, user guidance, and enablement materials. Ensure AI workflows include appropriate human review, quality validation, escalation paths, and documented controls.
Lead discovery with functional teams to map current-state processes, identify root causes of manual effort or inconsistency, define future-state workflows, capture requirements, and align stakeholders on scope. Develop process maps, solution designs, user stories, acceptance criteria, control requirements, testing plans, and operating procedures that support scalable delivery.
Partner Enterprise Applications, Revenue Technology, IT, Information Security, Legal to ensure automation and AI solutions align with architecture, identity/access, data governance, privacy, vendor, integration, and production-support standards. Coordinate APIs, data sources, permissions, environments, monitoring, auditability, and release readiness for production solutions.
Manage initiatives from intake through launch and post-launch optimization. Build project plans, stakeholder communications, status updates, training materials, release notes, knowledge-base content, office hours, and adoption plans. Develop dashboards and reporting to measure outcomes such as hours saved, cycle-time reduction, quality improvement, adoption, backlog reduction, exception rates, and control performance.
Serve initially as a hands-on manager and, as demand grows, hire, lead, coach, and manage individual contributors such as workflow automation developers, business process analysts, and AI/data engineers. Establish team roles, delivery standards, review practices, sprint or project cadences, capacity planning, performance expectations, documentation standards, and vendor/partner coordination models.
Create reusable automation patterns, design standards, support models, intake templates, risk checklists, and lifecycle-management practices. Monitor production automations, coordinate issue resolution, retire or improve low-value workflows, and stay current on AI, automation, Microsoft, data, SaaS workflow, and enterprise-architecture trends that can responsibly improve the organization.

Benefits

Fantastic health and wellness benefits package
outstanding 401k match
a flexible PTO program
a generous and inclusive parental leave policy
Relias pays for the employee portion of the monthly healthcare premium!
Flexible work environment with onsite and work from home options
Active Employee Resource Groups open to all employees!
Comprehensive onboarding program
Growth and career advancement opportunities!
Multiple development program options – leadership development, professional development curriculums, and Nanodegree options in both technology and data science
Professional development gained from conference attendance and participation in organizations like NC Tech
Onsite 321 Coffee Shop providing free coffee and pastries to employees