Manager, AI Center of Excellence (CoE)

Floor & Decor • Atlanta, GA

18d

About The Position

Purpose: The Principal Developer - AI Center of Excellence (CoE) plays a critical role in shaping and advancing the organization's AI strategy. This position is responsible for managing and driving the enterprise-wide adoption of Artificial Intelligence, including generative AI agent development and predictive AI pipelines, in partnership with our data science teams. The Principal Developer will be accountable for setting best practices, governance, and delivery models to accelerate innovation while ensuring scalability, compliance, and measurable business impact. This role will require a visionary leader who can blend deep technical expertise with strategic insight to foster an AI-driven culture and drive the successful implementation of AI solutions within the organization. Minimum Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field; a Master’s degree is preferred. Minimum of 8+ years of leadership experience in Information Technology roles, including at least 3+ years in AI/ML or advanced analytics. Demonstrated experience in software architecture and the application of design patterns. Proven experience building or scaling AI/ML teams, Centers of Excellence, or innovation programs. Strong understanding of generative AI platforms, LLMs, embeddings, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), MCP, A2A, and UCP. Demonstrated experience with predictive AI pipelines, MLOps, and enterprise data platforms. Intermediate knowledge of vendor ecosystems, including Glean, Microsoft Copilot, Azure OpenAI, Databricks, and others. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Exceptional leadership and stakeholder management skills across technical and business domains. Strong program management skills with the ability to juggle multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment. Deep knowledge of AI governance, ethics, and compliance practices. Strategic communication and change management skills Essential Job Functions: Strategic Vision & Development Define and evolve the technical vision and architecture for AI CoE initiatives in alignment with enterprise goals/priorities. Collaborate with business and technology leaders to identify, design, and implement high-impact AI solutions. Technical Leadership & Mentorship Build and lead a team of AI engineers, Architects, and Analysts providing technical guidance and mentorship to foster professional growth and innovation. Encourage a culture of experimentation, knowledge sharing, and collaboration within the development team and broader organization. Generative AI Enablement Oversee development of generative AI agents, either custom-built or implemented, using third-party tools (e.g., Glean or Gemini). Create reusable components, frameworks, and guardrails to accelerate generative AI adoption across business functions. In particular, focus on agent performance and accuracy as well as the leverage of emerging protocols such as MCP, A2A, and UCP. Partner with IT and security teams to ensure compliance with enterprise policies, data security, and privacy regulations. Predictive AI & Data Science Collaboration Work closely with business-aligned data science teams to design and operationalize predictive AI/ML pipelines. Enable standardization of model development, deployment, and monitoring practices. Promote collaboration between data scientists and engineers to accelerate insights-to-action cycles. Integration, Program, and Product Management Ensure seamless integration of AI capabilities with existing business systems and workflows. Define coding standards, architectural guidelines, and best practices for AI development. Monitor and evaluate advancements in AI technologies, translating them into actionable improvements for existing processes. Drive the adoption of best practices in software development, including coding standards, testing methodologies, and code review processes. Governance & Standards Define standards, playbooks, and reference architecture for AI development and deployment. Monitor advancements in AI technology, regulations, and industry best practices; translate them into actionable roadmaps. Lead vendor evaluations and manage strategic partnerships in the AI ecosystem. Performance Monitoring & Improvement - Establish metrics for success and lead initiatives to monitor the performance of AI applications, ensuring they meet organizational objectives. - Drive continuous improvement through performance analysis and feedback loops with stakeholders across the enterprise. Working Conditions (travel, environment): Limited travel required, including air and car travel While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally exposed to a warehouse environment and moving vehicles. The work environment is typically moderately noisy. Physical/Sensory Requirements • Sedentary Work – Ability to exert 10 - 20 pounds of force occasionally, and/or negligible amount of force frequently to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time but may also include walking or standing for brief periods. Benefits & Rewards Bonus opportunities & career advancement opportunities at every level Programs that help you reach your financial goals: 401k with company match, Employee Stock Purchase Plan, and Referral Bonus Program Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, and other Insurance Plans (subject to eligibility criteria) Work-life balance, including: Paid vacation and sick time for eligible associates Paid holidays plus a personal holiday Paid Volunteer Time Off that starts on Day 1 Equal Employment Opportunity Floor & Decor provides equal employment opportunities to all associates and applicants without regard to age, race, color, religion or creed, national origin or ancestry, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, disability, veteran status, genetic information, ethnicity, citizenship, or any other category protected by law. This policy applies to all areas of employment, including recruitment, testing, screening, hiring, selection for training, upgrading, transfer, demotion, layoff, discipline, termination, compensation, benefits and all other privileges, terms and conditions of employment. This policy and the law prohibit employment discrimination against any associate or applicant on the basis of any legally protected status outlined above. JOIN THE COMPANY THAT REVOLUTIONIZED THE FLOORING BUSINESS. Floor & Decor is like no other flooring company. Founded in 2000 in Atlanta, we have quickly become one of the country’s leading flooring retailers, with dozens of stores nationwide – and more to come. A strong entrepreneurial spirit flows through our young company. TIME, TALENT & TEAMWORK The remarkable success we have enjoyed could not have happened without the time, talent, and teamwork of our extremely dedicated associates. Working with equal amounts of passion and grit, we’ve become the “category killer of flooring” by revolutionizing the way people buy flooring. Our customers enjoy the largest in-stock selection of tile, wood, stone, and flooring accessories at prices no one can beat. OPPORTUNITIES TO ADVANCE To continue our amazing growth, Floor & Decor is actively seeking gifted people with a solid work ethic and a real passion for helping others. Are you ready to make a difference at a truly groundbreaking company? From our retail stores to our distribution centers to our corporate office, we encourage you to explore the variety of exciting opportunities available right now. Our career opportunities may leave you floored.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field; a Master’s degree is preferred.
• Minimum of 8+ years of leadership experience in Information Technology roles, including at least 3+ years in AI/ML or advanced analytics.
• Demonstrated experience in software architecture and the application of design patterns.
• Proven experience building or scaling AI/ML teams, Centers of Excellence, or innovation programs.
• Strong understanding of generative AI platforms, LLMs, embeddings, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), MCP, A2A, and UCP.
• Demonstrated experience with predictive AI pipelines, MLOps, and enterprise data platforms.
• Intermediate knowledge of vendor ecosystems, including Glean, Microsoft Copilot, Azure OpenAI, Databricks, and others.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Exceptional leadership and stakeholder management skills across technical and business domains.
• Strong program management skills with the ability to juggle multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Deep knowledge of AI governance, ethics, and compliance practices.
• Strategic communication and change management skills

Responsibilities

• Define and evolve the technical vision and architecture for AI CoE initiatives in alignment with enterprise goals/priorities.
• Collaborate with business and technology leaders to identify, design, and implement high-impact AI solutions.
• Build and lead a team of AI engineers, Architects, and Analysts providing technical guidance and mentorship to foster professional growth and innovation.
• Encourage a culture of experimentation, knowledge sharing, and collaboration within the development team and broader organization.
• Oversee development of generative AI agents, either custom-built or implemented, using third-party tools (e.g., Glean or Gemini).
• Create reusable components, frameworks, and guardrails to accelerate generative AI adoption across business functions.
• Partner with IT and security teams to ensure compliance with enterprise policies, data security, and privacy regulations.
• Work closely with business-aligned data science teams to design and operationalize predictive AI/ML pipelines.
• Enable standardization of model development, deployment, and monitoring practices.
• Promote collaboration between data scientists and engineers to accelerate insights-to-action cycles.
• Ensure seamless integration of AI capabilities with existing business systems and workflows.
• Define coding standards, architectural guidelines, and best practices for AI development.
• Monitor and evaluate advancements in AI technologies, translating them into actionable improvements for existing processes.
• Drive the adoption of best practices in software development, including coding standards, testing methodologies, and code review processes.
• Define standards, playbooks, and reference architecture for AI development and deployment.
• Monitor advancements in AI technology, regulations, and industry best practices; translate them into actionable roadmaps.
• Lead vendor evaluations and manage strategic partnerships in the AI ecosystem.
• Establish metrics for success and lead initiatives to monitor the performance of AI applications, ensuring they meet organizational objectives.
• Drive continuous improvement through performance analysis and feedback loops with stakeholders across the enterprise.

Benefits

• Bonus opportunities & career advancement opportunities at every level
• Programs that help you reach your financial goals: 401k with company match, Employee Stock Purchase Plan, and Referral Bonus Program
• Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, and other Insurance Plans (subject to eligibility criteria)
• Work-life balance, including: Paid vacation and sick time for eligible associates
• Paid holidays plus a personal holiday
• Paid Volunteer Time Off that starts on Day 1

What This Job Offers

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