Senior Manager - Artificial Intelligence COE

FERGUSON

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

Since 1953, Ferguson has been a source of quality supplies for a variety of industries. Together We Build Better infrastructure, better homes and better businesses. We exist to make our customers’ complex projects simple, successful, and sustainable. We proactively solve problems, adapt and grow to continuously serve our customers, communities and each other. Ferguson, a Fortune 500 company, is proud to provide best-in-class products, service and capabilities across the following industries: Commercial/Mechanical, Facilities Supply, Fire and Fabrication, HVAC, Industrial, Residential Trade, Residential Building and Remodel, Waterworks and Residential Digital Commerce. Ferguson has approximately 36,000 associates across 1,700 locations. Ferguson is a community of proud associates who operate with the shared purpose of building something meaningful. You will build a career that you are proud of, at a company you can believe in. AI COE Sr. Manager The AI COE Senior Manager serves as the architect of Ferguson's AI Center of Excellence, designing the governance infrastructure, operating frameworks, and coordination mechanisms that enable responsible AI adoption at enterprise scale. This role establishes the key organizational systems, from AI Council operations to intake processes to risk management frameworks, that support enterprise AI enablement. Reporting to the VP of AI, this position operates at the intersection of governance, operations, and strategy - leading the cross-functional AI Council and GRC sub-committee, establishing intake and prioritization processes, developing Responsible AI Use Guidelines in partnership with Legal and Information Security, and managing strategic vendor relationships. Success requires balancing competing priorities: enabling innovation velocity while managing risk, establishing governance rigor without creating bureaucracy, and coordinating across functions with different risk appetites. The ideal candidate thinks in scalable systems and reusable patterns. They build trust with business executives who want to deploy AI and with compliance team members focused on safety. They see governance as enabling responsible transformation rather than blocking progress. Location: This role is approved to be either Remote within the United States or Hybrid for associates in Newport News, VA, in accordance with company policy.

Requirements

10+ years designing enterprise governance frameworks in complex organizations, ideally in technology transformation or AI/ML adoption contexts
Proven track record establishing operating models and decision frameworks that balanced innovation velocity with risk management
Experience leading cross-functional councils and partnering with Legal, InfoSec, Privacy, and Compliance to operationalize regulatory requirements
Understanding of AI/ML technologies, capabilities, and governance considerations; direct AI adoption experience preferred
Exceptional systems designer who thinks in scalable frameworks and distributed accountability rather than one-off solutions
Translates complex requirements into clear, actionable policies; designs "just enough" governance that enables rather than constrains
Creates frameworks that work at pilot stage and remain effective at enterprise scale
Executive presence with ability to build consensus across functions with competing priorities
Exceptional facilitation skills; earns trust from both business leaders and compliance stakeholders
High integrity; navigates organizational politics effectively in cultures that emphasize collaboration

Responsibilities

AI Governance & Council Operations Design and facilitate AI Council meetings, ensuring productive dialogue between functional leaders and executive business customers
Develop and maintain AI Enablement operational framework including project intake, prioritization criteria, and decision-making processes
Track and report on portfolio-wide AI initiatives, identifying dependencies, risks, and resource conflicts
Create transparency mechanisms (dashboards, status reports, customer updates) that build confidence in AI program execution
Manage escalations and remove organizational blockers that impede AI adoption
Program Infrastructure & Standards Establish program management standards, templates, and operating rhythms that scale across the AI Enablement organization
Manage budget tracking and resource allocation across initiatives
Build case frameworks that quantify AI value in terms meaningful to Ferguson's leadership
Standardize playbooks and templates for AI initiative charters, risk assessments, and value tracking
Create knowledge management systems that capture lessons and standard processes
Coordinate vendor relationships and contract management as the AI program scales
Agent Registry & Quality Management Design and maintain agent registry tracking all AI agents (owner, purpose, data sources, risk level, approval status, performance)
Establish agent lifecycle management from ideation through approval, deployment, monitoring, retirement
Create agent review workflows that apply appropriate rigor based on risk level
Establish agent performance monitoring standards through usage analytics, error rates, user feedback, business impact
Coordinate agent quality reviews and retirement decisions with partners
Ensure consistency across agent portfolio, ensuring a best-in-class user experience and no contradictory or confusing experiences
Vendor & Partnership Management Own relationships with enterprise AI platform vendors (Microsoft/Google/Databricks) including critical issues, roadmap influence, utilization
Evaluate and onboard additional enterprise standard AI tools and services as organizational needs evolve
Assess build-vs-buy-vs-partner decisions for AI capabilities based on strategic value and organizational capacity
Maintain relationships with AI-focused professional services firms or implementation partners
AI Governance, Risk & Compliance Lead cross-functional AI Governance, Risk & Compliance committee including representatives from Legal, Information Security, Privacy, Risk Management, Compliance, and HR
Develop and maintain AI governance policies in partnership with Legal, Information Security, Privacy, and Risk Management
Translate enterprise policies (data security, privacy, acceptable use, ethical standards) into practical AI-specific guidance
Establish proactive monitoring processes for AI safety issues and develop escalation and incidence response protocols
Monitor for emerging risks: shadow AI usage, unapproved tools, policy circumvention
Track regulatory landscape and prepare Ferguson for compliance with emerging AI regulations