Data Strategy & AI Transformation Manager

Location: Columbus, OH Category : IT & Infrastructure Job Summary Responsible for the strategic direction of a technology domain, services, or process within a broader strategy of a Business Unit (BU) customer or technology functional area. Responsible for directly managing and developing technology staff, building and sustaining collaborative relationships with operating companies, BUs, and technology teams. Establish the integration and data readiness strategy for next-gen AI applications; lead the implementation of AI tooling for data readiness and discovery. Lead the enterprise data migration strategy and execution, including source system identification, migration patterns, interoperability standards, cutover readiness, and dual-landscape operations that support both legacy and future-state platforms. Establish and govern the data operating model by defining domain ownership, stewardship, critical data elements, business definitions, data quality standards, and governance processes that ensure trusted, AI-ready data. Direct data quality, reconciliation, and risk management activities, in coordination with business stakeholders - including identifying, tracking, escalating, and resolving data issues while ensuring data readiness across programs and business functions. Job Description What you’ll do: Build and foster strategic and effective business and/or technology peer relationships and represent the Technology organization when collaborating with operating companies and business unit leaders. Provide safety leadership and compliance without exception; enhance a strong safety culture.Promote a winning culture that is actively engaged, mutually supportive and high-performance oriented.Provide corporate compliance leadership and accountability for NERC CIP, physical and cyber security, ethics, corporate policies, etc., without exception. Ensure ongoing reliability of the technology infrastructure and business solutions.Provide financial leadership, including strategic forecasting and planning; establish and manage departmental O&M and capital budgets in coordination with the plans of the Technology organization. Develops diverse and inclusive teams (hiring, training, performance management, culture curation) that deliver world-class technology services with a focus on an efficient and intuitive customer experience. Provide training opportunities for employees to learn and share knowledge, strengthen skills, and deepen and broaden technical and professional capabilities; ensure that all employees are well-trained, knowledgeable, enabled and focused on the success of the company. Prioritize and direct area work activities, and optimize utilization of resources. Manage resources to provide safe and timely service restoration during storms and other outages.Lead and/or direct business continuity planning and disaster recovery for the Technology organization as needed. What we’re looking for: Education: Bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, business, or related technical field is required. An equivalent combination of education and related experience may be considered. Experience: In addition to any experience required above, 8 or more years of technology experience; 4-6 years of direct supervision experience preferred. American Electric Power (On-Site) Compensation $136,539.00 - $177,503.00 Physical Demands The Physical Demand Level for this job is: S – Sedentary Work: Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally (Occasionally: activity or condition exists up to 1/3 of the time) and/or a negligible amount of force frequently. (Frequently: activity or condition exists from 1/3 to 2/3 of the time) to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time but may involve walking or standing for brief periods of time. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required only occasionally, and all other sedentary criteria are met. Equal Employment Opportunity It is hereby reaffirmed that it is the policy of American Electric Power (AEP) to provide Equal Employment Opportunity in all respects of the employer-employee relationship including recruiting, hiring, upgrading and promotion, conditions and privileges of employment, company sponsored training programs, educational assistance, social and recreational programs, compensation, benefits, transfers, discipline, layoffs and termination of employment to all employees and applicants without discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age, veteran or military status, disability, genetic information, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law. When required by law, we might record certain information or applicants for employment may be invited to voluntarily disclose protected characteristics. AEP offers an outstanding group of people to be a part of. The AEP culture values your integrity and awards your hard work. This role is part of a larger enterprise architecture and technology delivery team focused on designing and implementing solutions that address critical business needs and opportunities. The positionis responsible fortranslating business requirements intopractical, scalable technicalarchitectures, spanning application, integration, data, and infrastructure domains, while ensuringnon‑functionalrequirements such assupportability, resiliency, performance, and securityare met.The role requires a balance ofstrategic architectural thinking andhands‑ontechnical execution, with direct involvement in design, deployment, and operational support. This role is responsible for shaping how Technology plans, evaluates, and measures investments and outcomes. This position is responsible for defining and scaling best practices for business planning, investment governance, and value realization across the Technology portfolio.A key focus of this role is building and maintaining forward-looking business and investment plans, ensuring alignment between strategy, funding, delivery, and measurable outcomes. You will enable a more disciplined, transparent, and performance-driven portfolio through strong analytical frameworks, standardized processes, and actionable insights. Part of a larger team delivering enterprise infrastructure solutions that enable business operations, technology modernization, and operational excellence. Responsible for translating business, operational, and technical requirements into scalable infrastructure architectures spanning server platforms, operating systems, storage, databases, identity services, automation, and core enterprise platforms. Focuses on developing and governing infrastructure standards, architecture patterns, roadmaps, and technology ecosystems to ensure solutions are secure, resilient, supportable, and aligned with strategic objectives. Provides architectural leadership across infrastructure domains while driving consistency, modernization, and operational efficiency. AEP offers generous time off, competitive pay, and educational opportunities to help employees advance their careers. Our culture is purpose-driven and team-oriented: we combine innovation with a customer-first focus to deliver reliable energy and brighter futures. #J-18808-Ljbffr AEP