Program Leader, Artificial Intelligence

Join us as we empower the world to work out, creating healthier lives together. At Life Fitness / Hammer Strength, we inspire the world to work out. We are a high‑performing team focused on using AI, data, and technology to improve how we operate, build products, and serve customers around the world. We are looking for a Leader of Artificial Intelligence to lead the development and deployment of AI solutions across operations, supply chain, commercial, and product functions. Responsibilities Lead AI initiatives from concept through deployment and adoption. Translate business challenges into scalable machine learning, optimization, and generative AI solutions. Deliver use cases including: Predictive maintenance and reliability analytics Demand forecasting and inventory optimization Production scheduling and operational efficiency Quality and warranty analytics Sales forecasting and margin insights Embed solutions into business workflows to improve decision‑making and performance. Collaborate with Operations, Supply Chain, Commercial, Product, Engineering, Finance, and IT teams to identify and prioritize AI opportunities. Communicate technical insights in clear, business‑focused language. Support measurable outcomes, including efficiency gains, cost savings, and revenue impact. Partner with Product Management and Software Engineering teams to support AI‑enabled capabilities within connected products and digital platforms. Contribute to customer‑facing and internal AI applications that enhance training, performance, and user experience. Support scalable, secure, and reliable model deployment practices. Lead and develop a small team of data scientists and machine learning engineers, promote best practices in model development, governance, and MLOps, and help strengthen AI literacy and adoption across the organization. Qualifications 6 to 10+ years of experience in AI, machine learning, analytics, or data science. Experience developing and deploying models in production environments. Strong understanding of machine learning, predictive analytics, optimization, and generative AI. Experience supporting manufacturing, operations, supply chain, or product organizations preferred. Experience in B2B, industrial, or performance‑driven environments strongly preferred. Familiarity with cloud platforms, enterprise systems, and modern analytics toolchains. Strong problem‑solving, communication, and cross‑functional collaboration skills. Ability to operate with ownership, urgency, and continuous improvement mindset in a matrixed environment. The salary range for this position, intended for U.S. applicants, is $149,400 - $182,500 annually. The actual salary will vary based on applicant’s education, experience, skills, and abilities. The salary range reflected is based on a primary work location of Rosemont, IL and the actual salary may vary for applicants in a different geographic location. This position is eligible to participate in Life Fitness / Hammer Strength’s annual Manager Incentive Plan to receive an annual discretionary bonus in addition to base salary. Life Fitness / Hammer Strength offers a comprehensive package of benefits for full‑time team members, including a 401(k) savings plan with 4% employer match; medical, dental and vision insurance; parental, medical and military leaves of absence; paid time off, including 12 paid holidays, paid vacation days starting at 13 days annually, paid sick leave; company paid short‑term disability and optional long‑term disability; health savings account; and more. Eligibility for benefits is governed by the applicable plan documents and policies. Life Fitness / Hammer Strength is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants, including individuals with disabilities and protected veterans, are encouraged to apply. Life Fitness / Hammer Strength complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws regarding employment, recruitment and hiring. All qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship status, disability, protected veteran status, or any other category protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws. #J-18808-Ljbffr Life Fitness