AI SDLC Program Manager

AI SDLC Program Manager

Location: Atlanta, Georgia

Work Arrangement: Hybrid approximately three days per week onsite

Schedule: Eastern Time business hours

Engagement: Contract

Industry: Retail, Consumer Goods, Fashion, Apparel, or Manufacturing

Lead the delivery of an enterprise AI-enabled software development platform. CornerStone Technology Talent Services is seeking an experienced AI SDLC Program Manager to lead a strategic enterprise initiative focused on integrating artificial intelligence into the software development lifecycle. This is not a traditional project coordination role. We are looking for a senior technology program leader who can drive a complex, highly visible platform initiative involving artificial intelligence, developer productivity, software engineering, testing, DevOps, and enterprise transformation.

You will coordinate business leaders, engineering teams, platform owners, technology vendors, and executive stakeholders to introduce AI capabilities that improve how software is planned, developed, tested, secured, released, and maintained. The ideal candidate understands both enterprise program delivery and the practical application of generative AI across the SDLC. You should be comfortable operating in an evolving environment, converting broad objectives into an executable roadmap, and leading discussions with senior client and technology leaders.

What You'll Do

• Lead the strategy, planning, governance, and execution of an enterprise AI-enabled SDLC platform or program.
• Develop and maintain the program roadmap, milestones, workstreams, dependencies, deliverables, risks, and success measures.
• Coordinate execution across software engineering, product, architecture, DevOps, quality assurance, security, business, vendor, and leadership teams.
• Identify opportunities to apply AI across requirements analysis, software design, coding, testing, code review, documentation, release management, and production support.
• Facilitate senior stakeholder meetings, steering committees, program reviews, and executive-level decision-making sessions.
• Translate ambiguous business and technology objectives into structured plans, ownership models, and measurable outcomes.
• Establish governance processes for program status, issue escalation, dependency management, risk mitigation, and leadership reporting.
• Track the adoption and effectiveness of AI-enabled development practices across engineering teams.
• Partner with technical leaders to define platform capabilities, implementation priorities, integration requirements, and adoption strategies.
• Support change management, communication, training, and organizational adoption of new AI-driven SDLC tools and processes.
• Coordinate work performed across onsite, remote, offshore, and third-party delivery teams.
• Identify opportunities to expand platform capabilities and support broader technology-transformation objectives.

Required Qualifications

• At least 10 years of overall professional experience, including significant ownership of complex enterprise technology, platform, or transformation programs.
• Seven or more years of relevant program management experience in software engineering, technology platforms, digital transformation, or enterprise application environments.
• Demonstrated experience leading large, cross-functional programs with multiple workstreams, dependencies, stakeholders, and delivery teams.
• Working knowledge of how AI and generative AI can improve software development, testing, code quality, documentation, developer productivity, and delivery performance.
• Experience working across the major phases of the software development lifecycle, including requirements, design, development, testing, deployment, release management, and production support.
• Strong program-planning, governance, risk-management, dependency-tracking, and executive-reporting capabilities.
• Ability to establish structure, priorities, milestones, and accountability within an ambiguous or rapidly evolving initiative.
• Experience facilitating discussions with executive leaders, senior technology stakeholders, and client-facing decision-makers.
• Strong communication, presentation, facilitation, negotiation, and stakeholder-management skills.
• Experience coordinating business, product, engineering, vendor, leadership, and distributed delivery teams.
• Ability to work onsite in the Atlanta area approximately three days per week.
• Availability to work primarily during Eastern Time business hours.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience delivering AI platforms, generative AI programs, developer-experience initiatives, or intelligent SDLC automation.
• Familiarity with AI-assisted coding tools, enterprise copilots, software-development agents, or engineering productivity platforms.
• Understanding of enterprise AI considerations such as data security, intellectual property, governance, responsible AI, model risk, and human oversight.
• Experience implementing or supporting tools across CI/CD, DevOps, automated testing, code quality, source control, requirements management, and release management.
• Experience defining success criteria and KPIs for developer productivity, software quality, delivery speed, adoption, cost, and operational performance.
• Knowledge of enterprise platform development, rollout, adoption, and change-management practices.
• Experience working with Agile, product-led, or platform-based delivery models.
• Experience managing onsite and offshore delivery coordination.
• Background supporting a large retail, consumer goods, fashion, apparel, manufacturing, or similarly complex enterprise organization.
• Ability to recognize opportunities for broader platform expansion, process improvement, and enterprise transformation.

What Success Looks Like

Success in this role means creating alignment across business and technology teams, establishing disciplined program governance, and moving AI-enabled SDLC capabilities from strategy into measurable enterprise adoption. The selected Program Manager will bring clarity to a complex initiative, maintain accountability across workstreams, communicate confidently with senior leaders, and help engineering teams adopt AI capabilities that improve productivity, software quality, and delivery outcomes.

Why Join CornerStone Technology Talent Services?

CornerStone Technology Talent Services connects experienced technology professionals with strategic opportunities across enterprise transformation, artificial intelligence, cloud platforms, software engineering, data, cybersecurity, and digital innovation. Our recruiting team provides clear communication, knowledgeable representation, and continued support throughout the hiring and assignment lifecycle. We work to understand your experience, career goals, and preferred working environment so we can connect you with opportunities where your expertise can make a meaningful impact.

CornerStone Technology Talent Services