Advanced Specialist, Program Manager

Job Title: Advanced Specialist, Program Management

Location: Open to candidates based in Poland, India, the United Kingdom, or the United States. Work arrangement (remote or hybrid) will depend on the candidate's location.

Role Qualifier: AI Portfolio Governance

Background

Pearson exists to help people make progress through learning, and AI is a powerful way for us to do that-when we use it wisely. As AI moves from scattered experiments to everyday use across our products and operations, we need to ensure our investments are focused, coordinated, and delivered responsibly. That's why we created the AI Center for Enablement (C4E): a company-wide hub that brings together shared strategy, standards, reusable components, and applied research, so teams don't have to solve the same problems in isolation.

Within the C4E, the Strategy & Governance function provides the clarity and direction that keeps our efforts aligned. We shape the enterprise AI strategy, run a unified demand-intake process, guide prioritization through the AI Strategy Council, and track the value and impact of our investments. This work ensures that every AI initiative we support is purposeful, avoids duplication, and contributes to Pearson's long-term ability to scale AI safely, ethically, and effectively.

Job Summary

Drive the strategic oversight and governance of Pearson's unified AI portfolio, ensuring every initiative is aligned to business goals, delivers measurable impact, and meets the highest standards of responsible AI. This advanced specialist role leads capital project management for the AI Center for Enablement, embeds robust governance controls, and champions continuous improvement. You'll collaborate across teams, model Pearson's values, and empower the organization to minimize the risk and maximize the visibility of value of our AI investments.

Key Responsibilities

• Operationalize Responsible AI principles and governance controls, ensuring compliance with audits and regulatory requirements in partnership with the Head of Responsible AI.

• Support implementation of NIST-aligned AI risk management practices with Cybersecurity covering both internal platforms and third-party vendors.

• Design and test enterprise agent use cases with the Global Quality Standards team to advance agentic governance for Responsible AI.

• Document and communicate risk tiers, assessments, and approval thresholds as defined by Data Privacy, Architecture, Cybersecurity, and Procurement.

• Support governance audits and drive gap remediation in collaboration with the enterprise risk management function.

• Analyze and surface systemic AI risk trends across CTO, Product, and Operations portfolios to inform leadership decisions.

• Brief senior stakeholders-including the Head of Responsible AI, CTO, and executive leaders-on emerging AI risk patterns and governance gaps.

• Design and deliver lightweight, defensible governance reporting, driving continuous improvement as data foundations mature.

• Identify and automate high-value governance signals (e.g., inventory completeness, assessment coverage) for early agent adoption.

• Integrate governance findings into standards, policies, and operating model refinements.

• Support C4E capital project management, including financial planning, business case development, and quarterly portfolio reviews.

• Develop and manage KPI tracking, benefits/ROI dashboards (such as AI 360), and performance reporting for all AI projects.

• Partner with the OCTO Program Office to streamline AI reporting, intake, and review processes across teams.

• Collaborate with Data, Innovation, and Architecture teams to align business engagement and impact reporting, leveraging emerging data foundations and agents.

Required Skills and Competencies

• Advanced analytical skills and business acumen to drive strategic decisions and deliver measurable outcomes.

• Effective communication and stakeholder management, influencing cross-functional teams and senior leaders.

• Expertise in portfolio planning, project management, performance measurement, and compliance.

• Adaptability and problem-solving mindset, thriving in complex, fast-paced environments.

• Proficiency in artificial intelligence, data literacy, governance, and change leadership.

• Exceptional ability to influence across technical and non-technical teams.

• Strong storyteller with experience writing governance guidance, standards, and briefing documents for senior leaders.

• Demonstrated ability to establish trust, promote responsible innovation, and drive culture change around AI safety and effectiveness.

• Commitment to Pearson's essential behaviors: Customer Centricity, Exceptional Collaboration for Value, Raising the Performance Bar, and Our Leaders Inspire.

Qualifications (Education & Experience)

• Bachelor's degree in business, Computer Science, Data Science/Analytics, Information Systems, Engineering, Public Policy, or a related discipline.

• Master's degree (preferred but not required) in Business Administration, Data Science, Public Policy, or Technology Management with focus on AI, digital transformation, or governance. Coursework or concentration in:

• AI/ML foundations

• Data ethics

• Risk management

• Agile portfolio management

• Professional Certifications not all required but will be considered favourably

• AI Governance / Risk

• NIST AI RMF certification or training

• ISO/IEC 42001 AI Management System certification

• Responsible AI practitioner certifications (e.g., Microsoft RA, OpenAI RA, IEEE A/IS)

• Program & Project Management

• PMP, PgMP

• PRINCE2 Practitioner

• SAFe Agilist or SAFe Lean Portfolio Manager

• PMI-ACP or other Agile delivery certifications

• Experience Requirements

• 5+ years in program management, portfolio governance, or enterprise PMO roles.

• 3+ years working directly with AI, machine learning, data-driven products, or enterprise technology governance.

• Demonstrated ability to support or lead:

• Cross-functional AI programs

• Risk assessment & remediation cycles

• Executive-level reporting and portfolio prioritization

• Capital project financials (OpEx/CapEx), business cases, ROI modeling

• Experience embedding Responsible AI frameworks or parallel technology governance frameworks, compliance programs, in organizations undergoing digital or AI transformation.

• Direct experience working with:

• Cybersecurity, Architecture, Procurement, Data Privacy, and Ethics teams

• Enterprise risk assessment frameworks

• Multi-stakeholder governance bodies (e.g., steering committees, strategy councils)

• Proven success delivering high-impact, high-visibility work in complex environments with competing priorities.

• Technical & Domain Competencies

• Strong foundational understanding of:

• Machine learning lifecycle

• AI model risks (bias, drift, data quality, privacy)

• MLOps/LLMOps concepts

• AI regulatory landscape (EU AI Act, U.S. Executive Orders, NIST RMF)

• Experience with enterprise platforms/tools for:

• Portfolio management (e.g., Jira Align, Aha!, Clarity PPM)

• Risk management systems

• KPI and value-tracking dashboards

• Workflow orchestration or automation tools (e.g., Power Automate, ServiceNow)#LI-MG1

Who we are:

At Pearson, our purpose is simple: to help people realize the life they imagine through learning. We believe that every learning opportunity is a chance for a personal breakthrough. We are the world's lifelong learning company. For us, learning isn't just what we do. It's who we are. To learn more: We are Pearson.

Pearson is an Equal Opportunity Employer and a member of E-Verify. Employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit and business need. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status or any other group protected by law. We actively seek qualified candidates who are protected veterans and individuals with disabilities as defined under VEVRAA and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act.

If you are an individual with a disability and are unable or limited in your ability to use or access our career site as a result of your disability, you may request reasonable accommodations by emailing View email address on click.appcast.io.

Job: Program Management

Job Family: ENTERPRISE

Organization: Corporate Strategy & Technology

Schedule: FULL_TIME

Workplace Type:

Req ID: 22326

#LI-REMOTE