Jahnel Group’s mission is to provide the absolute best environment for software creators to pursue their passion by connecting them with great clients doing meaningful work. This is a full time position with one of our closest clients.
Who We’re Looking For
Our client is seeking a Development & AI Strategy Manager to lead software delivery, data transformation, and AI innovation for a rapidly growing firm. The ideal candidate will bridge field operations and executive leadership by driving a governed, AWS-native data and AI strategy—while ensuring secure, compliant, and high-quality delivery at scale.
Primary Responsibilities
Software Delivery & Governance
- Own and prioritize the development backlog, balancing business value and technical feasibility
- Manage third-party vendors to ensure quality, velocity, and knowledge transfer
- Embed DevSecOps best practices and maintain SOX-compliant processes
- Track and report delivery metrics to improve speed, quality, and efficiency
Data Platform & Transformation
- Lead design and evolution of a governed data lakehouse
- Ensure high standards for data quality, lineage, and timeliness
- Build and enforce data governance frameworks (classification, access, retention, privacy)
- Migrate Excel-based workflows to scalable, automated solutions
- Enable secure self-service analytics across the organization
AI Strategy & Execution
- Define, prioritize, and operationalize the AI roadmap
- Deliver production-grade AI features: conversational insights, intelligent automation, predictive analytics
- Implement AI governance, including guardrails for LLM usage, bias mitigation, and compliance
- Partner with business teams to identify and deliver high-value AI use cases
Application & UX Leadership
- Oversee development of applications for diverse users: mobile-first field tools to executive dashboards
- Champion intuitive design, usability, and accessibility
- Modernize legacy systems, reduce technical debt, and implement cloud-native, API-first solutions
- Build developer enablement practices: reusable patterns, libraries, and documentation
Team & Vendor Leadership
- Lead, mentor, and grow a high-performing internal team across software, AI, and data disciplines
- Structure and manage relationships with external development partners
- Drive accountability, quality, and innovation across teams
- Foster a culture of collaboration, continuous learning, and measurable business impac
Skills and Qualifications
- 10+ years in software development, 5+ leading teams and vendor-managed delivery
- Experience in regulated environments (SOX, NIST, ISO 27001) and large backlog prioritization
- Skilled at communicating with technical teams and executives
- AWS-native development (Lambda, ECS, API Gateway, DynamoDB, RDS, S3)
- Infrastructure-as-code (CDK/Terraform), CI/CD pipelines, Python & Node.js
- Data engineering & lakehouse architecture, BI (PowerBI/QuickSight)
- Production AI: LLM-based features, AWS AI services, AI governance
- DevSecOps, SOX ITGC controls, NIST CSF 2.0
- Data governance: classification, access, lineage, audit logging
Preferred Qualifications
- Construction, engineering, field services, or project-based industry experience
(understand the business, not just the tech)
- Agile/SAFe certification and practical experience scaling agile
- Experience with various ERP systems, InEight, or similar construction management
platforms
- UX/UI design collaboration experience (working with designers to ensure usability)
- Open source contributions or technical thought leadership (blogs, conference talks, etc.)
- Advanced degree in Computer Science, Data Science, or related field
Where We’re Looking For It
- Houston, Texas, United States
- Onsite
Other Information
Quarterly job site visits (2-3 sites/quarter) to observe users in their environment, gather feedback, build empathy for field constraints. Occasional AWS events (re:Invent, Summits) or vendor conferences.
