Technical Delivery Manager (TDM) for AI/ML Engagements

Innodata (Nasdaq: INOD), a global data engineering company, specializes in enabling responsible AI advancement through data, evaluation frameworks, and expertise. They provide solutions, platforms, and services for Generative AI and AI builders.

Scope of the Role:

We are seeking a Technical Delivery Manager (TDM) to oversee end-to-end program management for AI/ML engagements, covering ML model development, training, fine-tuning, LLM-based solutions, data pipelines, model evaluation, and broader AI/ML workflows. This role acts as the single point of contact (SPOC) for clients and coordinates internally across CXOs, practice heads, engineering, hiring, and operations teams.

What You’ll Own:

Program & Delivery Management:

• Own the end-to-end delivery roadmap for AI/ML programs, including ML model development, training/fine-tuning, LLM implementations, and model evaluation workstreams.
• Translate client requirements and business goals into structured delivery plans, milestones, and success metrics.
• Track scope, timelines, budgets, and resourcing across multiple concurrent AI/ML projects; proactively flag slippages and drive corrective action.
• Establish and maintain governance cadences (status reviews, steering committee updates, sprint/iteration reviews) across all active engagements.

Client & Stakeholder Management:

• Serve as the single SPOC for clients, managing relationships from day-to-day points of contact through to CXO-level stakeholders.
• Run regular client check-ins, business reviews, and escalation calls; present delivery status, risks, and outcomes.
• Ensure client expectations are clearly captured, documented, and continuously validated against what is actually being built and delivered.
• Build trusted advisor relationships that support account growth and renewal.

Cross-Functional Orchestration:

• Act as the connective tissue between practice heads, engineering teams, hiring/talent acquisition, and operations, ensuring everyone is aligned on delivery plans and priorities.
• Coordinate staffing and hiring pipelines with TA/HR to ensure the right talent is available for project ramp-up.
• Work with practice/technical leads to validate solution approaches, technical feasibility, and effort estimates before commitments are made to clients.
• Partner with operations on resourcing, utilization, invoicing/billing milestones, and contractual compliance.

Risk, Quality & Proactive Issue Management:

• Proactively identify delivery risks (technical, resourcing, scope, timeline) early and drive mitigation plans before they escalate.
• Anticipate client concerns based on program signals and act ahead of formal escalation.
• Own issue/escalation management end-to-end, coordinating internal teams to resolve problems quickly and communicating transparently with clients.
• Drive continuous improvement in delivery processes, templates, and playbooks based on lessons learned across engagements.

Reporting & Governance:

• Maintain accurate, real-time visibility into program health for internal leadership and client stakeholders.
• Prepare and present executive-level dashboards and reviews to both client and internal leadership.
• Ensure contractual SLAs, deliverable timelines, and commercial commitments are tracked and met.

You’ll Thrive in This Role If You Have:

• A Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Computer Science, or related field; an MBA or equivalent is a plus.
• Prior experience in an IT services, consulting, or AI/ML solutions provider environment (client-delivery model, not just internal product teams).
• Exposure to LLM/GenAI project delivery, specifically RAG pipelines, fine-tuning, agentic workflows, evaluation frameworks.
• 8+ years of experience in technical program/delivery management, with at least 2–3 years specifically managing AI/ML, data science, or data engineering programs.
• Demonstrated experience being the primary client-facing SPOC for enterprise or CXO-level stakeholders.
• Strong working knowledge of the ML/AI project lifecycle: model training/fine-tuning, LLM-based solution delivery, model evaluation, and MLOps concepts.
• Proven ability to manage multiple concurrent, cross-functional programs in a matrixed environment (engineering, practice/technical teams, hiring, operations).
• Excellent executive communication and presentation skills; comfortable translating technical detail into business impact for CXO audiences.
• Experience with program/delivery tooling (e.g., Jira, Asana, MS Project, Confluence) and reporting/dashboarding tools.