AI Project & Operations Manager

Responsibilities

The AI Project & Operations Manager will oversee quarterly delivery commitments across engineering, R&D, and customer delivery teams while building scalable operational systems. This role involves coordinating cross-functional efforts to integrate manufacturing software and drive the transition from pilot deployments to repeatable, scalable launch models.

Requirements

Candidates must have 10+ years of experience managing complex technology projects and leading coordinated planning across technical teams. Proven expertise in deploying manufacturing software like MES or MOM/MOS and proficiency with project management tools such as Jira or Azure DevOps are required.

Skills

• Project Management
• Operations Management
• AI Software
• Manufacturing Execution Systems
• MOM/MOS
• Stakeholder Management
• Strategic Planning
• Data Science Coordination
• Azure DevOps
• Jira
• KPI Development
• Process Improvement
• Cross-functional Leadership
• Risk Management
• Industrial Automation
• Change Management

About this role

Company Overview

Imagine Everything. Build the Future with Hexion. 

At Hexion, we push boundaries, rethink possibilities, and create real impact. We activate science to deliver progress—developing breakthrough solutions that strengthen industries, protect communities, and drive a more sustainable future. 

This is where bold thinkers, problem-solvers, and innovators come together to shape what’s next. Whether you're engineering advanced materials, transforming manufacturing technologies, or leading strategic innovation, your ideas and actions leave a lasting mark. We cultivate an inclusive culture of growth, collaboration, and accountability, ensuring every contribution propels us forward. 

We don’t follow the status quo—we challenge it, disrupt it, and improve it. Every role at Hexion is part of something bigger. 

We invest in innovation, sustainability, and continuous development—equipping you with the tools, training, and opportunities to excel. With an unwavering commitment to safety, partnership, belonging, and impact, we empower you to lead change and strengthen industries worldwide. 

Your Future Starts Here. 

If you’re ready to push limits, reimagine what’s possible, and create the extraordinary, Hexion is where you belong. 

Anything is possible when you imagine everything. 
Position Overview

The AI Project & Operations Manager is a hands-on senior individual contributor responsible for driving current-quarter delivery while building the operating systems that improve future execution. The role combines end-to-end technology program management with business and delivery operations across Smartech AI. 
 

Smartech AI develops AI software for wood panel mills, including oriented strand board (OSB), particleboard and medium-density fiberboard (MDF) operations. Its Board Health platform gives mills real-time visibility into sources of value loss across flow, moisture, furnish, adhesive, cure and board quality. With the platform live at its first mill, this role will help move the business from pilot deployment to a repeatable, scalable launch model. 
 

This individual will align Platform and IT, R&D, and Customer Delivery through clear priorities, disciplined planning, operating cadence and consistent follow-through. The role leads through influence and execution rather than formal headcount authority.
Job Responsibilities

Own quarterly commitments across engineering, R&D and customer delivery, including scope, schedules, dependencies, risks, decisions and stakeholder reporting.
Lead coordinated planning across multiple technical and delivery teams, translating shared priorities into executable plans with clear owners and milestones. 
Identify at-risk initiatives early and develop recovery plans that align stakeholders, resolve dependencies and restore delivery confidence. 
Establish and run the operating cadence for the business, including planning cycles, business reviews, decision tracking and action follow-through. 
Build and maintain executive-ready KPIs and dashboards that provide visibility into delivery progress, operational health, risks and business outcomes. 
Design practical processes, handoffs and playbooks that support repeatable customer launches and scale as the organization grows. 
Connect the Platform and IT team responsible for cloud data architecture, plant connectivity and deployment with the R&D and Customer Delivery teams, coordinating the integration and deployment of manufacturing software - including Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) and Manufacturing Operations Management (MOM/MOS) platforms - and supporting operational adoption in plant environments. 
Coordinate a globally distributed data science and modeling organization, including team members in Israel, across time zones and functional boundaries. 
Partner with customer success managers and forward-deployed engineers to support mill connectivity, training, adoption and value realization. 
Use tools such as Azure DevOps or Jira to create transparency, manage execution and maintain accountability across workstreams. 
Communicate complex delivery issues, trade-offs, risks and decisions clearly to engineers, field teams, customers and senior leaders. 
Continuously improve the operating model by applying lessons learned from current deployments to future planning and launch execution. 
Competencies
KPIs

On-time delivery of quarterly commitments across engineering, R&D and customer delivery. 
Improved visibility and predictability of milestones, dependencies, risks, decisions and actions. 
Recovery and stabilization of at-risk workstreams. 
Adoption and effectiveness of operating cadences, dashboards, handoffs and playbooks. 
Reduction in avoidable delivery friction between platform, modeling and customer-facing teams. 
Increasing repeatability and scalability of customer launch and mill deployment processes. 
Clear executive understanding of delivery status, operating health and priority trade-offs. 

Leadership Competencies

Execution Discipline: Translates priorities into clear plans, maintains momentum and follows through on commitments. 
Cross-Functional Influence: Aligns technical, R&D and customer-facing stakeholders without relying on formal authority. 
Operational Excellence: Builds practical rhythms, tools and processes that improve consistency, transparency and scale. 
Risk and Dependency Management: Surfaces issues early, clarifies trade-offs and drives timely decisions. 
Customer Orientation: Connects internal delivery work to successful implementation, adoption and customer value. 
Clear Communication: Communicates concisely and credibly with engineers, field teams, customers and senior leaders. 
Continuous Improvement: Turns lessons from current-quarter execution into a stronger operating model for future quarters. 
Learning Agility: Builds fluency in industrial manufacturing, plant connectivity and AI-enabled software delivery. 

Minimum Qualifications

10+ years of ...

About Hexion

Chemical Manufacturing · 1,001-5,000 employees · headquartered in Columbus, OH