Description

• Design and manage the lifecycle of innovation deliverables, defining clear operational pathways for how a project moves from "loose experiment" to "reliable internal tool."
• Remove friction from the development process, ensuring that Creative Technologists and Engineers have the infrastructure and processes they need to build and iterate rapidly.
• Oversee the operational rollout of new AI agents and workflows to the broader agency, ensuring that innovation translates into tangible efficiency gains for account and creative teams.

• Partner with Product Management to provide operational structure to the roadmap, ensuring that R&D efforts are resourced realistically and aligned with the agency’s broader strategic priorities.
• Establish agile-inspired frameworks for delivery that allow for iteration and discovery, rather than rigid waterfall adherence.
• Facilitate cross-functional collaboration, acting as the connector who ensures that our AI solutions are actually solving the right problems for our internal partners and clients.

• Manage the AI investment budget, overseeing technology costs (compute, tokens, enterprise licensing) and optimizing spend to maximize the agency's R&D runway.
• Move beyond standard profitability metrics to define and track the true ROI of our work (e.g., hours saved, speed-to-market acceleration, quality improvements).
• Oversee resource allocation for the team, protecting time for deep-work exploration while ensuring we deliver on critical internal milestones.

• Partner with Agency Legal, Governance, and Policy roles to co-develop frameworks that enable innovation while managing risk.
• Act as the implementation lead for compliance, ensuring that necessary guardrails are built into our operations and tools seamlessly, rather than acting as bottlenecks.
• Champion the ethical application of technology, fostering a culture where speed and responsibility go hand in hand. 

• Minimum of 8–10 years of experience in project management and operations, program management, or innovation management, preferably within an agency or technology environment.
• The "Change" Mindset: Understanding that this team’s "client" is often the agency itself. You have experience managing internal transformation initiatives or R&D programs where success is measured by value.
• The AI Literacy: You understand the operational realities of the modern AI stack (APIs, token usage, model fine-tuning) and how to budget for them.
• The Connector: Proven ability to partner with diverse stakeholders—from Product Managers and Engineers to Legal and Finance—to drive consensus and move complex initiatives forward.
• The Tools: Proficiency in operational platforms (e.g., Jira, Asana, Workfront) and the ability to use data to tell the story of the team's impact.
• The Leadership: Excellent communication and executive leadership skills, with the ability to advocate for new ways of working in a matrixed organization.

Don’t meet every single requirement? That’s okay! Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At Fingerpaint, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align perfectly, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles! Our team of qualified recruiters can match you with the right opportunity. Fingerpaint Group provides equal employment [and affirmative action] opportunities to all applicants and employees. We are proud to recruit qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, age, ethnic or national origin, protected veteran status, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, or citizenship status.