Development & AI Strategy Manager

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.

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.

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

• 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

• 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

• Glastonbury, Connecticut 
• Hybrid

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.