Manager, AI Operations

Holland America Group · Seattle · $89,600–$150,000 (stated in the posting)

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Holland America Line has been exploring the world since 1873. Our ships offer innovative features and enriching experiences focused on destination exploration and personalized travel, inviting guests to savor the journey. 

The Manager, AI Operations establishes and leads the business-side operating function required to turn enterprise AI capabilities into measurable, adopted, and sustainable ways of working. This role bridges AI Innovation, IT, PMO, commercial/product stakeholders, and business operations by defining the value case for AI work, translating scaled technology into operational implementation plans, and building the change, training, readiness, hypercare, and sustainment practices that enable teams to use AI effectively. As AI adoption expands, this leader will develop the standards, processes, tools, routines, and team capabilities needed to scale AI implementation across the organization. The role manages direct reports, provides strategic and operational leadership through ambiguity, and ensures AI initiatives move beyond pilots and technology delivery to realized business outcomes.

Here’s a summary of what Holland America Line is looking for.  Is this you? 

Responsibilities:

AI Operations Strategy & Operating Model

• Establish the business-side AI Operations function, including its service model, intake criteria, implementation standards, readiness criteria, launch playbooks, and success measures.

• Define how AI solutions transition from innovation and IT scaling into business ownership, including roles, responsibilities, decision rights, handoff requirements, support models, and sustainment expectations.

• Build repeatable frameworks for AI operational readiness, including process impacts, workflow changes, role impacts, controls, adoption risks, training needs, communications needs, data considerations, and support requirements.

• Develop the organizational skillsets required to implement AI at scale, including AI change management, adoption analytics, prompt/tool usage standards, human-in-the-loop operations, business process redesign, and responsible AI ways of working.

• Lead and coach direct reports responsible for implementation planning, adoption support, KPI tracking, training coordination, stakeholder readiness, and operational sustainment.

• Anticipate future AI operating needs as adoption expands and proactively build scalable tools, processes, templates, and capabilities that can be reused across brands, functions, and teams.

Business Implementation

• Own the business implementation plan for AI capabilities after IT scaling, including launch planning, stakeholder readiness, business cutover, operational communications, training approach, support model, and hypercare execution.

• Translate AI capabilities into practical business usage by defining who will use the tool, when it will be used, what decisions or workflows it supports, what behaviors need to change, and how performance will be measured.

• Partner with business operations, functional leaders, learning/training teams, IT, and AI Innovation to develop enablement content, job aids, user guidance, FAQs, readiness checklists, office hours, and adoption support materials.

• Lead change-impact assessments and stakeholder adoption plans for AI initiatives, including readiness risks, resistance points, workforce implications, governance requirements, and operational dependencies.

• Manage hypercare after launch, including issue triage, user feedback loops, adoption monitoring, escalation paths, enhancement requests, and transition to steady-state support.

• Ensure AI implementations are usable, supportable, and embedded into day-to-day business processes rather than remaining isolated tools or one-time pilots.

Product Sustainment & Continuous Improvement

• Define sustainment requirements for AI-enabled tools and processes, including ownership, documentation, support channels, refresh cadence, usage monitoring, escalation paths, and enhancement governance.

• Build feedback mechanisms to understand user experience, adoption barriers, process friction, content gaps, quality issues, and opportunities for automation or workflow redesign.

• Partner with IT and AI Innovation to ensure business feedback, operational defects, usage patterns, and enhancement opportunities are incorporated into product backlogs and lifecycle planning.

• Establish operational controls for responsible use, including user guidance, approval paths, data handling expectations, auditability needs, human review points, and alignment with enterprise AI governance.

• Maintain implementation assets and knowledge repositories so teams can reuse proven approaches, avoid duplicated effort, and scale AI adoption more consistently.

• Drive continuous improvement of the AI Operations function by assessing what worked, what did not, and how future deployments can be faster, safer, clearer, and more valuable.

Knowledge & Skills:

• Scope: The Manager, AI Operations establishes and leads the business-side operating function required to turn enterprise AI capabilities into measurable, adopted, and sustainable ways of working. This role bridges AI Innovation, IT, PMO, commercial/product stakeholders, and business operations by defining the value case for AI work, translating scaled technology into operational implementation plans, and building the change, training, readiness, hypercare, and sustainment practices that enable teams to use AI effectively. As AI adoption expands, this leader will develop the standards, processes, tools, routines, and team capabilities needed to scale AI implementation across the organization. The role manages direct reports, provides strategic and operational leadership through ambiguity, and ensures AI initiatives move beyond pilots and technology delivery to realized business outcomes.

• Problem solving: Solves complex, ambiguous, and often unprecedented implementation challenges where AI technology, business process, workforce readiness, operational risk, adoption behavior, and value measurement intersect. Translates unclear or emerging AI opportunities into structured business cases, KPI frameworks, operating requirements, change plans, and sustainment models. Anticipates downstream barriers before launch and develops practical solutions when no established playbook exists.

• Impact: Has significant influence on whether AI investments move from concept and technology delivery into adopted, measurable, and scalable business outcomes. Provides decisions and recommendations that affect portfolio prioritization, business readiness, implementation sequencing, adoption effectiveness, operational continuity, employee capability, benefit realization, and the organization’s long-term ability to implement AI responsibly and repeatedly.   

• Leadership: Provides direct supervision, coaching, prioritization, workload management, and capability development for AI Operations team members. Leads through influence with senior stakeholders and cross-functional teams, often without direct authority, to align implementation plans, adoption expectations, value measures, support models, and decision-making. Builds a team culture focused on disciplined execution, practical business adoption, responsible AI use, continuous learning, and scalable operating practices.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree in Accounting, Information Technology, or related field; advanced Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Operations, Technology Management, Change Management, Organizational Effectiveness, Product Management, Analytics, or related field required; advanced degree preferred.

• • Demonstrated ability to build new operational capabilities, frameworks, processes, or teams in a changing business environment.

• • Strong understanding of business case development, KPI design, benefits realization, change management, implementation planning, and operational readiness.

• • Experience leading direct reports and developing team capabilities, performance, priorities, and ways of working.

• • Ability to partner effectively with technology, product, PMO, operations, learning/training, analytics, and senior business stakeholders.

• • Familiarity with AI, automation, digital transformation, product lifecycle, or technology implementation preferred; hands-on AI development experience is not required.

Essential Experience Required:

• 8+ years of progressive experience in business operations, transformation, implementation, change management, PMO, product operations, technology adoption, consulting, or related roles.

• 3+ years of people leadership experience or equivalent experience leading cross-functional teams, workstreams, or implementation teams.

• Experience developing business cases, KPIs, adoption metrics, benefits tracking, executive updates, or portfolio prioritization inputs.

• Experience implementing new tools, processes, operating models, or technology-enabled capabilities into business teams, including training, communications, readiness, launch, hypercare, and sustainment.

• Experience operating in ambiguous or emerging domains where processes, roles, governance, and success measures must be created rather than inherited.

• Experience working with IT, product, analytics, or digital teams to transition capabilities from build/scaling into business adoption and ongoing operations.

Travel: No or very little travel likely

Work Conditions: Work primarily in a climate-controlled environment with minimal safety/health hazard potential.

Physical Demands Work primarily in a climate-controlled environment with minimal safety/health hazard potential..

This position is classified as “in-office.”  As an in-office role, it requires employees to work from a designated Carnival office in South Florida OR Seattle Monday through Thursday each week. 

What You Can Expect  

• Cruise and Travel Privileges for You and Your Family 
• Health Benefits 
• 401(k)  
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan  
• Training & Professional Development 
• Tuition & Professional Certification Reimbursement 
• Base Salary Range: $89,600to $150,000 The range is applicable for the labor market where the role is intended to be hired. Final base salary is directly related to each candidate’s qualifications and experience uniquely. 

Our Culture…Stronger Together 

Our highest responsibility and top priority is compliance, environmental protection and the health, safety and well-being of our guests, the people in the communities we touch and serve, and our shipboard and shoreside employees.  Please visit our site to learn more about our Culture Essentials, Corporate Vision Statement and our Core Values at: https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/our-company/mission-values.html 
 
Holland America is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances. 

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)  

Holland America will provide reasonable accommodations with the application process, upon your request, as required to comply with applicable laws.  If you have a disability and require assistance in this application process, please contact recruiting@hollandamericagroup.com 
 

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