Senior Project Manager (AI Adoption)

Senior Project Manager (AI Adoption) Retail Hybrid in London (3 days per week onsite) 3 months+ £650 - £700 per day

In short: We're seeking a strong IT PM with experience of AI adoption to join a large business area in a new, AI rollout. You'll be tracking, reporting, chasing and supporting the Product Teams.

Role purpose

The IT Project Manager (TPM) provides the delivery leadership and coordination needed to embed AI safely and effectively across the business. The role connects business, product, technology, data, security, People and change teams, translating adoption priorities into an integrated programme that equips colleagues to use approved AI tools and capabilities with confidence.

The TPM drives delivery across adoption initiatives, maintaining alignment to priorities, governance expectations, colleague needs and intended benefits. They enable clear decisions, manage dependencies and risks, and ensure that AI adoption delivers measurable improvements to ways of working, colleague experience and business outcomes.

Key accountabilities

Adoption and programme management

• Partner with leaders and cross business teams to translate AI adoption goals into clear outcomes, roadmaps, milestones and priorities.
• Maintain an integrated programme plan across AI tools, use cases, learning, change, communications, support and measurement workstreams.
• Provide a single view of adoption progress, colleague readiness, dependencies, decisions, risks and expected value.
• Prioritise adoption activity using colleague and business needs, potential value, readiness, technical feasibility, capacity, risk and responsible-AI considerations.
• Adapt the adoption approach using feedback, usage evidence, emerging needs and changes in AI technology or policy.

Delivery and orchestration

• Coordinate delivery across multidisciplinary teams and clarify ownership, target colleague groups, adoption outcomes, interfaces and critical milestones.
• Establish effective delivery rhythms for pilots, enablement, rollout, communications, learning, support and benefits tracking.
• Identify and actively manage dependencies, constraints, assumptions, risks and issues that could affect adoption or colleague experience.
• Drive resolution of blockers and facilitate timely decisions where business priorities, readiness or resources compete.
• Manage scope and change control while protecting intended adoption outcomes and benefits.
• Coordinate demand, capacity, suppliers, rollout cohorts, budgets and forecasts as required.

Governance, assurance and safe adoption

• Operate proportionate programme governance and produce concise, decision-focused reporting on rollout, adoption, value and risks.
• Ensure adopted tools and use cases follow relevant technology, architecture, data, cyber, privacy, legal, procurement and financial controls.
• Embed responsible-AI principles, human oversight and safe-use standards into learning, communications, pilots and rollout activities.
• Maintain transparent records of adoption decisions, commitments, risks, exceptions and actions.
• Escalate material delivery, adoption, value, ethical or operational concerns with clear options and recommendations.

Essential

• Strong experience leading complex technology adoption, digital change or transformation programmes across multiple teams and business areas.
• Demonstrated ability to convert adoption goals into executable plans, colleague journeys, governance and measurable outcomes.
• Strong programme management capability, including integrated planning, dependency management, rollout coordination, financial oversight, risk management and executive reporting.
• Experience working with technology partners, product, engineering, data, architecture, cyber, service, change, learning and business stakeholders including managing dependencies across groups.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, influencing and negotiation skills, including with senior leaders.
• Ability to work through ambiguity, create structure and make progress in a fast-changing environment.
• Commercial awareness and the judgement to balance pace, value, quality, risk and sustainability.
• Understanding of responsible AI, data governance, privacy, security, accessibility and technology assurance.

Desirable

• Experience delivering adoption of AI, productivity, data, automation or other emerging-technology capabilities.
• Experience of colleague enablement, enterprise adoption, capability building, communications or ways-of-working change.

Candidates will ideally show evidence of the above in their CV in order to be considered.
Please be advised if you haven't heard from us within 48 hours then unfortunately your application has not been successful on this occasion, we may however keep your details on file for any suitable future vacancies and contact you accordingly. Pontoon is an employment consultancy and operates as an equal opportunities employer.

We use generative AI tools to support our candidate screening process. This helps us ensure a fair, consistent, and efficient experience for all applicants. Rest assured, all final decisions are made by our hiring team, and your application will be reviewed with care and attention.