Applied Innovation Lab Manager/AI Center of Excellence

$78,500 - $95,000 Remote: No Job Summary The Applied Innovation Lab Manager leads the intake, evaluation, development, and delivery of applied AI projects within the AI Center of Excellence. This position works directly with students and with students, faculty, staff, business, community, and university partners to assess AI opportunities, define project scope, coordinate resources, and manage projects from initiation through completion. The Manager oversees the Lab's project portfolio, ensuring projects are delivered effectively while supporting student engagement, external partnerships, and the university's mission of student-led innovation and regional workforce development. Essential Duties Guide student-led teams in developing innovative AI and technology solutions to real-world challenges submitted by business, community, and university partners. Provide project structure, mentorship, resources, and coordination while ensuring students maintain meaningful ownership of the solution-development process. Manage approved projects from initiation through completion, including project scope, milestones, schedules, deliverables, resources, budgets, risks, and stakeholder expectations. Ensure projects provide high-quality experiential learning opportunities while meeting partner needs. Lead the intake and evaluation of proposed university, business, and community challenges to determine feasibility, AI suitability, educational value, resource requirements, and alignment with AI Center of Excellence priorities. Translate approved challenges into clearly defined projects appropriate for student-led teams. Serve as a primary liaison among student teams, faculty, AI COE staff, technical experts, and external partners. Facilitate discovery sessions, project meetings, feedback, and communication to ensure students have the expertise and support necessary for successful project delivery. Provide students with training and mentorship in innovation processes, project management, and communication techniques, and ensure that students have adequate technical training to succeed in their experiential learning activities including successful project delivery at the AI COE. In partnership with AI COE staff, maintain the Applied Innovation Lab project pipeline and monitor project progress, student participation, partner satisfaction, resource utilization, and project outcomes. Provide regular reporting to AI COE leadership and continuously improve Lab processes to expand student experiential learning and applied innovation opportunities. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Knowledge Project and program management principles, including scope, schedule, budget, resource, risk, and milestone management. Artificial intelligence technologies, applications, capabilities, limitations, and responsible AI practices. Methods for evaluating business challenges, technical feasibility, and potential AI use cases. Skills Managing multiple projects, priorities, deadlines, and stakeholders simultaneously. Developing project scopes, Statements of Work (SOWs), project plans, budgets, timelines, and performance measures. Analyzing complex problems and translating business, community, or organizational needs into actionable project requirements. Communicating effectively in writing and verbally with technical and non-technical stakeholders. Facilitating project meetings, partner discussions, and interdisciplinary teams. Abilities Assess project feasibility, identify risks, and recommend appropriate courses of action. Build and maintain effective relationships with students, faculty, staff, business and community partners, industry partners, and other stakeholders. Coordinate resources across staff, faculty, students, technical experts, vendors, and external partners. Monitor project performance, analyze results, and communicate project and portfolio status to leadership and stakeholders. Work independently, exercise sound judgment, adapt to changing priorities, and successfully manage competing demands. Minimum Qualifications Bachelor's degree in Business, Project Management, Information Technology, Computer Science, Data Science, A.I. or a related field. Three (3) years of progressively responsible experience in project or program management, including experience managing technical, technology, or innovation-focused projects. An equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to successfully perform the essential functions of the position may be considered in lieu of the stated requirements. EEO Statement All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or status as a protected veteran. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Angelo State University is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to ensure equal access to employment opportunities for qualified individuals with disabilities. We are committed to ensuring that a qualified individual with a disability has the same rights and privileges in employment as non-disabled employees. If an accommodation is requested for the job application process, please contact our office at (325) 942-2168 or email us at hr@angelo.edu . Posting Number: S1183P Open Date: 10/06/2026 Open Until Filled: Yes Organization About Angelo State University Located in the heart of Texas, Angelo State University is a dynamic institution of higher education and the second-largest campus in the Texas Tech University System. A regional comprehensive institution granting bachelor's and master's degrees and four doctorates, Angelo State has been recognized annually by The Princeton Review as one of the nation's "Best Colleges" since 2010 and by the Chronicle of Higher Education one of the "Great Colleges to Work For" since 2015. Serving more than 12,000 students, ASU offers more than 100 majors and concentrations through our six colleges. As more than half of ASU's graduates each year are first-generation college students, they bring the motivation and work ethic that complement the commitment of ASU's faculty to teaching and scholarship. ASU's community of professionals is dedicated to preparing students to strive for success in their careers, to contribute to the growth of their communities, whether local or global, and to pursue the common good of society. ASU's 19:1 student-to-faculty ratio provides for personalized learning and results in accomplished graduates. The success of ASU alumni in graduate and professional school is superb and best exemplified by the average acceptance rate of 80 percent for medical school, compared to the national average of 45 percent. Angelo State is an NCAA Division II and Lone Star Conference member with highly competitive men's and women's athletics teams in 15 sports. The ASU Rams baseball team won the 2023 NCAA Division II National Championship, the fifth national title in school history. Location San Angelo is at the center of a thriving community of 100,000 people in west-central Texas. It straddles the boundary between the Texas Hill Country and West Texas and offers the amenities of both, including rivers, lakes and boundless skies with dramatic sunsets. Situated on the banks of the Concho River, San Angelo has been named an "Outstanding Main Street City" by the National Main Street Center and one of the nation's "Best Small Places for Businesses and Careers" by Forbes magazine. The city has commuter air service from American Airlines and is within comfortable driving distance of Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio and Lubbock. San Angelo offers the amenities of big city living with the slower pace, affordable cost of living and friendliness of a small town. With a host of shopping outlets, restaurants, arts, cultural events, movies, and outdoor recreation and family-oriented events, San Angelo has something for all tastes and interests. History The institution was founded in 1928 as San Angelo Junior College and then changed the name to San Angelo College in 1932. The campus was moved from its original downtown location to its current site in 1948. By an act of the 58th Session of the Texas Legislature, the institution was designated as Angelo State College in 1965, the year it became a four-year, state-supported institution. The name was changed to Angelo State University in 1969. On Sept. 1, 2007, Angelo State University became a member of the Texas Tech University System. Academics Angelo State offers on-campus and online courses through six colleges: Arts and Humanities; Business; Education; Health and Human Services; Science and Engineering; and Graduate Studies and Research. The university is recognized for its strong undergraduate programs overall, and its computer science and commercial aviation programs recently earned prestigious certifications from the National Security Agency and Federal Aviation Administration, respectively. ASU also features a vibrant Honors Program, support programs for first-generation and former foster care students, and a thriving Center for International Studies. The university is also known for incorporating faculty-mentored research into many undergraduate offerings. Students from academic departments across campus annually present their research projects at ASU's Student Research Symposium, and many of them also travel to present their findings at professional conferences at the regional and national levels. Additionally, competitive student academic teams regularly win top awards in such fields as animal science and agriculture, civil and mechanical engineering, political science, business management and artificial intelligence. Campus Angelo State University's campus is situated on 274 acres in the center of San Angelo and is lined with native live oak and pecan trees. In addition to being one of the prettiest campuses in the region, it is one of the safest in Texas and features ultramodern facilities with state-of-the-art technology support. ASU is home to one of only two State of Texas Data Centers, which provide sophisticated computer processing and disaster recovery services for agencies and universities, and to the state's first Regional Security Operations Center that provides cybersecurity services for municipal and state agencies and private entities. The university's newest facility, The Nexus at Angelo State, will further enhance ASU's research, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence infrastructure. It will consolidate our Research and Innovation Hub, Kay Bailey Hutchison Institute, AI Center of Excellence and Regional Security Operations Center into one central location. Additionally, the university operates the 6,000-acre ASU Ranch with a Management, Instruction and Research Center that includes state-of-the-art instructional and lab facilities for meat production, food safety, animal science, ag education and agribusiness. Working at Angelo State University Community and Ram Family are terms often used to describe Angelo State University. These apply directly to the work culture, where fundamental traits such as a strong work ethic, communication, caring, loyalty, teamwork and integrity permeate the organization of approximately 1,100 employees. While traditions exist at ASU, so does vision, vision to improve programs and to adapt to society's needs. Angelo State University offers comprehensive benefits, retirement and work/life programs designed to meet the needs of employees and their families. Employee amenities include fitness and dining facilities, tuition reimbursement for staff members, dependent scholarships and free internet access service. Angelo State University offers job opportunities in teaching, information technology, athletics, student programs and administrative support, to name a few. The university's employee community is dedicated to preparing and supporting students to discover the potential in their lives and their communities. ASU invites interested individuals to search for job opportunities at angelo.edu . Angelo State University is an equal opportunity employer and seeks to build a workforce representative of its community.