Assistant Ai Project Management Jobs in California

The Senior AI Project Manager is a high-autonomy, technically grounded individual contributor-leading role responsible for driving the end-to-end delivery of complex, multi-disciplinary artificial intelligence business development use-cases and initiatives. Operating with minimal oversight, this individual owns the full project lifecycle, from discovery and scoping through deployment and continuous improvement, while simultaneously advancing organizational AI maturity, governance practices, and cross-functional alignment.
The ideal candidate brings hands-on experience in software development or AI/ML development, has transitioned into or alongside project and program management, and is equally fluent in technical architecture discussions and executive stakeholder communications. This person thrives in ambiguous, fast-moving environments, proactively identifies risk, and continuously improves delivery frameworks, ideally, using Agile, Six Sigma, or data-driven retrospective practice
Primary job responsibilities include:
Serve as the primary accountability point for AI Assist for Capture project status across technical teams, business stakeholders, and executive sponsors, adapting communication depth and style to each audience while maintaining full fidelity to program health.
Own the complete lifecycle of business development AI/ML projects from initiation and requirements definition through delivery, hypercare, and lessons-learned retrospectives, operating independently with authority to make scoping and prioritization decisions.
Define and maintain comprehensive project artifacts, charters, WBS, risk registers, resource plans, and executive dashboards, tailored for technical AI initiatives.
Establish and enforce clear milestones, success criteria, and acceptance frameworks, ensuring all AI project outputs meet defined quality, performance, and compliance standards before release.
Apply earned value management (EVM), critical path analysis, and schedule compression techniques to maintain delivery velocity against aggressive timelines.
Mentor junior project managers and technical leads, champion Agile and continuous improvement practices across delivery teams, and evaluate AI tooling and vendor solutions-presenting data-backed findings and recommendations to leadership.
Basic Qualifications
10+ years of combined experience in software/AI development and technical project or program management, with at least 5 years dedicated to managing complex technology initiatives independently.
Demonstrated hands-on background in software engineering, data science, ML engineering, or a closely related technical discipline-capable of reading code, reviewing architecture diagrams, and engaging credibly with engineers on implementation tradeoffs.
Proven command of Agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban, SAFe) with demonstrated ability to adapt frameworks to research-intensive and experimental AI workstreams.
Proficiency with modern project management and collaboration tooling (e.g., Jira, Confluence, Azure DevOps, GitHub Projects, Smartsheet) and data visualization platforms (e.g., Tableau, Power BI).
Bachelor's degree in computer science, Engineering, Information Systems, or a related discipline, or equivalent combination of education and professional experience.
Ability to acquire and retain a TS/SCI clearance
Desired skills
Active TS/SCI clearance.
Master's degree or advanced certification in AI/ML, Computer Science, Data Engineering, or a related field.
PMP, PgMP, or PMI-ACP certification; Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt.
Direct experience managing AI/ML model development and deployment pipelines in production cloud environments (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud Platform).
Familiarity with MLOps practices and tooling (e.g., MLflow, Kubeflow, SageMaker, Vertex AI) and their integration into Agile delivery workflows.
Experience in defense, aerospace, intelligence, or other regulated industries where AI governance and security requirements are paramount.
Track record of delivering AI programs exceeding $5M in budget or spanning multiple geographically distributed teams.
Experience standing up or scaling an AI Center of Excellence (CoE), PMO, or delivery framework from inception.
Demonstrated contributions to AI ethics, responsible AI practices, or AI policy within an organizational context.
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with a demonstrated ability to synthesize technical complexity into clear, concise executive narratives.
Practical Six Sigma or Lean experience applied to technology delivery processes; ability to conduct structured root cause analysis and drive measurable process improvement.
#SpaceSBD
EEO
Lockheed Martin is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified candidates will be considered without regard to legally protected characteristics.
The application window will close in 90 days; applicants are encouraged to apply within 5 - 30 days of the requisition posting date in order to receive optimal consideration.
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At Lockheed Martin, we use our passion for purposeful innovation to help keep people safe and solve the world's most complex challenges. Our people are some of the greatest minds in the industry and truly make Lockheed Martin a great place to work.
With our employees as our priority, we provide diverse career opportunities designed to propel, develop, and boost agility. Our flexible schedules, competitive pay, and comprehensive benefits enable our employees to live a healthy, fulfilling life at and outside of work. We place an emphasis on empowering our employees by fostering an inclusive environment built upon integrity and corporate responsibility.
If this sounds like a culture you connect with, you're invited to apply for this role. Or, if you are unsure whether your experience aligns with the requirements of this position, we encourage you to search on Lockheed Martin Jobs, and apply for roles that align with your qualifications.
Other Important Information
By applying to this job, you are expressing interest in this position and could be considered for other career opportunities where similar skills and requirements have been identified as a match. Should this match be identified you may be contacted for this and future openings.
Work Schedule Information
Lockheed Martin supports a variety of alternate work schedules that provide additional flexibility to our employees. Schedules range from standard 40 hours over a five day work week while others may be condensed. These condensed schedules provide employees with additional time away from the office and are in addition to our Paid Time off benefits.
National Pay Statement
Pay Rate: The annual base salary range for this position in California, Massachusetts, and New York (excluding most major metropolitan areas), Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, Vermont, Washington or Washington DC is $128,400 - $226,435. For states not referenced above, the salary range for this position will reflect the candidate's final work location. Please note that the salary information is a general guideline only. Lockheed Martin considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's work experience, education/ training, key skills as well as market and business considerations when extending an offer.
Benefits offered: Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, 401(k) match, Flexible Spending Accounts, EAP, Education Assistance, Parental Leave, Paid time off, and Holidays.
(Washington state applicants only) Non-represented full-time employees: accrue at least 10 hours per month of Paid Time Off (PTO) to be used for incidental absences and other reasons; receive at least 90 hours for holidays. Represented full time employees accrue 6.67 hours of Vacation per month; accrue up to 52 hours of sick leave annually; receive at least 96 hours for holidays. PTO, Vacation, sick leave, and holiday hours are prorated based on start date during the calendar year.
This position is incentive plan eligible.
Premium Pay Statement
Pay Rate: The annual base salary range for this position in most major metropolitan areas in California, Massachusetts, and New York is $147,700 - $255,990. For states not referenced above, the salary range for this position will reflect the candidate's final work location. Please note that the salary information is a general guideline only. Lockheed Martin considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's work experience, education/ training, key skills as well as market and business considerations when extending an offer.
Benefits offered: Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, 401(k) match, Flexible Spending Accounts, EAP, Education Assistance, Parental Leave, Paid time off, and Holidays.
This position is incentive plan eligible.