Project Management Associate

About Us

We are one of the world's leading retail artificial intelligence research groups. ParallelDots is headquartered in the US with a major development center in India. We work with leading CPG manufacturers and retailers worldwide, focusing on Image Recognition. Our flagship product, ShelfWatch, helps these global customers optimize in-store exposure and maximize sales. Our mission is to create stores of the future by building a one-stop platform that automates in-store execution, allowing our customers to focus on driving shopper engagement.

About the Role

The Customer Success team at ParallelDots is responsible for ensuring the successful and seamless implementation of our AI products for customers globally. This internship offers unparalleled exposure to the confluence of sales, product, engineering, and data science—where all aspects come together to deliver complex, high-impact projects.

We are looking for an ambitious and analytically driven Project Associate to join us. You will actively support project delivery operations, focusing heavily on data management and reporting. This role is ideal for a candidate ready to take ownership of critical tasks and who possesses a strong bias for action to proactively solve problems. You will gain hands-on experience in using analytical tools (specifically Excel) and business intelligence tools such as PowerBI and Zoho Analytics to handle, synthesize, and validate the large, complex datasets that power our AI solutions.

Roles and Responsibilities

As a Project Associate, you will focus on high-impact projects that require analytical precision and a high degree of accountability.

• Data Analysis & Complex Calculations (Excel Focus):

• Own the execution of complex calculation workflows within Excel to process raw AI output and transform it into customer-ready insights.

• Apply advanced Excel functions (VLOOKUPs, Pivot Tables, conditional logic) to manage and reconcile large, multi-sheet datasets containing both numeric performance data and descriptive store execution metrics.

• Translate project delivery metrics into tangible ROI figures for customers by accurately executing business logic and complex formulas.

• Operational Ownership & Execution:

• Take full ownership of assigned segments within the customer onboarding process, ensuring data feeds and reporting mechanisms are set up accurately and on time.

• Demonstrate the capability to manage multiple operational tasks and project components simultaneously, prioritizing effectively to meet staggered deadlines across various client projects.

• Be ready to independently own defined project components or functional areas within the delivery pipeline, ensuring end-to-end success in your scope of responsibility.

• Demonstrate proactiveness by identifying potential roadblocks in data processing workflows and proposing solutions before they escalate.

• Support Project Managers by maintaining rigorous quality control over all data—guaranteeing the accuracy, consistency, and integrity of every report shared with global customers.

• Rapidly develop deep product knowledge to independently debug operational issues and own the implementation of tailored solutions that address custom client requests.

• Cross-Functional Communication:

• Assist in coordinating information flow across internal teams (Data Ops, Engineering) to resolve data issues quickly, showcasing initiative in driving tasks to resolution.

• Support the creation of professional, customer-facing presentations that summarize project analysis and insights. You will have opportunities to assist in presenting these analytical findings to internal teams and occasionally to customers, requiring strong communication and presentation skills.

What We Look For

• A high level of personal accountability; you treat every task as your own and commit to delivering accurate, on-time outputs that your team and customers rely on.

• A strong bias for action. You don't wait for instructions; you actively seek out ways to improve processes, ask clarifying questions, and move projects forward efficiently.

• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel is mandatory. This includes advanced knowledge of lookup functions, pivot tables, and the ability to build and debug complex, multi-step calculation models.

• Proven ability to work comfortably with very large datasets—both quantitative (sales, metrics) and qualitative (descriptive labels, attributes)—using Excel as a primary tool for manipulation and synthesis.

Qualifications

• Ideally has a degree in Business, Economics, Finance, Data Science, or a related field.

• Ideally has a project management certification or is currently pursuing one.

• Demonstrable high proficiency in Excel.

• Prior experience (academic projects, previous internships, or extracurriculars) that required taking initiative and owning outcomes.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

• Highly adaptable, enthusiastic about technology, and eager to learn in a fast-paced environment.