Director, Innovation (AI Focused)

About You:

Are you a big-picture person with a history of implementing high-impact AI solutions in an organization? If the answer is, “Yes!” then we have an exciting, long-term career opportunity for you based in Chicago. Who are we? We are ARCO, a Family of Construction Companies. You will own the AI roadmap, inherit an existing agentic workflow initiative, and identify additional opportunities focused on back-office efficiency and information management. You’ll work closely with Innovation, IT, and business leaders across a distributed, multi-office organization.

 

A Day in the Life:

• Deliver 3–5 AI initiatives with measurable time and/or cost savings

• Inherit and advance an existing agentic workflow project

• Identify and execute additional high-impact AI projects, primarily focused on back-office efficiency

• Build and manage a prioritized pipeline of AI opportunities based on ROI and feasibility

• Establish lightweight intake, prioritization, and delivery processes in ServiceNow (in partnership with IT)

• Partner with L&D to drive AI literacy, adoption, and internal capability-building

• Identify and support internal AI champions and create visible proof points

• Own the AI roadmap and build business cases that address cost, risk, and return

• Build strong relationships across business units and translate AI concepts for non-technical stakeholders

Necessary Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s degree required in Business, Project Management, Communications, Information Systems, or a related field 
• 5-8 years of experience in project coordination, operations support, innovation, process improvement, operational efficiency, or a similar execution focused role

• Proven ability to execute and deliver AI solutions

• Hands-on experience with modern AI tools, automation, or data-driven systems

• Strong business judgment and ROI-driven prioritization skills

• Ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly to diverse audiences

• Comfortable working autonomously in ambiguous environments

• Relationship-oriented with a collaborative, pragmatic mindset

What We Can Offer You: 

We are dedicated to the well-being of our associates and are proud to be consistently recognized as a Best Place to Work. Our compensation and benefits package not only supports our associates and their families but benefits local communities and communities around the world.

• Industry-leading performance-based bonus program
• ESOP
• Traditional and Roth 401k
• Tuition reimbursement for associates
• Scholarship for associates’ children up to $28,000 per child
• 1-month paid sabbatical after every five years of employment, plus $5,000 for travel
• 1-week paid volunteer leave each year
• 100% charitable match
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance coverage
• 100% paid 12-week maternity leave

At ARCO, our first core value is to treat people fairly and do the right thing. We are committed to building and sustaining a culture that supports diversity and inclusion. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment.

From recruiting, training, and hiring practices to selecting our subcontractors, we understand that diversity of all those involved in the construction process enhances our ability to deliver the best solutions to our customers. We hire the best and the brightest from across the country – constructing a team of experts in architecture, design, engineering, project management, and business services.