Manitoba Made. Manitoba Owned. Welcome to Your New Home!
Established in 2011 and located in Winnipeg, MB, Forthright Properties is a professionally managed, family-owned company. A rapidly growing and expanding portfolio of properties allows us to meet our goal; to provide you with a modern, affordable place to call home.
The Data, Analytics & AI Lead is responsible for developing and advancing the organization's AI Strategy along with the adoption of AI, business analytics, business intelligence, and emerging technologies to improve operational performance, enhance decision-making, and support strategic objectives. This role serves as the organization's subject matter expert and strategic advisor for AI, analytics, and data-driven innovation.
Working collaboratively with executive leadership, management, and Information Technology teams, the Data, Analytics & AI Lead identifies opportunities to leverage AI, automation, and analytics to optimize business processes, improve employee experiences, and deliver measurable business value. The role is responsible for developing enterprise AI and analytics strategies, implementing innovative technology solutions, and fostering a culture of data-informed decision-making. They will work closely with each departmental manager and subject matter experts to ensure we are addressing their business needs.
Key Responsibilities:
AI Strategy & Innovation
- Develop and execute the organization's AI strategy and roadmap in alignment with business objectives.
- Identify opportunities to leverage AI, machine learning, generative AI, and intelligent automation to improve operational efficiency and service delivery.
- Evaluate emerging technologies and recommend innovative solutions that provide measurable organizational value.
- Lead proof-of-concept initiatives and guide the transition of successful pilots into enterprise-wide solutions.
- Promote responsible AI practices, including governance, ethics, privacy, security, transparency, and regulatory compliance.
- Establish standards, policies, and best practices for AI implementation and lifecycle management.
- Stay informed of industry trends, emerging technologies, and evolving AI capabilities to continuously identify new opportunities.
Business Analytics & Business Intelligence
- Develop and lead the organization's business analytics and business intelligence strategy.
- Collaborate with business leaders to identify key performance indicators (KPIs), reporting needs, and analytical requirements.
- Design, develop, and oversee enterprise dashboards, executive scorecards, and self-service reporting solutions.
- Apply predictive analytics, AI, and data visualization techniques to generate actionable business insights.
- Analyze operational and strategic data to identify trends, opportunities, risks, and performance improvements.
- Promote consistent reporting standards, data governance, and enterprise-wide data quality initiatives.
- Foster a culture of data literacy by supporting users in understanding and utilizing analytics tools effectively.
- Measure the effectiveness and return on investment (ROI) of analytics initiatives.
Data Strategy & Governance
- Collaborate with IT and business stakeholders to develop enterprise data strategies supporting AI and analytics initiatives.
- Promote best practices for data governance, data quality, master data management, metadata management, and information security.
- Ensure organizational data is accurate, accessible, secure, and suitable for advanced analytics and AI applications.
- Support the development of modern cloud-based data platforms and data integration solutions.
- Work with cybersecurity and compliance teams to ensure adherence to organizational policies and regulatory requirements.
Digital Transformation & Business Process Improvement
- Identify opportunities to modernize business processes through AI, automation, and digital technologies.
- Partner with departments to assess business challenges and develop technology-enabled solutions.
- Lead digital transformation initiatives that improve productivity, operational efficiency, and customer service.
- Develop business cases demonstrating expected benefits, costs, risks, and implementation strategies.
- Facilitate organizational change management activities to encourage successful adoption of new technologies.
Technology Solutions & Integration
- Evaluate, implement, and optimize AI, analytics, and enterprise technology solutions.
- Collaborate with software developers, infrastructure teams, business analysts, and vendors to integrate AI capabilities into existing systems.
- Recommend solution architectures that are scalable, secure, and aligned with enterprise technology standards.
- Support application modernization initiatives and technology integration projects.
- Monitor solution performance and recommend continuous improvements.
Project Leadership
- Lead AI, analytics, and digital innovation initiatives from concept through implementation.
- Develop project plans, timelines, budgets, resource requirements, and success metrics.
- Coordinate cross-functional project teams and external vendors.
- Monitor project progress, manage risks, and communicate status to stakeholders.
- Ensure projects are delivered on time, within budget, and aligned with organizational priorities.
Stakeholder Engagement
- Build strong relationships with executive leadership and business stakeholders to understand strategic priorities.
- Serve as the primary advisor on AI, analytics, and emerging technology opportunities.
- Facilitate workshops to identify opportunities for innovation and process improvement.
- Present recommendations, business cases, dashboards, and project outcomes to senior leadership.
- Collaborate with external vendors, consultants, and technology partners.
Leadership & Knowledge Sharing
- Provide technical leadership and mentorship to developers, analysts, and project teams.
- Promote continuous learning and awareness of AI, analytics, and digital innovation across the organization.
- Develop standards, documentation, and best practices for AI and analytics solutions.
- Support user training and organizational adoption of new technologies.
Professional Qualifications & Experience
Education
- Bachelor’s degree in: Computer Science, Information Technology, Information Systems, Data Science, Business Analytics, Engineering, or a related field.
- Master’s degree in: Business Administration, Data Analytics, Computer Science, or a related discipline is considered an asset.
Experience
- Minimum of 8-10 years of progressive experience in information technology, business intelligence, data analytics, application development, or digital transformation.
- Demonstrated experience implementing AI, machine learning, generative AI, automation, or advanced analytics solutions.
- Experience leading enterprise business intelligence, reporting, and analytics initiatives.
- Experience collaborating with executive leadership and cross-functional business teams.
- Experience managing enterprise technology projects and technology vendors.
- Experience developing strategic technology roadmaps and business cases.
- Core competencies: strategic thinking, innovation, business and financial expertise, analytical and critical thinking.
Technical Skills
Experience with several of the following technologies:
- Microsoft Azure
- Azure AI Services
- Azure OpenAI Service
- Microsoft 365 Copilot
- Microsoft Fabric
- Microsoft Power BI
- Microsoft Power Platform (Power Apps, Power Automate, Power Pages)
- SQL Server, Azure SQL, and relational databases
- Data warehousing and dimensional data modeling
- ETL/ELT development and data integration
- Python, SQL, C#, or similar programming languages
- REST APIs and enterprise systems integration
- Cloud computing and hybrid infrastructure
- AI orchestration frameworks, prompt engineering, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), and large language models (LLMs)
- Enterprise architecture principles
- Cybersecurity and identity management
