AI Lead - Agentic & Conversational AI

IntroductionAt IBM, we believe technology shapes the world. We're a catalyst for that innovation. We're driving change that improves businesses, society, and the human experience. Our Marketing, Communications & Corporate Social Responsibility (MCC) team tells this story. We shape IBM's brand, capture attention in the market, and share our perspective with clients, partners, the media, and fellow IBMers. On our team, you'll work with bright, collaborative minds who bring passion and creativity to everything they do. You'll be part of a culture built on openness, trust, and teamwork. Where your ideas matter and your growth is supported. Join us, and help bring innovation to life.Your role and responsibilitiesAbout the RoleWe are building a small, elite AI strike team embedded in the Marketing, Communications, and CSR (MCC) Strategy & Operations team. The mission is to move fast, explore what's possible with agentic and conversational AI, and prove value quickly-before anything is scaled or productionized elsewhere.This role leads that squad.You will be a hands‐on AI leader with deep expertise in Large Language Models, conversational AI, and agent design. You will guide rapid experiments, build compelling proof‐of‐concepts, and help senior marketing leaders understand how AI can meaningfully change how work gets done.This is not a traditional AI platform role, a reporting function, or a research lab. It is a high‐judgment, rapid‐execution role optimized for learning, momentum, and decision‐making.This Role ISA hands‐on leader for a small, elite AI delivery teamFocused on agentic AI, conversational experiences, and copilotsOriented around workflow transformation, not tools for their own sakeOptimized for speed, experimentation, and proof‐of‐valueEmbedded directly in MCC Strategy & Operations TeamClosely partnered with senior Marketing, Communications and CSR leadersThis Role Is NOTA dashboarding or reporting functionA long‐term AI platform or MLOps ownership roleA research‐only or theory‐heavy AI roleA large team or program management positionCore Responsibilities1. Leadership & ExecutionLead a small, high‐trust AI squad focused on rapid deliverySet clear, time‐boxed missions with explicit learning or go/no‐go outcomesBalance hands‐on building with technical direction and coachingOperate with a "build → test → learn → decide" mindsetOptimize for progress and insight, not polish or permanence2. Conversational AI & LLM Expertise (Core Focus)Apply deep understanding of LLM capabilities and constraints, including:Tokenization and context windowsLatency and cost tradeoffsFailure modes and hallucination risksDesign multi‐turn, high‐quality conversational experiencesManage conversation state, context, and memory deliberatelyCreate flows that balance strong UX, deterministic logic, and LLM flexibility3. Query Understanding, Routing & Agent SelectionDesign systems that translate user input into confident routing decisionsApply intent detection, semantic similarity, and hybrid triage approachesDecompose complex requests into actionable subtasksSelect and orchestrate agents based on role, context, confidence, and historyBuild fallback paths, confidence scoring, and uncertainty handlingImplement guardrails to prevent unsafe, incorrect, or misleading behavior4. Agent Design & Orchestration PatternsLead hands‐on experimentation with proven agent patterns, including:Router / DispatcherPlanner-ExecutorReActTool‐calling agentsRetrieval‐Augmented Generation (RAG)Make pragmatic choices between prompt‐driven and code‐driven controlsOptimize for predictable, explainable behavior, not full autonomyDesign agents that are credible and trusted in an enterprise marketing context5. Prompt Engineering & Rapid IterationDevelop advanced system, developer, and user prompt architecturesCreate prompt templates for routing, planning, classification, and tool useManage prompt versioning and experimentationUse constraints, grounding, and structured outputs to reduce hallucinationsIterate quickly based on live usage and feedback6. Lightweight Governance & Enterprise AwarenessEnsure experiments consider safety, bias, explainability, and privacyApply governance thoughtfully, without slowing experimentationImplement basic logging, evaluation, and traceabilityCommunicate risk, limitations, and tradeoffs clearly to stakeholders7. Partnership with MCC LeadershipTranslate marketing strategy and business needs into focused AI experimentsPartner with senior marketing leaders as a thought partner and guideClearly explain what AI can and cannot do-without hypeHelp leaders decide what to pursue further, what to iterate, and what to stopLeaders are expected to spend time with their teams and clients and therefore are generally expected to be in the workplace a minimum of three days a week, subject to business needs.Required educationBachelor's DegreePreferred educationMaster's DegreeRequired technical and professional expertise8-12+ years in AI, applied ML, software, data, or applied technology rolesDeep, hands‐on experience with LLMs and conversational AIStrong understanding of agentic workflows and orchestrationExperience operating in ambiguous, fast‐moving environmentsExperience with conversational AI platforms or orchestration toolsExposure to RAG systems, semantic search, or vectorizationFamiliarity with enterprise AI considerations and constraintsExperience with tooling such as watsonx.ai, watsonx Orchestrate, or similar platformsMindset & Ways of WorkingBias toward action, experimentation, and learningComfortable showing early work and iterating in the openStrong communicator with both technical and non‐technical audiencesConfident making tradeoffs between speed, quality, and riskEnergized by small teams and high accountabilityPreferred technical and professional experienceMindset & Ways of WorkingBias toward action, experimentation, and learningComfortable showing early work and iterating in the openStrong communicator with both technical and non‐technical audiencesConfident making tradeoffs between speed, quality, and riskEnergized by small teams and high accountabilityYOUR LIFE @ IBMIn a world where technology never stands still, we understand that, dedication to our clients success, innovation that matters, and trust and personal responsibility in all our relationships, lives in what we do as IBMers as we strive to be the catalyst that makes the world work better.Being an IBMer means you'll be able to learn and develop yourself and your career, you'll be encouraged to be courageous and experiment everyday, all whilst having continuous trust and support in an environment where everyone can thrive whatever their personal or professional background.Our IBMers are growth minded, always staying curious, open to feedback and learning new information and skills to constantly transform themselves and our company. They are trusted to provide on-going feedback to help other IBMers grow, as well as collaborate with colleagues keeping in mind a team focused approach to include different perspectives to drive exceptional outcomes for our customers. The courage our IBMers have to make critical decisions everyday is essential to IBM becoming the catalyst for progress, always embracing challenges with resources they have to hand, a can-do attitude and always striving for an outcome focused approach within everything that they do.Are you ready to be an IBMer?ABOUT IBMIBM's greatest invention is the IBMer. We believe that through the application of intelligence, reason and science, we can improve business, society and the human condition, bringing the power of an open hybrid cloud and AI strategy to life for our clients and partners around the world.Restlessly reinventing since 1911, we are not only one of the largest corporate organizations in the world, we're also one of the biggest technology and consulting employers, with many of the Fortune 500 companies relying on the IBM Cloud to run their business.At IBM, we pride ourselves on being an early adopter of artificial intelligence, quantum computing and blockchain. Now it's time for you to join us on our journey to being a responsible technology innovator and a force for good in the world.IBM is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, pregnancy, disability, neurodivergence, age, or other characteristics protected by the applicable law. IBM is also committed to compliance with all fair employment practices regarding citizenship and immigration status.OTHER RELEVANT JOB DETAILSIBM offers a competitive and comprehensive benefits program. Eligible employees may have access to:Healthcare benefits including medical & prescription drug coverage, dental, vision, and mental health & well beingFinancial programs such as 401(k), cash balance pension plan, the IBM Employee Stock Purchase Plan, financial counseling, life insurance, short & long- term disability coverage, and opportunities for performance based salary incentive programsGenerous paid time off including 12 holidays, minimum 56 hours sick time, 120 hours vacation, 12 weeks parental bonding leave in accordance with IBM Policy, and other Paid Care Leave programs. IBM also offers paid family leave benefits to eligible employees where required by applicable lawTraining and educational resources on our personalized, AI-driven learning platform where IBMers can grow skills and obtain industry-recognized certifications to achieve their career goalsDiverse and inclusive employee resource groups, giving & volunteer opportunities, and discounts on retail products, services & experiencesWe consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable law.This position was posted on the date cited in the key job details section and is anticipated to remain posted for 21 days from this date or less if not needed to fill the role.IBM will not be providing visa sponsorship for this position now or in the future. Therefore, in order to be considered for this position, you must have the ability to work without a need for current or future visa sponsorship.The compensation range and benefits for this position are based on a full-time schedule for a full calendar year. The salary will vary depending on your job-related skills, experience and location. Pay increment and frequency of pay will be in accordance with employment classification and applicable laws. For part time roles, your compensation and benefits will be adjusted to reflect your hours. Benefits may be pro-rated for those who start working during the calendar year.