Applied AI Lead (P4518)

84.51° Overview:

84.51° is a retail data science, insights and media company. We help The Kroger Co., consumer packaged goods companies, agencies, publishers and affiliates create more personalized and valuable experiences for shoppers across the path to purchase.

Powered by cutting-edge science, we utilize first-party retail data from more than 62 million U.S. households sourced through the Kroger Plus loyalty card program to fuel a more customer-centric journey using 84.51° Insights, 84.51° Loyalty Marketing and our retail media advertising solution, Kroger Precision Marketing.

84.51° follows a 5‑day in‑office work schedule to support collaboration, alignment, and team connection.

Join us at 84.51°!

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Lead, Applied AI

Applicants for employment in the US must have work authorization that does not now or in the future require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the United Stated and with the Kroger Family of Companies (i.e. H1-B visa, F-1 visa (OPT), TN visa or any other non-immigrant status).

SUMMARY:

We’re looking for a strategic, collaborative, and delivery-minded Applied AI Lead to help bring AI to life across Kroger, KTD and 84.51°. This role sits at the intersection of AI capability development and business impact, focused on driving AI adoption and application, from consultation to co-development.

You’ll lead prototyping efforts, drive tangible use case delivery, and serve as a champion for scaling AI Enablement tools and services. This is a high-visibility, high-impact role that requires someone who can connect technical potential with business value — and deliver quickly.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

The ideal candidate will be responsible for bridging the gap between cutting-edge, foundational AI technologies and Kroger, KTD, and 84.51° business strategies. This individual will play a crucial role in understanding business needs, users’ problems and tying them back to the Kroger AI Enablement technical roadmap. This role will ensure AI initiatives and priorities are aligned with business vertical objectives to drive innovation and efficiency. They will help to drive adoption of AI capabilities across the business by being the conduit between the technical teams and the business.

Responsibilities include:

• Partner with domain business and product teams to identify, co-develop, and validate high-impact use cases

• Work across the organization to identify opportunities to embed AI in workflows and drive measurable business outcomes

• Lead Applied AI MVP and prototype delivery in close collaboration with data scientists, engineers, and UX

• Drive adoption of AI Enablement services, GenAI tooling, and reusable components across business teams

• Facilitate and scale discovery through AI workshop sessions

• Establish and maintain feedback loops with the AI Enablement team to ensure platform services align with real user needs and enable broader adoption

• Champion responsible, explainable, and user-centered AI in all applied solutions

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Domain Product & Business Teams: Co-develop use cases, drive adoption, embed AI where it matters

• AI Enablement Team: Shape scalable services, relay feedback, align tooling with real needs

• Data Science & Engineering: Translate opportunity into prototypes and working solutions

• Vendors/Partners: Guide third-party development and delivery with strategic alignment

• Change Management & Enablement: Support onboarding, activation, and success metrics tracking

QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS, AND EXPERIENCE:

Successful candidates will thrive in a fast-paced environment that is a little unorthodox at times and will possess the following:

• Minimum Bachelor’s degree

• 7+ years of experience influencing and driving business strategy, bridging technical and business needs, and driving cross-functional impact

• Strong understanding of AI/ML and GenAI technologies, and how to apply them to business problems

• Stakeholder management - proven relationship-builder with ability to lead cross-functional initiatives, facilitate workshops, influence and align diverse stakeholder groups to drive change

• Technical liaison - ability to effectively translate business requirements into clear technical specifications for DSR and Engineering teams

• Organize the chaos - demonstrated expertise in managing competing priorities across multiple business teams simultaneously, and ability to bring structure and clarity to complex, fast-moving environments

• Proactive influence - proactively seeks out opportunities, identifies unmet needs, and drives adoption of innovation solutions rather than waiting for inbound requests

• Executive-level presence - proven ability to influence senior stakeholders and navigate organization dynamics to advance strategic initiatives, and challenge existing processes when needed

• Business acumen - knows the 84.51 business, and has experience navigating KTD and GO initiatives and knows the cross-team ways of working

• Process-oriented - product management experience or process-oriented mindset for OKR, cycle planning, and roadmap development

• Intellectually curious and love learning new skills and capabilities, i.e., agile principles and AI technologies

• Value-driven decision making - proven track record of tracking business value and making data-driven prioritization decisions

#LI-EB1

Pay Transparency and Benefits

• The stated salary range represents the entire span applicable across all geographic markets from lowest to highest. Actual salary offers will be determined by multiple factors including but not limited to geographic location, relevant experience, knowledge, skills, other job-related qualifications, and alignment with market data and cost of labor. In addition to salary, this position is also eligible for variable compensation.

• Below is a list of some of the benefits we offer our associates:

• Health: Medical: with competitive plan designs and support for self-care, wellness and mental health. Dental: with in-network and out-of-network benefit. Vision: with in-network and out-of-network benefit.

• Wealth: 401(k) with Roth option and matching contribution. Health Savings Account with matching contribution (requires participation in qualifying medical plan). AD&D and supplemental insurance options to help ensure additional protection for you.

• Happiness: Paid time off with flexibility to meet your life needs, including 5 weeks of vacation time, 7 health and wellness days, 3 floating holidays, as well as 6 company-paid holidays per year. Paid leave for maternity, paternity and family care instances.

Pay Range
$121,000—$201,250 USD