Senior Manager - AI Initiatives

Title: Senior Manager, AI Initiatives

Location and Work Authorization: Kenya, US, UK, India - Visa sponsorship may be offered for candidates interested in living and working in Kenya

Position: Full-time 

Posted on: 23 January 2026

Application deadline: 22 February 2026, 6 pm EAT (applications will be reviewed as they are submitted)

Role Overview

PxD is seeking a Senior Manager, AI Initiatives to own PxD’s AI portfolio end-to-end - from strategy and partner engagement to execution oversight, and learning. The defining feature of this role is an evidence-oriented approach: this means ensuring we (1) use insights from existing evidence to focus AI efforts on the highest-impact opportunities, and (2) generate new evidence - through rapid user testing, experiments, and evaluations - to understand what works both for PxD’s and partner services. 

This is not an engineering role, but it requires strong comfort working with technical teams and a deep understanding of the practical details of implementing AI-enabled advisory and decision-support tools for smallholder farmers. 

Responsibilities: 

AI portfolio leadership

Own PxD’s AI strategy and roadmap across programs, including prioritization, sequencing, and success metrics.

Act as a technical expert within the research function, overseeing multiple complex projects with rigor, ensuring adherence to timelines, budgets, and organizational policies.

Evidence, experimentation, and learning agenda 

Lead PxD’s AI learning agenda: work with internal teams and external experts to develop priority questions, define measurement criteria (quality, trust, uptake, equity) across services.

Provide technical guidance to teams on evidence-based approaches, engaging internal and external experts to maintain high standards of rigor; interpret and contextualize internal and external evidence to inform PxD programs, strategy, and AI priorities.

Design and oversee learning and evaluation approaches for AI-enabled services (rapid user testing, experiments, A/B tests, and randomized rollouts where feasible, and pragmatic alternatives when not)

Implementation

Lead cross-functional planning to take AI initiatives from concept to pilot to scale: requirements, workflows, QA, training, monitoring, and iteration cycles.

Support partner conversations on responsible adoption, measurement, and evidence standards; align on shared learning agendas where appropriate.

Provide mentorship, guidance, and technical support to Associate- and Manager-level staff, fostering professional growth and capacity building.

Promote a collaborative, learning-focused team culture with strong documentation, continuous improvement, and high standards of rigor.

Stakeholder management 

Engage funders and partners to shape new opportunities: contribute to concept notes, proposal development, budgets, and learning plans.

Provide clear, timely updates to funders and partners on active proposals and ongoing awards, including progress against work plans and key risks.

Contribute to funding proposals, project reports, and other organizational deliverables.

Contribute to internal and external communications, including briefs, blogs, reports, and presentations to disseminate findings.

Qualifications & Experience:

Degree in Economics, Data Science, Statistics, or related field, preferred. 

Strong evidence orientation with demonstrated experience designing and/or managing experimentation or evaluation approaches (e.g., rapid user testing, A/B tests, RCTs)

Comfort with AI/GenAI concepts and technical teams sufficient to scope work, evaluate partner claims, and set program strategy and oversee implementation.

Ability to translate complex technical concepts for non-technical stakeholders.

Track record of managing cross-functional projects and working with technical teams.

Strong partner management experience, ideally including government partners and/or multi-organization collaborations.

Strong problem-solving, communication, and strategic thinking skills.

How to apply:

To apply, please visit the PxD website and use the online application form to submit a CV, cover letter, and brief responses to the screening questions. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the application deadline of 22 February 2026, 6 pm EAT.

PxD is committed to building an inclusive and diverse organisation. We don’t make decisions based on gender, gender identity, class, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other personal characteristics that are unrelated to the role. We understand that everyone has different lifestyles and we accommodate flexible working to make sure you are as productive and happy as you can be.

We will use any personal data you provide for recruitment purposes only.

About PxD:

PxD is a global non-profit that harnesses the power of technology, data science, and behavioral economics to provide targeted information to farmers in low and middle-income countries. Providing the right information to the right people in the right way and at the right time increases incomes, protects the environment, and improves well-being. We are evidence-based: we test our interventions with randomized controlled trials to prove our impact and cost-effectiveness, to simultaneously learn from and improve our service, and to demonstrate our value to funders and partners. There are few programmes in international development that are as demonstrably cost-effective as ours.