AI Data Product Owner

Primary Work Address: 4000 Jones Bridge Road, Chevy Chase, MD, 20815

Current HHMI Employees, click here to apply via your Workday account.

HHMI is focused on supporting and moving science forward in a variety of different ways ranging from conducting basic biomedical research, empowering educators, inspiring students, developing the next generation of scientists – even stretching into film and media production. Our Headquarters is in the greater Washington, DC metro area and is home to over 300 employees with expertise in investments, communications, digital production, biomedical sciences, and everything in between. The work housed here supports and augments the groundbreaking research conducted in HHMI labs across the nation. As HHMI scientists continue to push boundaries in laboratories and classrooms, you can be sure that your contributions while working here are making a difference.

The AI Accelerator brings AI into daily use across HHMI’s administrative and operational functions. The AI Data Product Owner owns the data requirements and product definition underlying each AI product as it moves from initial scoping through production. You will establish what data and knowledge each use case depends on, whether it is usable, and what must be curated so the product is grounded in reliable information.

Working with business sponsors, the Principal Knowledge & Data Architect, the AI Data Engineer, and the AI Developer, you will translate those needs into requirements and measurable acceptance criteria. You will carry that accountability through delivery, launch, and early production support. The role combines data product ownership with stakeholder discovery, intake triage, sponsor coordination, and adoption tracking.

This position works on a hybrid schedule, reporting in-person three days a week to our headquarters in Chevy Chase, Maryland.We encourage qualified candidates who are eligible to work in the United States to apply. Please note, we are not able to sponsor a visa for this position at this time.What you will actually do

• Identify the data behind each product. For every use case, map the source systems, datasets, and knowledge domains it requires. Establish whether the information exists in a usable form, identify gaps and dependencies, and make the work needed to address them explicit in the product scope.

• Define data quality and readiness requirements. Set measurable expectations for completeness, consistency, freshness, lineage, and sensitivity-appropriate use. Translate these into acceptance criteria so the team can assess whether the underlying data is suitable for the intended production use.

• Specify what must be curated for AI. Define which content must enter the AI-consumable knowledge layer, including grant applications, operational data, scientific papers, and program content as relevant. Coordinate requirements with the Principal Knowledge & Data Architect and AI Data Engineer for the medallion architecture and knowledge graphs.

• Turn business needs into buildable specifications. Document business context, user journeys, expected outcomes, data and integration requirements, acceptance criteria, and success metrics. Keep these specifications current as the reference for the AI Developer and AI Data Engineer.

• Manage requirements through production. Work alongside the technical team to clarify requirements, assess scope changes, and resolve or escalate data gaps. Work with sponsors and subject-matter experts to build the benchmark questions, expected answers, and acceptance thresholds used to evaluate each AI product. Coordinate validation against agreed acceptance criteria with engineers and sponsors, and carry unresolved requirements into a clear plan for launch and early production support (hypercare).

• Coordinate sponsors and delivery partners. Manage stakeholder expectations and communicate data dependencies, tradeoffs, and decisions. Work with Operations Capabilities and the AI Accelerator team to onboard approved use cases with the requirements, contacts, and acceptance criteria needed for delivery.

• Support discovery and intake triage. Interview stakeholders across HHMI functions to clarify potential AI opportunities. With the Director of AI Enablement, assess business value, data readiness, effort, and risk so leadership can prioritize the pipeline.

• Track outcomes after launch. Assess adoption and business outcomes, capture data-related issues affecting product performance or trust, and translate feedback into prioritized requirements for the next iteration.

What we are looking for

• Relevant experience. At least five years in product management, product ownership, or senior business analysis with technical delivery teams, including ownership of data requirements from scoping through delivery. Bachelor’s degree or equivalent.

• Data product judgment. Experience identifying source-system and dataset dependencies, assessing data readiness, and defining quality, freshness, lineage, and sensitivity requirements. The candidate can explain how gaps in the underlying data affect a product’s reliability and value.

• Requirements discipline. A record of translating business needs and data dependencies into specifications, measurable acceptance criteria, and clear scope decisions that technical teams can act on.

• AI and technical literacy. An understanding of how data and curated knowledge support AI products, including grounding, evaluation, and human review. The candidate can discuss data pipelines and knowledge layers with architects and engineers and connect technical choices to business requirements.

• Stakeholder communication. The ability to investigate ambiguous requests, build relationships across functions, and explain requirements and tradeoffs clearly to sponsors, engineers, and leadership.

• Prioritization and follow-through. Sound judgment about business value, data readiness, effort, and risk, with the ability to maintain ownership of requirements through delivery, launch, and subsequent improvements.

Nice to have

• Experience taking an AI product into production and supporting its initial operation and adoption.

• Familiarity with knowledge graphs, medallion architectures, or preparing institutional content for AI consumption.

• Experience in consulting or advisory work, or familiarity with HR, Finance, Facilities, higher education, research administration, or other mission-driven environments.

• Product management or Agile certifications, such as Pragmatic Institute, Reforge, CSPO, or CSM.

What this role is not

• An engineering role. This role will not build pipelines or the application. The AI Data Engineer and the AI Developer do that.

• An analytics or dashboard role. Hands-on engineering, ad hoc analysis, and dashboard development are outside the scope of this job.

• An architecture role. The Principal Knowledge & Data Architect sets architectural direction. The person in this position defines what the data must support and how its readiness will be judged.

• A single-product assignment. This role serves the AI Accelerator’s whole portfolio, and delivery execution stays with the engineering team.

Role Scope

The product owner defines data requirements and acceptance criteria and maintains sponsor alignment. The Principal Knowledge & Data Architect sets architectural direction; the AI Data Engineer builds and operates pipelines; and the AI Developer builds the application. Delivery execution remains with the engineering team.

This is a cross-functional role serving the AI Accelerator’s portfolio. Its deliverables establish what data each product needs and how its readiness will be assessed. Hands-on engineering, ad hoc analysis, and dashboard development are outside the role’s scope.

Practical details

This role is hybrid, with three days per week in person at HHMI’s offices in Chevy Chase, Maryland. It reports to the Director of AI Enablement. HHMI is not able to sponsor a visa for this position at this time.

Physical Requirements

Remaining in a normal seated or standing position for extended periods of time; reaching and grasping by extending hand(s) or arm(s); dexterity to manipulate objects with fingers, for example using a keyboard; communication skills using the spoken word; ability to see and hear within normal parameters; ability to move about workspace. The position requires mobility, including the ability to move materials weighing up to several pounds (such as a laptop computer or tablet).

Persons with disabilities may be able to perform the essential duties of this position with reasonable accommodation. Requests for reasonable accommodation will be evaluated on an individual basis.

Please Note

This job description sets forth the job’s principal duties, responsibilities, and requirements; it should not be construed as an exhaustive statement, however. Unless they begin with the word “may,” the Essential Duties and Responsibilities described above are “essential functions” of the job, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

#LI-RK1

Compensation and Benefits

Our employees are compensated from a total rewards perspective in many ways for their contributions to our mission, including competitive pay, exceptional health benefits, retirement plans, time off, and a range of recognition and wellness programs. Visit our Benefits at HHMI site to learn more.

Hiring Pay Range

$150,257.60 - $187,822.00

Pay Type:

Annual

The posted range reflects HHMI’s good faith estimate of the anticipated hiring salary range for this role at the time of posting. Actual hiring compensation is determined by a candidate’s qualifications, experience, and internal equity.

HHMI is an Equal Opportunity Employer

We use E-Verify to confirm the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires.