IT Manager - AI Platform Engineering & Data Science

Job Posting:

Since 1953, Ferguson has been a source of quality supplies for a variety of industries. Together We Build Better infrastructure, better homes and better businesses. We exist to make our customers’ complex projects simple, successful, and sustainable. We proactively solve problems, adapt and grow to continuously serve our customers, communities and each other. Ferguson, a Fortune 500 company, is proud to provide best-in-class products, service and capabilities across the following industries: Commercial/Mechanical, Facilities Supply, Fire and Fabrication, HVAC, Industrial, Residential Trade, Residential Building and Remodel, Waterworks and Residential Digital Commerce. Ferguson has approximately 36,000 associates across 1,700 locations. Ferguson is a community of proud associates who operate with the shared purpose of building something meaningful. You will build a career that you are proud of, at a company you can believe in.

IT Manager, AI Platform Engineering & Data Science

The Manager, Platform Engineering & Data Science is a key technology leader within Ferguson's AI Technology and Innovation organization, responsible for building and evolving the platforms, engineering standards, and cloud capabilities that enable scalable AI, machine learning, and software delivery across the enterprise. This role leads a team of platform engineers, architects, and technical specialists who provide the foundational capabilities that power AI innovation, modern application development, and data science initiatives. Working across a hybrid-cloud environment, with Google Cloud Platform (GCP) as the primary hyperscaler and Azure supporting hybrid workloads and legacy integrations, this leader will drive platform strategy, cloud architecture, developer experience, DevSecOps maturity, and MLOps capabilities that accelerate the delivery of secure, reliable, and scalable solutions.

Reporting to the Director, AI Technology and Innovation, the Manager, Platform Engineering & Data Science will collaborate closely with experts in AI Engineering, Data Science, Product, Architecture, and IT to modernize technology platforms, improve engineering efficiency, and enable teams to move rapidly from experimentation to production while delivering measurable business value.

Location: This role is approved to be remote within the United States; however, candidates must reside in the Eastern or Central time zones to support collaboration with team members based in Newport News, VA, and our Global Capability Center (GCC) team in India. Associates located near Newport News may work in a hybrid arrangement in accordance with company policy. Occasional travel to Ferguson headquarters in Newport News, VA, and other company locations, including Tampa, FL, is expected.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing team of platform engineers, architects, and technical specialists.
• Define and execute the platform engineering, cloud, and data science roadmap in support of Ferguson's AI and technology strategy.
• Design, build, and optimize scalable, secure, and reliable platform capabilities across Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and hybrid-cloud environments.
• Partner with AI Engineering, Data Science, Product, and Architecture teams to enable the development, deployment, and operation of AI and machine learning solutions.
• Drive DevSecOps, CI/CD, infrastructure automation, and platform reliability standards to improve delivery speed, quality, and operational efficiency.
• Own and enhance MLOps and data science platform capabilities, supporting model development, training, deployment, and monitoring at scale.
• Establish engineering standards, architecture patterns, API strategies, and reusable platform services that accelerate software delivery.
• Lead platform modernization initiatives, including cloud adoption, developer experience improvements, automation, and legacy technology retirement.
• Manage project delivery, budgets, vendor relationships, and team capacity to ensure successful execution of critical initiatives.
• Supervise platform performance, security, availability, and scalability while proactively identifying and mitigating risks.
• Build strong partnerships with business and technology leaders to align platform investments with organizational priorities.
• Stay ahead of emerging cloud, AI, data, and engineering technologies to drive innovation and continuous improvement.

Qualifications and Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in information technology, computer science or related field preferred, or equivalent experience.
• Must have at least 5 years of hands-on experience in platform engineering. Experience in machine learning implementation and data analytics enablement is required. You should have broad knowledge of how platform capabilities support integration and innovation across different business domains.
• Must have prior experience directly leading engineering or technical talent, including performance management and career development for direct reports; experience with offshore/onsite consultants preferred.
• Must have direct experience in software programming with Java and/or Python, along with Software Architecture and Engineering expertise.
• Must have experience in secure software delivery (DevSecOps) and continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD), and pipeline development.
• Must have hands-on experience architecting and operating platform services on Google Cloud Platform (GCP) as the primary hyperscaler, with working knowledge of Azure to support hybrid-cloud workloads and legacy system integration.
• Experience enabling data science and ML workflows using cloud-native tooling (e.g., Vertex AI, BigQuery, or equivalent feature-store, pipeline-orchestration, and model-serving constructs) strongly preferred.
• Must have experience creating operational dashboards, telemetry configurations and alerting templates for end-to-end flow of data services using APM and Data Logging solutions such as AppDynamics, DataDog etc.
• Solid understanding and experience implementing software design patterns and modern standards.
• Must be a hands-on software engineer able to work alongside a cross-functional team of software engineers, software architects, data scientists, and software quality engineers as needed.
• Demonstrates high aptitude, initiative, and self-drive — proactively finds opportunities to improve the platform and data science tooling rather than waiting for direction, and leads technical work hands-on rather than purely delegating.
• Strong leadership and interpersonal relationship building skills.
• Strong written communication skills with the ability to deliver compelling presentations.

At Ferguson, we care for each other. We value our well-being just as much as our hard work. We are committed to a holistic approach towards benefits plans and programs that support the mental, physical and financial well-being of our associates. Our competitive offering not only includes benefits like health, dental, vision, paid time off, life insurance and a 401(k) with a company match, but our associates also enjoy additional meaningful and inclusive enhancements that are adaptable to their diverse situations and needs, including mental health coverage, gender affirming and family building benefits, paid parental leave, associate discounts, community involvement opportunities and more!

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Pay Range:

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Actual pay rate may vary depending upon location. The estimated pay range for this position is below. The specific rate will depend on a candidate’s qualifications and prior experience.

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$7,568.91 - $13,247.76

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Estimated Ranges displayed are Monthly for Salaried roles OR Hourly for all other roles.

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This role is Bonus or Incentive Plan eligible.

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Ferguson complies with all wage regulations. The starting wage may be higher in certain locations based on local or state wage requirements.

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The Company is an equal opportunity employer as well as a government contractor that shall abide by the requirements of 41 CFR 60-300.5(a), which prohibits discrimination against qualified protected Veterans and the requirements of 41 CFR 60-741.5(A), which prohibits discrimination against qualified individuals on the basis of disability.

Ferguson Enterprises, LLC. is an equal employment employer F/M/Disability/Vet/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity.

Equal Employment Opportunity and Reasonable Accommodation Information