Product Manager, Industrial AI

At Weyerhaeuser, we sustainably manage forests and manufacture products that make the world a better place. With over a century of leadership in sustainable forestry, we manage more than 12 million acres of timberlands in North America and operate 35 manufacturing facilities producing structural lumber, engineered wood products, and other building products. We’re dedicated to innovation, operational excellence, and delivering exceptional value to our customers and communities. As a Product Manager, Industrial AI, you'll lead the development and implementation of AI-driven solutions to optimize operations across our Wood Products manufacturing and Timberlands businesses. You'll leverage your experience in industrial manufacturing environments to enhance safety, reliability, efficiency, and sustainability in manufacturing and timberlands operations. You will align AI initiatives with strategic business priorities and manage the lifecycle of AI-driven solutions, from ideation to retirement, through our AI Factory framework. Product Management is crucial to AI initiatives at Weyerhaeuser as it ensures that AI projects align with the company's strategic vision and deliver tangible business value. By owning the definition of the 'what' and 'why,' product management provides clarity and direction, ensuring that every AI project is purposeful and aligned with organizational goals. They drive the design of AI solutions with a customer-centric approach, developing use cases, user stories, and product designs that directly address customer needs and pain points. Additionally, product managers develop detailed business cases, ROI analyses, and benefit realization plans, ensuring that AI initiatives are not only launched successfully but also deliver the expected value over time. This role also takes ownership of validating that the planned benefits of AI projects are realized, ensuring long-term success and alignment with Weyerhaeuser’s strategic goals. Primary Responsibilities - Strategic AI Roadmaps: Refine and execute a robust AI strategy tailored to optimize operational excellence across manufacturing and timberland operations. Clearly articulate milestones, KPIs, and alignment with company objectives. - Lifecycle Management: Lead the full AI lifecycle—from ideation, business case validation, and prioritization to implementation, scaling, ongoing measurement, and continuous improvement—leveraging Weyerhaeuser’s standardized AI Factory framework. - IT/OT Innovator: Demonstrated skills in industrial automation, equally adept at bridging Operational Technology (OT) and Information Technology (IT) environments to deliver reliable, secure, and innovative solutions. - Predictive Maintenance and Asset Optimization: Implement predictive maintenance and IoT solutions, such as sensor-based monitoring and edge analytics, to significantly reduce downtime and improve asset longevity. - Quality and Yield Enhancement: Drive the adoption of advanced computer vision systems (using Azure Cognitive Services) to automate inspections, optimize grading processes, detect defects, and consistently improve product quality and yield. - Autonomous and Robotic Solutions: Champion initiatives involving autonomous systems such as cobots, autonomous harvest and haul machinery, and intelligent robotic systems to enhance productivity, reduce labor costs, and significantly improve safety in manufacturing and forestry operations. - Stakeholder Collaboration: Engage cross-functionally with business leaders, plant managers, operational staff, data scientists, and external technology partners to define and deliver targeted AI solutions. - Business Impact Measurement: Create comprehensive business cases, perform ROI and financial analyses, and meticulously track outcomes to verify the strategic and economic value delivered by AI initiatives. - AI Governance: Ensure AI deployments adhere strictly to ethical standards, data privacy regulations, and internal