Delivery Manager

Lantern is seeking a client-focused Delivery Manager, Data & AI to lead the successful execution of consulting engagements across modern data platforms, analytics, AI, and agentic solutions. 

You will own delivery health from initiation through closeout, serving as the primary operational contact for clients and coordinating Lantern’s technical leaders and consultants to deliver agreed outcomes on time, within budget, and to quality expectations. The role combines project governance, customer success, financial stewardship, resource coordination, and proactive risk management. 

What You’ll Do 

• Own end-to-end delivery of Data & AI engagements from mobilization and planning through execution, transition, and closeout. 

• Establish and maintain project plans, scope, schedules, milestones, budgets, success metrics, RAID logs, decision logs, and change-control processes. 

• Serve as the primary operational contact for client sponsors and stakeholders, setting communication cadences, facilitating status meetings and steering committees, and managing expectations. 

• Coordinate technical leadership and consulting teams, clarify roles and accountability, support onboarding, and ensure delivery capacity and skills align with engagement needs. 

• Monitor project health, forecast delivery and revenue, track utilization and financial performance, and take corrective action when plans, budgets, or commitments are at risk. 

• Partner with technical leaders to make technical risks, dependencies, quality gates, and readiness decisions visible within the delivery governance framework. 

• Drive timely resolution and escalation of risks, issues, resource constraints, scope changes, and client concerns while maintaining clear ownership and follow-through. 

• Ensure contractual commitments, acceptance criteria, governance requirements, documentation, and partner funding or proof-of-execution obligations are satisfied. 

• Promote customer success by tracking value realization, coordinating handoffs and knowledge transfer, and identifying renewal, expansion, or follow-on opportunities with account leaders. 

• Contribute to estimates, statements of work, proposals, delivery standards, retrospectives, reusable practices, and continuous improvement across the Data & AI service line. 

Required Skills and Experience 

• 7+ years of experience leading technology consulting projects or programs, including complex data, analytics, cloud, or AI engagements. 

• Demonstrated success managing scope, schedules, budgets, resources, risks, dependencies, change control, and executive-level client communications. 

• Strong consulting and customer-management skills, with the ability to build trust and communicate effectively with technical teams, business leaders, and executive sponsors. 

• Practical experience with Agile, Scrum, Kanban, and traditional delivery methods, and the judgment to tailor governance to engagement size and complexity. 

• Working knowledge of modern Data & AI delivery, including Azure Databricks, Microsoft Fabric, Power BI, Azure, data governance, analytics, machine learning, generative AI, or agentic solutions. 

• Experience with resource and capacity planning, utilization, financial forecasting, contract compliance, and delivery performance reporting in a professional-services environment. 

• Strong facilitation, negotiation, organization, problem-solving, documentation, and escalation-management skills across multiple concurrent priorities. 

Preferred Qualifications and Certifications 

• PMP, PMI-ACP, Certified ScrumMaster, PRINCE2, SAFe, or comparable delivery-management certification. 

• Experience managing Microsoft- and Databricks-based data platform, analytics, or AI implementations. 

• Familiarity with Microsoft partner programs, funding processes, proof-of-execution requirements, or co-sell motions. 

• Relevant Microsoft Azure, Fabric, Power BI, AI, or Databricks foundational certification is a plus. 

Why Join Lantern? 

• Lead high-impact Data & AI transformation engagements with visible client and business outcomes. 

• Work across Microsoft Fabric, Azure Databricks, Power BI, Azure, and emerging AI technologies without being limited to a single technical specialty. 

• Collaborate directly with client executives, account leaders, architects, and experienced data and AI professionals. 

• Help shape scalable delivery governance, reusable practices, and a culture of transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement. 

• Grow through challenging assignments, mentoring, and strong learning and certification support as Lantern expands its Data & AI service line. 

Benefits 

• Competitive compensation and group benefits. 

• Challenging projects using leading technologies. 

• Generous training, education, and certification support. 

• A collaborative, inclusive, and engaging work environment.