Lenovo · 11 hours ago
Strategic Program Manager, External AI Ecosystem Partnerships
San Jose, CA
Full-time
Onsite
Senior Level, Lead/Staff
$180K/yr - $250K/yr
8+ years expLenovo is a global technology powerhouse focused on delivering Smarter Technology for All. The Program Manager for LATC’s External AI-Ecosystem Partnerships will manage a diverse portfolio of AI-heavy engagements with universities, startups, and industry partners to ensure external AI innovation translates into value for Lenovo's technology roadmaps.
ComputerConsumer ElectronicsElectronicsHardwareMobileWearables
Responsibilities
Portfolio Management: Oversee the day-to-day operations of a global AI-focused research portfolio, ensuring that all projects maintain a rigorous cadence of technical reviews and progress tracking
AI landscape scouting: Stay current on the AI ecosystem to help identify high-potential startups and academic labs that align with our strategic goals
Engagement Lifecycle: Lead the intake process for new proposals, facilitating collaboration between internal research & engineering teams and external partners to define clear technical scope and deliverables
Operational Rigor: Maintain the internal governance framework, including standardized evaluation rubrics, project scoring, and "go/pivot/no-go" decision gates
Cross-Functional Coordination: Act as the primary liaison between R&D, Legal, Intellectual Property (IP) teams to streamline contracting and data governance
Outcome Tracking: Monitor the delivery of high-value artifacts - such as code, AI models, and technical prototypes - to ensure they meet integration-readiness standards
Talent & Visibility: Support programs that enhance the Lenovo brand within the AI research community, including managing fellowships, internships, and our presence at major conferences (e.g., NeurIPS, ICML)
Qualification
Required
Education: Bachelor's degree required, Masters preferred
Experience: Minimum 8 years of industry experience
Program Leadership: Significant experience managing complex, multi-stakeholder R&D programs or innovation portfolios
AI knowledge: Exposure to current AI technology stack, including familiarity with LLMs, generative AI, machine learning workflows, and key companies/researchers shaping the industry
Operational Excellence: Proven ability to manage recurring review cycles, maintain project hygiene, and track milestones across dozens of active workstreams
Strategic Alignment: Ability to evaluate technical proposals against business roadmaps and identify potential for product integration
Contracting & IP Fluency: Experience working with Legal and IP teams to navigate research agreements, Statements of Work (SOWs), and IP boundaries
Communication: Exceptional skills in translating complex AI research progress into executive-level reporting and portfolio summaries
Preferred
Graduate degree (MS or PhD)
Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills
Excellent leadership, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills
Company
Lenovo
Lenovo Group is a computer technology company that manufactures personal computers, smartphones, televisions, and wearable devices.
10001+ employees
H1B Sponsorship
Lenovo has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (76)
2024 (52)
2023 (75)
2022 (82)
2021 (58)
2020 (67)
Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
$3.35BKey Investors
Alat
2025-01-08Post Ipo Debt· $2B
2024-04-01Post Ipo Debt· $500M
2017-10-03Post Ipo Equity· $500M
Leadership Team
Yang Yuanqing
Chairman & CEO
Greg Huff
CTO, CSO, and SVP of Development, Quality, and Customer Care, Infrastructure Solutions Group
Recent News
2026-01-25
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2026-01-24
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