AI Enablement Lead (Wappingers Falls)
About the Role: The AI Enablement Lead leads AI adoption across Hudson Valley Lighting Group at a moment when this technology is changing how every team works. Reporting to the Vice President of Technology, this high-impact, high-visibility role helps every department use AI, tools like Claude in particular, to work faster, work smarter, and do things that weren't possible before. The ideal candidate is a curious, hands-on AI expert and a confident teacher and builder: someone who thrives on building and teaching, not just advising, and who can sit down with any team, quickly understand how the work really gets done, and show people what's possible. With seven brands, offices in New York and California, and a strong presence at trade shows, the opportunity is broad. This is a people-first role, not a back-office IT job. About the Company: Hudson Valley Lighting Group is a worldwide leader in the design, manufacturing, and omnichannel distribution of decorative and architectural lighting fixtures, encompassing six brands: Hudson Valley Lighting, Mitzi, Troy, Corbett, CSL, and Sonneman (on behalf of Hudson Valley Lighting, Inc., Troy-CSL, Inc. and SN Modern, LLC). As the one-stop shop for the most comprehensive selection of lighting, HVLG seeks to inspire and support our customers in their pursuit to achieve a home that perfectly reflects their clients. HVLG takes a designer-forward approach to the light-purchasing process — making the experience more inspiring, exciting, and inviting. At HVLG, we believe that great lighting has the power to elevate any space and enrich people's lives — and it's that guiding philosophy that ties our family of brands together. What You’ll Do: Discovery & Opportunity Embed with teams across the company (customer service, marketing, product, brand teams, the teams that support our sales reps, operations, finance, and more) in both our New York and California offices. Observe real workflows, ask questions, and identify the tasks that consume time, involve repetition, or hold people back from higher-value work. Prioritize opportunities by impact in close partnership with the Vice President of Technology and department leaders. Build & Implement Turn what you observe into practical solutions: AI workflows, prompt libraries, templates, tools, and automations that teams can use right away. Evaluate, recommend, and implement AI tools that improve efficiency, quality, and productivity across all of our brands and locations. Training & Education Design and deliver training for every skill level, from first-time users to power users, including courses, workshops, presentations, documents, and reusable guides. Help each person see what AI can do for their specific job, including things they didn't know were possible. Champion an AI-first mindset: share what's working across teams, celebrate wins, and build a community of internal AI users. Trade Shows & the Field Participate in trade shows and industry events and watch how we present new and established products across all of our brands. Our reps are out in the field rather than on staff, so observe how they meet with us, how our product demos run, and how we talk with the designers who visit, along with the internal teams who prepare and support them. Find ways AI can strengthen each of those moments before, during, and after the show, such as prep materials, follow-up, and content. Governance & Responsible Use Work with IT, security, leadership, and legal to set clear guidelines for data privacy, security, and responsible AI use. Make it easy for people across the company to do the right thing. Measurement & Strategy Track adoption and results (time saved, quality improvements, new capabilities) and report them to the Vice President of Technology and executive leadership so we can invest where AI pays off. Stay ahead of fast-moving AI developments and tell us what is worth adopting and what is not. Other duties as assigned. Position Requirements Demonstrated success helping non-technical people adopt AI tools in real work environments. Experience partnering with multiple departments or business units and earning trust quickly. Comfort working with every kind of team, from the warehouse floor to the executive suite. Deep hands-on fluency with generative AI tools (Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot, or similar), including prompting, building workflows, and knowing each tool's strengths and limits. Sound judgment on data privacy, accuracy, and responsible AI use. Exceptional teaching and communication skills: you make complex ideas simple and leave people feeling capable. Strong observation and listening skills; you can watch a process and see what others miss. A builder's mindset: you see how work could be done differently, not just how it's done today. Highly organized, with the ability to manage competing priorities across multiple teams and locations. Background in training, instructional design, or change management preferred. Experience in lighting, architecture and design, or trade-based B2B sales, or working with outside sales reps and design professionals, preferred. Light technical skills (automation tools, scripting, or no-code platforms) and experience using AI in marketing, sales, or customer support preferred. Ability to travel to our California office and to several trade shows per year (US). Ability to reliably commute full-time to Wappingers Falls, NY 12590 for this role. US citizen or permanent resident (no Visa sponsorship available). WORKING CONDITIONS Work Environment: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those employees encounter while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. Ability to work in a Distribution Center environment with varying temperatures and noise. Equal Opportunity Employer: Hudson Valley Lighting is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, genetic factors, military/veteran status, or other characteristics protected by law. Disclaimer: This position description indicates the general nature and level of work expected. It is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities required. Employees may be asked to perform other duties as needed.
