About the role:

Shape the future of Manufacturing, allowingAI systems to integrate with physical devices, including robots, vehicles and machines, using a broad range of sensors and actuators to perceive, decide and act in real-world environments.

Gartner Analysts are industry thought leaders who create must‑have insights, market predictions, and best practices for world‑leading organizations.

A Senior Director serves as a leader within Gartner’s Business and Technology Insights sector, establishing credibility at local, regional, and global levels. They produce pragmatic and provocative research that clients use to advance key objectives and act as trusted advisors through client interactions, meetings, briefings, and conference engagements.

What you will do:

Create innovative, thought-provoking, highly leveraged research content for Manufacturing CIOs and AI Leaders, their teams and stakeholders

Develop new research ideas and offer actionable approaches to client needs

Analyze client challenges to identify root causes and reframe thinking
Demonstrate thought leadership around the future of manufacturing; ecosystems, geopolitics, technologies, vendors and the regulations impacting it; the role of data; required business capabilities; and help shape research positions across analyst teams

Research and predict manufacturing market vendors and trends to provide actionable insights, e.g. Magic Quadrants, Critical Capabilities, Strategic Roadmaps

Assist Manufacturers in their digitalization and AI Journeys by providing guidance on readiness, strategy, use case prioritization, business case, architecture, design and vendor selection

Bring independent insights that influence research agendas and help clients make informed, unbiased decisions

Collaborate with Team Managers and Research Cohort Leads to align stakeholders and drive high‑impact outcomes

Pivot into adjacent research areas as client demand evolves and boundaries between industries and technologies blur

Provide actionable client advice via virtual or in‑person interactions

Create and deliver high‑value presentations for Gartner events and client briefings

Support Research and Sales by representing the voice of the market and driving client engagement

Peer‑review research content to ensure quality and timeliness

Build credibility as an industry expert representing Gartner research and methodology

Participate in innovation and research discussions with peers

Identify and improve research processes

Mentor and coach junior team members

Be client‑centric and encourage regular engagement with Gartner research

What you will need:

12+ years of experience in Manufacturing IT, with deep expertise in manufacturing core systems and preferably deterministic, production-grade AI use cases. Proven background in the design, deployment, and integration of:

Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), including orchestration of shop-floor processes

IIoT (Industrial IoT)

Enterprise integrations across MES, ERP, Data Warehouses, PLM, and Quality systems

Deterministic AI and analytics applications in manufacturing, including:

Decision-support systems

Rules-based optimization and scheduling

Domain-specific large models (DSLMs) applied to manufacturing operations

Computer vision for quality inspection and defect detection

Edge computing architectures enabling low-latency, high-reliability manufacturing use cases

Robotics and automation integration within controlled, safety-critical manufacturing environments

Analysis and improvements of manufacturing/operations data using AIoT, Data Platforms, Digital Twins/Threads
Deep knowledge of the competitive global landscape of the industrial and AI SW and service market

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience; graduate degree preferred

Executive presence and ability to establish credibility quickly

Strong collaboration and organizational skills

About the role:

What you will do:

Identify and improve research processes

Mentor and coach junior team members

IIoT (Industrial IoT)

Decision-support systems

Rules-based optimization and scheduling

Physical Artificial Intelligence Expert (Senior Director, Analyst - Remote US) at Gartner