Forward Deployed AI Strategist || San Francisco, CA

Role: Forward Deployed AI Strategist

Location: San FranciscoCA

Our client a fast-growing AI software development enterprise B2B financial startup is hiring Forward Deployed AI Strategists to embed with enterprise clients run forensic workflow audits and translate complex business problems into AI solutions that actually ship.

This is a high-ownership client-facing strategy role - think McKinsey engagement manager meets AI operator - built for someone whos tired of making recommendations that disappear into a void and wants to see their work run in production.

What youll do

• Run end-to-end discovery engagements with enterprise clients - mapping workflows interviewing stakeholders and delivering executive readouts to CFOs and COOs
• Translate ambiguous business problems into concrete specs that the engineering team can build and deploy
• Pre-sell the implementation phase by running audits so compelling that clients greenlight the full engagement
• Own client relationships from first conversation to live system handoff with 10 20% travel to client sites
• Feed field learnings back into the companys playbooks patterns and platform as the team scales

Requirements

• 3 5 years of experience in top-tier strategy consulting (McKinsey BCG Bain) or equivalent strategy/BizOps role at a growth-stage startup (Series C) or large F500 enterprise - must have owned engagements not just supported them
• Track record leading large-scale transformation finance ops or strategy work
• Proven ability to lead meetings and build trust with C-suite stakeholders (CFOs COOs VPs) - you can hold the room and push back without losing the client
• First-principles problem solver - you reason from the actual business problem not a template
• AI-native: uses AI tools daily and has a genuine point of view on where agents work and where they dont
• Hands-on experience deploying AI tools/agents to automate end-to-end enterprise workflows
• Proficient in SQL Python and Excel/Sheets for data analysis workflow modeling and business case building
• Strong executive presence with a track record of driving engagements with the C-suite

Nice to have

• Founder early employee or operator who sold into enterprise customers or owned a P&L
• Top-tier university background (target school for MBB recruiting)