AI Advisory Principal

Scale AI's Advisory practice is the most forward-leaning bet in our go-to-market motion. We're not waiting for clients to hand us a scope — we get in front of the decision, shape the right AI problems before a build begins, and make Scale the obvious partner for what comes next.

Advisory is the structured answer to the question enterprises are already asking us: "What should we build, and where do we start?" It's a discovery and scoping phase that runs before delivery — designed to land bigger contracts, drive more predictable execution, and accelerate expansion. By 2027, it will be Scale's default first engagement with new enterprise clients.

As an AI Advisory Principal, you lead Scale's Advisory work in your vertical, end-to-end. In pre-sales, you shape and qualify opportunities alongside Account Executives and sell the Advisory phase to clients. In delivery, you're the Directly Responsible Individual on engagements — owning the client relationship, running the discovery and scoping work, and accountable for the outcome. Underpinning both, you build out the vertical point of view — the industry and AI expertise that makes Advisory credible — and, as one of the function's first hires, help build the Advisory motion itself. This is a hands-on role: you do the advisory work, not just manage it.

What You'll Own

You own the engagement and the vertical — from the first pre-sales conversation through the final readout.

• Lead engagements end-to-end. You're the Directly Responsible Individual on engagements — owning the client relationship, running workshops, leading the final readout, driving the direction, and accountable for the outcome (use-case selection, SOW quality, delivery). You coordinate and direct the Solutions Engineers, Designers, Tech Leads, and DSGs on the engagement without managing them directly.
• Sell Advisory in your vertical. You build the approach, lead the Advisory portion of key pre-sales meetings, bring industry roadmap examples from buyer peers, and qualify opportunities with Account Executives — and you represent Scale and Advisory at industry events.
• Build the vertical point of view. You develop your vertical's point of view — the AI-shaped problems, best practices, technology and learnings, and buyer-peer and competitor intelligence that make Advisory credible in the field.
• Grow the playbook from the field. You surface what's working and what isn't across your engagements, document the patterns and reusable approaches, and work with DSGs to update the Advisory approach based on build feedback.
• Manage your Consultant. You manage the Consultant on your engagements and overall — coaching them, giving feedback, and owning their professional development — and you provide input on Consultant hiring.

Qualifications

Ideally, you’d have

• Senior manager or principal equivalent experience at a Tier 1 firm (McKinsey, Bain, BCG ideally); 7+ years of work experience. AI strategy or transformation experience strongly preferred.
• Scoping, proposal, and pitching experience — comfortable shaping and selling an engagement, not just delivering it.
• The judgment to advise clients directly on where AI creates value — identifying and shaping the right, AI-shaped use cases for their business.
• The technical credibility to speak to AI builds credibility and to work closely with Solutions Engineers on feasibility.
• A classic consulting toolkit e.g. strategy, operating-model, governance, change management, and exec-ready storytelling to assist clients in developing an AI strategy
• Experience designing and facilitating client workshops.
• A natural relationship-builder who establishes trusted-advisor credibility early, paired with the judgment to own outcomes independently.
• Strategic but hands-on: able to think at the level of a client's AI agenda and still get into the day-to-day work of an engagement.
• Willingness to travel 30-60 percent, which can include international trips depending on the account.

Nice to Have

• Deep expertise in at least one enterprise vertical  (Consumer, Financial & Professional Services, Healthcare & Life Sciences) — the industry depth to be credible with senior stakeholders.
• 0-to1 experience developing or deploying GenAI applications in an enterprise setting.