Job Description: Principal Data & AI Consultant

Role Title

Role Summary

As a Senior Data & AI Consultant, you will work with clients operating in highly regulated environments - including Health, Government, and Financial Services to shape, advise, and deliver Data & AI initiatives that are credible, compliant, and outcome‑led.

You will operate as a trusted advisor to senior stakeholders, leading AI and data conversations from early strategy and investment cases through to governed delivery. The role blends consulting excellence, solution thinking, pre‑sales leadership, and delivery oversight, with a strong emphasis on regulatory awareness, stakeholder trust, and commercial impact rather than hands‑on technical build.

This is a senior consulting role for individuals who can lead confidently in complex environments, influence decision‑making, and translate AI ambition into safe, practical execution.

Primary Outcomes

• Clients gain clarity and confidence on how to invest in Data & AI within regulatory constraints.
• AI initiatives are prioritised, funded, and delivered with clear governance and accountability.
• Advisory engagements convert into repeatable, scalable consulting and delivery work.
• The firm’s Data & AI capability is strengthened through IP, offerings, and thought leadership.

Key Responsibilities

1. Solution Thinking & Advisory Leadership

• Lead client engagements to shape Data & AI strategy, roadmaps, and investment cases, aligned to organisational objectives and regulatory realities.
• Frame complex challenges into clear problem statements, options, trade‑offs, and decisions for senior stakeholders.
• Support clients in answering core executive questions:
  Where are we today? Where are we going? Why now? What will it cost? What value will it return?
• Ensure AI is positioned as an enabler of business outcomes, not a technology experiment.

2. Stakeholder Collaboration & Client Trust

• Act as a trusted advisor to senior leaders across business, technology, risk, compliance, and operations.
• Facilitate executive‑level workshops, design sessions, and decision forums.
• Translate technical and AI concepts into clear, regulator‑aware narratives suitable for ExCo, Boards, and oversight bodies.
• Build long‑term client relationships based on credibility, clarity, and delivery confidence.

3. Consulting Excellence (Ways of Working & Quality)

• Lead engagements using strong consulting discipline: clear scope, outcomes, governance, RAID, and stakeholder management.
• Maintain a consistently high bar for client‑ready outputs, executive storytelling, and defensible recommendations.
• Apply structured consulting approaches to discovery, assessment, and prioritisation in complex organisations.
• Ensure engagements are evidence‑led, auditable, and outcome‑focused.

4. Delivery Oversight & Execution Confidence

• Provide delivery leadership and oversight, ensuring solutions are executed safely and predictably in regulated environments.
• Work closely with delivery teams, architects, and engineers to ensure alignment between strategy, design, and execution.
• Ensure appropriate governance, assurance, and decision checkpoints are embedded throughout delivery.
• Focus on scale, operability, and sustainability, not just initial delivery success.

5. Risk, Security & Regulatory Awareness

• Ensure Data & AI initiatives align with regulatory expectations around accountability, transparency, auditability, and control.
• Engage confidently with Risk, Compliance, Security, and Legal stakeholders.
• Help clients navigate emerging AI regulation and governance expectations pragmatically.
• Balance innovation with risk management, ensuring AI adoption does not increase operational or regulatory exposure.

6. Pre‑Sales, Pipeline & Commercial Impact

• Self‑starter who builds and manages a qualified advisory pipeline from inception to closure.
• Lead early‑stage client conversations, shape opportunities, and support bids, proposals, and RFP responses.
• Deliver market perspectives and identify opportunities across UK / Europe regulated sectors.
• Partner with sales and sector leadership to accelerate growth in Data & AI advisory work.

7. Capability Building, IP & Offerings

• Contribute to the development of repeatable consulting offerings, frameworks, and accelerators aligned to market demand.
• Support evolution of architecture‑as‑a‑service / advisory‑led models (standards, patterns, governance frameworks).
• Mentor colleagues and contribute to building a strong, inclusive, high‑performing consulting culture.

8. Thought Leadership & Market Presence

• Stay current with AI and data trends and translate them into practical, regulated‑ready guidance.
• Contribute to blogs, whitepapers, presentations, and client‑facing points of view.
• Represent the firm credibly in client forums, workshops, and industry conversations.
• Help shape the firm’s Data & AI narrative in regulated markets.

Experience & Profile

• 12+ years’ experience in consulting, advisory, or senior delivery roles across data, analytics, or AI.
• Demonstrable experience working with regulated clients (Health, Government, Financial Services).
• Strong stakeholder management and executive communication skills.
• Proven ability to operate across strategy, pre‑sales, advisory, and delivery oversight.
• Commercially minded, with experience contributing to pipeline, revenue, and account growth.
• Comfortable leading ambiguity and influencing without authority.