AI Solutions Leader

AI Solutions Leader AArete is one-of-a-kind when it comes to consulting firm culture. We’re a global, innovative management and technology consulting firm, with offices in the U.S., India, and the U.K. Our name comes from the Greek word for excellence: “Areté.” And excellence is exactly what we strive for. Our success starts with enriching and empowering our people. From robust career development planning to competitive life and wellness benefits, AArete’s “Culture of Care” takes a holistic approach to the employee experience. AAretians (our team members) are leaders at every level. You are encouraged to unlock your full potential by directly contributing to our mission and prioritizing space for personal development and fulfillment. The Role We are seeking an AI Solutions Leader to lead the design, development, and implementation of enterprise AI solutions that solve complex business and operational challenges for AArete and our clients. This individual will combine deep technical expertise with a consulting mindset, partnering with clients and internal leaders to define business problems, identify practical AI opportunities, and take solutions from concept through production deployment. This is a hands-on leadership role. The ideal candidate has personally designed, built, and deployed AI solutions in production environments and remains comfortable working directly with code, architecture, data, APIs, and engineering teams. This individual will also help shape AArete's AI capabilities, develop reusable solutions and accelerators, and identify opportunities to deliver measurable value through AI. The role requires someone who can operate effectively in a dynamic consulting environment, balance multiple priorities and engagements, and communicate effectively with both executive stakeholders and technical teams. Work You’ll Do Partner with clients and AArete leaders to understand complex business and operational challenges and translate them into practical AI use cases and implementation strategies Lead AI engagements from discovery and business-case development through solution architecture, implementation, testing, deployment, and production support Design, prototype, code, test, troubleshoot, and deploy AI solutions while providing technical leadership to engineering and data teams Build and implement generative AI applications, agentic AI workflows, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) solutions, conversational AI, predictive models, and intelligent automation solutions Design enterprise AI architectures that integrate with existing data platforms, applications, APIs, workflows, security controls, and operating models Develop implementation plans, technical requirements, resource estimates, delivery timelines, and solution architectures for AI initiatives Lead model selection, prompt engineering, RAG design, model evaluation, performance optimization, guardrails, monitoring, and other activities required to deliver reliable AI solutions Move AI initiatives beyond demonstrations and proofs of concept into secure, scalable, production-ready solutions Diagnose and resolve technical challenges related to data quality, integration, performance, hallucinations, security, scalability, and adoption Design solutions across modern cloud, data, and enterprise platforms such as Azure, AWS, Databricks, Snowflake, and Salesforce Establish standards and best practices for responsible AI, privacy, security, testing, monitoring, governance, and human oversight Develop reusable AI accelerators, reference architectures, demonstrations, frameworks, and delivery playbooks that can be leveraged across clients and engagements Work directly with client executives, business leaders, architects, engineers, data scientists, and other stakeholders to communicate AI opportunities, limitations, risks, costs, and tradeoffs Recruit, mentor, and provide technical leadership to AI engineers, data scientists, architects, and consultants Partner across AArete to identify opportunities to embed AI into client solutions, internal capabilities, and broader transformation initiatives Evaluate emerging AI technologies, platforms, and partnerships based on their enterprise applicability and commercial potential Other duties as assigned Requirements 10+ years of relevant experience in technology, software engineering, data, advanced analytics, AI/ML, consulting, or related disciplines with a Bachelor’s Degree, or 14+ years of equivalent experience 4+ years of hands-on experience with AI, machine learning, advanced analytics, or intelligent automation Demonstrated recent experience personally designing, building, and deploying AI solutions into production environments Experience implementing multiple AI solutions in production, with the ability to clearly articulate individual technical contributions, architecture decisions, challenges, and outcomes Strong hands-on development capabilities using Python, SQL, APIs, and modern software-development practices Experience building generative AI applications, AI agents, retrieval-augmented generation solutions, conversational AI, predictive models, or intelligent automation solutions Hands-on experience with model selection, prompt engineering, embeddings, vector databases, evaluation frameworks, guardrails, monitoring, and performance optimization Experience integrating AI solutions into complex enterprise environments, applications, workflows, and data platforms Familiarity with enterprise AI and data platforms such as Azure OpenAI, AWS Bedrock, Databricks, Snowflake, Salesforce, Microsoft Power Platform, or similar technologies Understanding of cloud architecture, data engineering, DevOps, MLOps, LLMOps, testing, observability, and production-support requirements Proven ability to move AI solutions from prototype or proof of concept into secure, scalable production environments Experience working directly with business and technical stakeholders to define problems, evaluate AI use cases, develop technical approaches, and lead implementation Ability to estimate implementation effort, define resource requirements, manage delivery risks, and develop practical implementation plans Strong executive communication skills with the ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear business recommendations Ability to operate effectively across multiple concurrent initiatives and adapt quickly to changing priorities in a dynamic environment Demonstrated experience leading, mentoring, or providing technical direction to engineers, data scientists, architects, or other technical professionals Willingness to engage in direct client interaction, including travel to client locations Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without the need for employer sponsorship Preferred Requirements Experience working in consulting, professional services, systems integration, or another client-facing technology environment Experience delivering enterprise AI solutions within healthcare, health plans, or another highly regulated industry Working knowledge of healthcare payer functions such as claims, enrollment, member and provider services, care management, utilization management, payment integrity, risk adjustment, quality, or finance Familiarity with healthcare data, privacy, security, compliance, and responsible-use requirements Experience working with distributed or global engineering and delivery teams Based in Chicago, IL, and flexible to work from our Chicago office as needed Compensation & Benefits Flexible PTO, monthly half-day refuels, volunteer time off, 10 paid holidays Own Your Day flexible work policy Competitive majority employer-paid benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, 401K Match Generous paid parental leave options Employer paid Life Insurance, STD, LTD Charitable contribution matching program New client commission opportunities and referral bonus program Bike share discount program The estimated base salary range for this position is $235,000-$280,000. In addition to this base salary, individuals may be eligible for an annual discretionary bonus. This range is a part of a competitive, total compensation package together with our majority employer-paid benefits, and incentive pay for eligible roles. Please note that this range is a guideline and individual total compensation may vary due to numerous factors including but not limited to experience level, certifications, and other relevant business considerations. AArete will accept applications until the position is filled. The job posting will be removed once the role is no longer available. We put humans at the center of our work We’re a global management and technology consulting firm specializing in strategic profitability improvement, digital transformation, and strategy & change for clients. Our cross-industry solutions are powered by a digital-first mindset, market intelligence, and data-driven approach to deliver purposeful change, actionable insights, and guaranteed results. But what sets us apart is our people. We are guided by our deeply embedded guiding principles: Excellence, Passion, Loyalty to Clients, Stewardship, Family, Community, Sustainability, and Inclusion. And we’ve been recognized as a top firm to work for by companies like Forbes, Top Workplaces Chicago Tribune, and Consulting Magazine. We’ve earned a Great Place to Work Certification ™ and been named a World’s Best Management Consulting Firm by Forbes, Vault’s Top 50 Firms to Work For , Crain's Chicago Business Fast 50, Inc 5000’s Fastest Growing Firms , and Consulting Magazine's Fastest Growing Firms . Learn more about our award-winning culture We are an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. Show more Show less