Principal Consultant - AI Strategy & Advisory

Principal Consultant - AI Strategy & Advisory

We are seeking a Principal Consultant – AI Strategy to lead strategic AI engagements with State, Local, and Education (SLED) agencies. This role works directly with government executives to help them define AI strategies, assess readiness, and build realistic, multi-year AI roadmaps aligned to public sector missions.

This position is highly collaborative and client-facing. The individual will serve as a bridge between SLED agencies, internal Business Solutions and Growth teams, and corporate technology organizations such as the CDIO organization and AI Accelerator teams, ensuring AI advisory work is grounded in deliverable, governed, and scalable capabilities.

In addition to client advisory leadership, the role is responsible for originating and leading AI advisory engagements, including responding to consulting oriented procurements (RFPs, RFIs, RFQs) for AI strategy, readiness, and roadmap services.

This is not a software engineering role. However, the Principal Consultant – AI Strategy must have strong AI fluency and the ability to apply AI concepts to real operational problems in government environments.

This role is remote, but some travel may be required (25%).

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Lead executive-level AI strategy discussions with SLED leaders, including CIOs, CDOs and program executives.
• Help agencies assess AI readiness and maturity, including data readiness, governance, workforce implications, and risk considerations.
• Guide agencies in identifying and prioritizing AI use cases that support mission outcomes in areas such as eligibility and enrollment, health and human services, customer contact centers, workforce programs, and compliance operations.
• Develop practical, phased AI roadmaps that balance innovation with public sector constraints (policy, procurement, security, fairness, explainability).
• Serve as engagement lead or senior advisor for AI strategy and advisory projects, accountable for quality and client satisfaction.
• Translate agency needs into actionable inputs for corporate AI and platform teams.
• Collaborate with delivery, analytics, and operations teams to support transition from strategy to execution.
• Help scope, structure, and price AI advisory engagements that are executable and outcome focused.

Corporate Collaboration & Internal Alignment:

• Works in partnership with CDIO leadership, AI Accelerator teams, and enterprise platform teams to align client recommendations with: Available and emerging AI capabilities, Enterprise governance and responsible AI standards, Scalable, reusable delivery models.
• Translate agency needs into actionable inputs for corporate AI and platform teams.
• Ensure AI advisory solutions are implementable, not purely conceptual, and align to organizational delivery capability.
• Collaborate with delivery, analytics, and operations teams to support transition from strategy to execution.

Business Development & Consulting Capture:

• Support and lead responses to AI advisory and consulting procurements for SLED agencies.
• Contribute to proposal development, including AI strategy approaches, methodologies, and value propositions.
• Partner with Growth and Capture teams to shape opportunities early and align advisory offerings to client needs.
• Help scope, structure, and price AI advisory engagements that are executable and outcome focused.

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in relevant field of study.
• 10+ years of relevant professional experience required.
• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred.
• 10+ years experience in consulting, advisory, or strategy roles, with significant SLED or public sector exposure.
• Demonstrated experience leading client-facing strategy or advisory engagements, preferably involving technology-enabled transformation.
• Experience responding to or supporting consulting-style RFPs/RFQs.
• Strong working knowledge of AI concepts and trends (e.g., generative AI, automation, analytics), with the ability to apply them pragmatically.
• Excellent executive communication skills, with the ability to explain complex concepts clearly to non-technical audiences.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience advising state or local government agencies on technology strategy, analytics, or digital modernization.
• Experience working with or alongside enterprise technology organizations (e.g., CDIO, innovation hubs, AI centers of excellence).
• Familiarity with AI governance, risk management, and responsible AI concepts in regulated environments.
• Background in health and human services, eligibility and enrollment, citizen services, or large-scale government programs.

EEO Statement:

Maximus is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, genetic information and other legally protected characteristics.

Pay Transparency:

Maximus compensation is based on various factors including but not limited to job location, a candidate's education, training, experience, expected quality and quantity of work, required travel (if any), external market and internal value analysis including seniority and merit systems, as well as internal pay alignment. Annual salary is just one component of Maximus's total compensation package. Other rewards may include short- and long-term incentives as well as program-specific awards. Additionally, Maximus provides a variety of benefits to employees, including health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, a retirement savings plan, paid holidays and paid time off. Compensation ranges may differ based on contract value but will be commensurate with job duties and relevant work experience. An applicant's salary history will not be used in determining compensation. Maximus will comply with regulatory minimum wage rates and exempt salary thresholds in all instances.

Accommodations:

Maximus provides reasonable accommodations to individuals requiring assistance during any phase of the employment process due to a disability, medical condition, or physical or mental impairment. If you require assistance at any stage of the employment process—including accessing job postings, completing assessments, or participating in interviews,—please contact People Operations at applicantaccom@maximus.com.

Key skills/competency:

• AI Strategy
• Public Sector Consulting
• Government Technology
• AI Roadmapping
• Client Relationship Management
• AI Readiness Assessment
• Business Development
• Generative AI
• Digital Transformation
• Executive Communication