Manager, Data and AI Practice

Metis Strategy•Walnut Creek, CA

100d•$140,000 - $220,000•Remote

About The Position

As a senior member of the team, the Manager is a project leader, thought leader, people leader, and contributor to the growth and development of the firm. The role leads teams through client engagements to develop and deliver data-driven and AI-enabled strategies for large enterprises, working with teammates and client stakeholders to advance growth, operational efficiency, and measurable impact through analytics, responsible AI, data governance, and technology transformation. The Manager assesses client data and AI maturity using diagnostic frameworks spanning people, process, technology, data, and culture. The role supports the identification, evaluation, and prioritization of AI and analytics use cases; gathers stakeholder perspectives through interviews, workshops, and surveys; and translates findings into recommendations and strategic opportunity maps. The Manager also contributes to AI operating models, governance structures, and change management plans that support responsible, scalable AI adoption. The role works with clients to prototype and pilot AI and machine learning solutions, define success criteria, measure business outcomes, and refine solutions based on feedback. It develops strategy documents, roadmaps, business cases, and executive presentations for senior digital and technology leaders, and conducts market research, maturity benchmarking, and competitive analysis. The Manager helps build client and internal capabilities through role-based fluency programs, repeatable processes, and reusable playbooks, and supports the design, assessment, and implementation of enterprise data platforms and modern architectures, including data lakes, warehouses, and cloud-native solutions. The role also partners with technology teams and client stakeholders to evaluate data platform technologies, architecture patterns, and scalability. In addition to consulting work, Managers can help expand the firm’s intellectual, functional, economic, and geographic footprint by contributing ideas to grow the business, developing methodologies and intellectual property, creating publishable materials, and helping lead internal tools and capability development.

Requirements

7 to 10+ years of relevant work experience.
Demonstrated success working collaboratively in a professional services role, ideally in business strategy and/or management consulting.
Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a quantitative, technical, or business field, such as Computer Science, Engineering, Data Analytics, Business, or Information Systems.
Proven ability to manage small teams and complex workstreams in fast-paced environments with aggressive timelines.
Technology and business acumen, with concrete examples of helping companies solve complex business problems using people, process, and technology solutions.
Ability to coach junior team members and senior clients.
Innovative problem-solving skills and an entrepreneurial spirit.
Ability to communicate complex ideas concisely for different audiences and media, including executives and operational teams.
Ability to produce polished, compelling analyses and recommendations for C-level initiatives.
Collaborative and relationship-oriented approach with clients and team members.
Outcome-oriented motivation and an energetic, hands-on approach.
Intellectual curiosity and interest in emerging technologies and their business applications.
Advanced proficiency with cloud and on-premise data platforms, data architecture principles, and modern data engineering stacks.
Ability to support risk discovery and gap analysis for data security and compliance and contribute to recommendations and remediation plans.
Awareness of data governance best practices, data management principles, and frameworks for data quality, lineage, and master data management.
Understanding of security, privacy, and compliance requirements for enterprise data and AI systems, including relevant laws and regulatory frameworks.
Strong problem-solving and analytical skills, including comfort with quantitative analysis, business case development, and data and AI concepts.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to distill complex topics into clear recommendations for senior audiences.
Ability to thrive in fast-paced consulting projects and cross-functional teams.
Located within the Pacific time zone.
Eligibility to work in the U.S. without sponsorship is preferred.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting client engagements through research, stakeholder interviews, and deliverable development.

Responsibilities

Lead teams through client engagements developing and delivering data-driven and AI-enabled strategies for large enterprises.
Assess client data and AI maturity across people, process, technology, data, and culture.
Identify, evaluate, and prioritize AI and analytics use cases using business case analysis of impact, feasibility, and return on investment.
Gather and synthesize stakeholder perspectives through interviews, workshops, and surveys, and translate them into recommendations and strategic opportunity maps.
Contribute to AI operating models, governance structures, and change management plans for responsible, scalable adoption.
Support the prototyping and piloting of AI and machine learning solutions, establish success criteria, measure outcomes, and refine solutions based on feedback.
Prepare strategy documents, roadmaps, business cases, and executive presentations for senior digital and technology leaders.
Conduct market research, maturity benchmarking, and competitive analysis.
Support capability-building programs, repeatable processes, and reusable playbooks for clients and internal teams.
Support the design, assessment, and implementation of enterprise data platforms and modern data architectures.
Partner with technology teams and client stakeholders to evaluate data platform technologies, architecture patterns, and platform scalability.
Help grow the firm by contributing business-development ideas, methodologies, intellectual property, publishable materials, and internal tools and capabilities.
Manage small teams and complex workstreams in fast-paced environments.