Technology & AI Strategy Consultant

Smith + Howard•Atlanta, GA

About The Position

Smith + Howard Advisory is seeking a senior Technology & AI Strategy Consultant to advise middle-market company executives on technology modernization, data value, and practical applications of AI. This highly visible, client-facing role leads engagements from discovery through executive readout, assessing technology environments and helping leadership teams make confident decisions that improve efficiency, scalability, and growth. The consultant works independently, applying deep expertise and AI-enabled tools to deliver outcomes directly to clients rather than managing large analyst teams. The role involves advising CEOs, CFOs, and operational leaders; assessing processes, systems, data environments, and AI readiness; and developing practical roadmaps aligned with business goals. The consultant evaluates platforms, AI tools, vendors, integrations, and workflows; designs and applies agentic AI workflows where appropriate; and helps clients prioritize, govern, and implement AI solutions. This includes addressing use policies, confidentiality boundaries, and risk review in collaboration with client counsel. The role also leads workshops and strategic planning sessions, supports implementation and change initiatives, and helps clients understand the rationale and requirements for successful execution. The consultant owns delivery end to end, including scoping, discovery interviews, analysis, deliverables, and executive readouts. The role also supports follow-on engagement development by identifying where additional guidance could benefit clients, without carrying a sales quota. The position may be filled at the Director or Senior Director level. Compensation is $200–$400 per hour and is adjusted based on experience, responsibility, complexity, geographic location, and regional market rates.

Requirements

15+ years at a major consulting firm, with experience in IT strategy, digital transformation, ERP and platform selection, and merger integration.
Experience with large enterprise clients, with the ability to apply that experience in smaller middle-market organizations and within tighter budgets.
Operating experience in addition to consulting experience, such as serving as a COO, CIO, CTO, CRO, or head of a business unit.
Credibility with CEOs and CFOs and the ability to establish it without relying on a firm brand.
Ability and willingness to work as a single senior resource without an analyst, manager, or larger team structure.
Middle-market instincts and ability to work with frugal clients, personal decision-making dynamics, and founders while avoiding unnecessary enterprise process overhead.
Familiarity with platforms used by middle-market companies, including Dynamics 365, NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Salesforce, QuickBooks, CPQ and PDM tools, and the integration layer between them.

Nice To Haves

Partner, principal, director, senior manager, or equivalent tenure at a major technology consulting firm.
C-level operator experience.

Responsibilities

Advise executive leadership teams on technology, digital transformation, and AI strategy, guiding CEOs and CFOs toward practical, value-driven decisions.
Assess business processes, systems, data environments, and AI readiness to identify opportunities for improvement.
Develop technology and AI roadmaps aligned with business objectives, distinguishing practical near-term AI use cases from those requiring stronger data foundations.
Evaluate software platforms, AI tools, vendors, integrations, and operational workflows based on fit, dependencies, efficiency, and decision-making value.
Use AI in delivery work to accelerate research, synthesis, document analysis, and deliverable production, and explain its effects on personal work cycle times.
Design, build, and apply agentic AI workflows or architectures, judging where they create value and where they add unnecessary complexity or risk.
Help clients understand, prioritize, govern, and implement practical AI solutions, including appropriate use policies, confidentiality boundaries, and risk review with client counsel.
Lead workshops, stakeholder discussions, and strategic planning sessions that explain technical concepts clearly to non-technical executives.
Advise clients throughout implementation and change initiatives, explaining recommendations, rationale, and conditions for success.
Own engagement delivery end to end, including scoping, discovery interviews, analysis, deliverable development, and executive readout.
Conduct structured 60–90-minute interviews with executives and functional owners and synthesize findings into a current-state assessment.
Assess platforms, integration state, data readiness, and compliance posture, including HIPAA, PCI, and client confidentiality, at a diagnostic level.
Build multi-year roadmaps with investments and expected returns expressed in business terms for non-technical operating audiences.
Navigate client dynamics and adoption challenges, building trust and sequencing implementation so recommendations can take hold.
Identify opportunities for follow-on work and help shape the scope, rationale, and path forward, without carrying a sales quota.
Serve as an additional senior advisor on complex engagements, providing strategic perspective and support to clients, the practice team, or the broader firm.