Senior Manager/Director — Strategy & AI Advisory

Company Description: People Stretch Solutions is a Washington, DC-based management consulting firm specializing in strategy, C-level advisory, and business development effectiveness for mid-market companies across North America and EMEA. Founded and led by an experienced CEO/President, the firm partners with executive teams to translate ambition into workable strategy and disciplined execution. Demand has outpaced capacity, and we are making our first full-time strategic hire — someone who can own client engagements end to end and help build the next stage of the firm. We are also expanding into advising clients on AI strategy and governance, helping them lay the foundation for adopting generative AI. This role sits at the center of both priorities. Role Description: As Senior Manager/Director, you will be the firm's senior delivery lead for strategy and strategic-planning engagements and the point person for our growing AI strategy and governance practice. You will work shoulder-to-shoulder with the Founder — shaping client work, running engagements independently, and representing the firm in front of senior stakeholders. This is a hands-on, builder's role: in a firm of our size you will move fluidly between setting strategy, doing the analysis, facilitating the room, and helping shape how we grow. It is well suited to someone operating at the level between a senior engagement manager and a director who wants ownership and range rather than a narrow lane. Strategy consulting & strategic planning Lead client strategy and strategic-planning engagements from scoping through delivery, including workplan, analysis, and final recommendations. Facilitate executive teams through planning cycles — vision and priorities, goal-setting, operating models, and roadmaps — and translate them into measurable plans. Conduct research, financial and operational analysis, and synthesis into clear, decision-ready deliverables and executive presentations. Serve as a trusted advisor and primary day-to-day contact for client leadership, managing scope, timelines, and expectations. Advise clients on AI strategy — identifying high-value use cases, assessing readiness, and building phased adoption roadmaps for generative AI. Design AI governance foundations: policies, risk assessment, data and model oversight, and human-in-the-loop controls, drawing on frameworks such as the NIST AI Risk Management Framework, ISO/IEC 42001, and the EU AI Act. Translate responsible-AI principles into practical operating guardrails that clients can actually implement and sustain. Stay current on the evolving AI regulatory and best-practice landscape and help shape the firm's point of view and service offerings. Firm building Help develop methodologies, frameworks, and reusable tools that raise the quality and efficiency of our work. Contribute to business development — proposals, scoping conversations, and thought leadership — and help extend and manage our contractor network as engagements require. Qualifications Required 8+ years in management consulting, corporate strategy, or a comparable advisory role, including leading engagements or workstreams independently. Demonstrated strength in strategy development and strategic planning, with executive-level facilitation and communication skills. Working knowledge of generative AI and a genuine interest in AI governance, risk, and responsible adoption. Excellent structured problem-solving, analysis, and executive-quality writing and presentation skills. Comfort operating with autonomy and ambiguity in a small, fast-moving firm — you are as willing to build the deck as to lead the room. Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience. Preferred Direct experience advising on AI strategy, data governance, or risk/compliance frameworks (e.g., NIST AI RMF, ISO/IEC 42001, EU AI Act). Exposure to people, organization, or change-management topics that complement our core practice. Advanced degree (MBA or relevant master's) or professional certifications in strategy, risk, or AI governance. Prior experience in a boutique or founder-led environment. #J-18808-Ljbffr People Stretch Solutions