Principal Consultant - AI Strategy & Advisory (Columbia)

We are seeking 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, CDO's 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.
• 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.

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.

Minimum Salary

$160,000

Maximum Salary

$180,000