Senior AI Strategist (Digital and Physical Systems)

Fresh Consulting

$140K — $180K *
Technical Services
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 6+ years in product design consulting, focusing on software or hardware.
  • 2+ years incorporating AI into product design processes.
  • Bachelor's degree in Industrial Design, Industrial Engineering, or related field; MBA or Master's in AI is a plus.
  • Proven experience in implementing AI in product development, especially with hardware integration.
  • Software development experience required, firmware development is a strong plus.

Responsibilities

  • Lead client engagements to identify and roadmap AI opportunities.
  • Translate AI technologies into value-driven business cases for executives.
  • Assess client readiness in areas like data infrastructure and organizational culture.
  • Design strategies for implementing Generative AI and predictive analytics.
  • Advise on integrating digital twins with physical assets for optimization.
  • Partner with technical teams to ensure roadmaps are viable and scalable.
  • Define governance and ethical frameworks for AI deployments.

Benefits

  • Flexible work schedule: 3 days in office, 2 remote.
  • Access to cutting-edge technology and training.
  • Collaborative cross-functional team environment.
Full Job Description
Senior AI Strategist. In this role, you will guide our clients through the next frontier of technological transformation. By leveraging extensive experience in product development consulting and deep AI expertise, this role will bring a researcher's and strategist's rigor to how organizations should think about Digital AI (generative AI, predictive analytics, enterprise automation & machine learning) and Physical AI (IoT, robotics, computer vision, and smart manufacturing).

This is a research, consulting, and strategy role. You'll spend your time investigating emerging technologies, market shifts, and competitive dynamics, then translating that research into points of view to support proposals and pitches that shape how sales teams approach AI transformation for our customers.. You will have to be equally comfortable synthesizing a landscape of fast-moving AI trends into a clear narrative and pressure-testing that thinking in front of a boardroom. Additionally, you will put your knowledge to work during delivery in consulting projects, workshops, product definitions, and value-added activities for our clients.

You will sit at the intersection of business strategy, data science, engineering, product and physical AI, helping Fresh's clients, including Fortune 500, connect their product creation with the current and future AI trends and technologies.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic Advisory & Vision
  • Lead cross-functional client engagements to identify, prioritize, and roadmap high-impact AI opportunities across both digital and physical domains.
  • Translate complex AI technologies into clear, value-driven business cases for C-suite executives.
  • Assess client readiness across data infrastructure, physical assets, organizational culture, and change management.
  • Be a consultant and SME in AI for internal and external clients.

2. Digital AI Strategy
  • Design strategies for implementing Generative AI, Large Language Models (LLMs), enterprise data platforms, and predictive analytics.
  • Create strategies and structure proposals to implement enterprise agentic projects.
  • Optimize digital workflows, customer experience platforms, and core business software using intelligent automation.

3. Physical & Edge AI Strategy
  • Design strategies to implement AI in new product development workflows, industrial design and advanced interfaces.
  • Advise on the convergence of digital twins with physical assets to optimize supply chains and manufacturing lifecycles.

4. Cross-Functional Collaboration
  • Partner with Data Scientists, Robotics Engineers, Cloud Architects, and UX Designers to ensure strategic roadmaps are technically viable and scalable.
  • Define governance, ethical AI frameworks, and risk mitigation strategies (especially regarding physical safety and data privacy in connected environments).

Qualifications & Skills

Required Experience
  • Experience: 6+ years in product design consulting with a heavy component in software or hardware.
    • 2+ years of experience incorporating AI in product design processes, both internally and externally.
    • Bonus: Experience utilizing AI for manufacturing; i.e., AI assisted design and machining, among others.
  • Education: Bachelor's degree in Industrial Design, Industrial Engineering, or a related quantitative field. An MBA or Master's in an AI-related field is a strong plus.
  • Proven Track Record: Experience implementing AI in product development, ideally with at least one major project involving hardware integration. Software development experience is required. A strong plus would have been involved in firmware development.

Technical & Strategic Acumen

Domain

Focus Areas

Digital AI

LLMs, Data Governance, BI tools, ML tools & Systems architecture. Fluent in MCP, A2A, RestAPIs, ESBs & Orchestrators.

Physical AI

Digital Twins, Wireless Communications, Electronic design and manufacturing.

Business

ROI modeling, Agile methodology, Change Management, C-Suite communication.

Soft Skills
  • Translation Ability: Can translate product features to specific technical requirements; in particular around the design and implementation of agents, agentic architectures, among others.
  • Ambiguity Navigator: Thrives in unstructured environments where the technology is evolving faster than the market.
  • Experimentation: Capable of setting up small proof of concept and experimenting firsthand with the newest technology in order to understand, demonstrate and lead the team and customer conversations.

Location
  • Seattle/Bellevue area.
  • 3 days in office, 2 remote
  • Full time

Compensation offered will be determined by factors such as location, level, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Range $140K - $180K.

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