Associate Partner, Data & AI

Wayfinders is Fujitsu’s new business and technology management consulting firm built for the AI era. The mission of Wayfinders is to help customers define how they should harness the power of technology to outperform their peers and drive new frontiers of growth and profitability. We help customers from opportunity to outcome; we work with them to develop their strategy, implement it at scale, and maximize their return on investment. We do all this by weaving AI into our consulting process and building our customers’ capabilities so they can leverage AI at scale across their enterprise. 

Position Overview: Wayfinders Associate Partner – Data & AI

We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Associate Partner to join our Data & AI practice. This role is ideal for a strategic thinker and leader with expertise in leading enterprise-wide AI and data transformation programs. Experience aligning AI strategy initiatives with business goals and driving measurable outcomes. The ideal candidate will have a proven ability to translate complex data and AI challenges into business value, crafting compelling strategies and presenting C-suite-ready roadmaps, and driving adoption of data-driven decisions. This position offers a pathway to becoming a Partner.

Key Responsibilities

Client Leadership

• Serve as a trusted advisor to senior executives (e.g., CDO, CIO, CTO) on AI & Data strategy and transformation.
• Clear track record leading multiple high-value projects/consulting engagements (e.g. $1M+ Data and AI Transformations) 
• Demonstrated history of a leveraged split-time model, simultaneously leading 2-3 projects in parallel.
• Proven mentor, who has built internal teams and successfully grown junior colleagues to lead project teams
• Drive client satisfaction and long-term relationship development.

 

Practice Development

• Shapes practice-level strategy and consulting offers to address market trends, develops intellectual property
• Mentor and develop high-performing consulting teams.
• Collaborate with cross-functional leaders to integrate Technology capabilities with broader digital, sustainability, and operational excellence initiatives.

 

Business Development

• Experience winning new business, crafting proposals, expanding the practice’s market presence, and building relationships with senior client leaders.
• Build and maintain a strong pipeline of opportunities across industries such as automotive, industrials, banking, and food & beverage.
• Achieve revenue and profitability targets.

 

Required Skills & Experience

Consulting & Industry Experience and Education

• 8+ years, with demonstrated consulting experience or equivalent industry leadership (e.g. Head of Data or Head of Analytics for a midsized company).
• Excels in storytelling and stakeholder facilitation, bridging technical (e.g., data engineers, data scientists, and MLEs) and business audiences with persuasive narratives, building trust, and navigating client dynamics with finesse. 
• Adept at collaborating with colleagues and clients, delivering clear technical insights through engaging presentations and consultations, and building strong relationships to drive project success and client satisfaction in dynamic, team-oriented environments
• Skilled in defining compelling business use cases by identifying high impact opportunities (e.g. cost reduction, revenue growth), translating complex needs into actionable Data & AI implementations, process optimization strategies and governance frameworks that align solutions to strategy. Impact-oriented mindset, with the proven ability to drive return on investments in data and analytics.
• Experience working with mid-size companies in the $1B - $20B revenue range.
• Experience with US subsidiaries of Japanese multi-national firms is a plus.
• Advanced degree (PhD, MBA, MS in Computer Science, Data Science, or equivalent) from a top-tier institution preferred, though relevant experience can substitute.

 

Leadership & Influence

• Executive presence with the ability to influence and engage senior stakeholders.
• Strong people leadership skills, including team building, coaching, and performance managem