AI Strategist/Consultant

AI Strategist, Financial Services

Inside IR35, £700-£800 per day

6-month contract for 3 days a week, 1 day in London.

My client is a leading Financial Services business looking to hire an AI Strategist or AI consultant, on a 3 day a week assignment to drive a future roadmap for the businesses AI Strategy. The role will work with key executive stakeholders to challenge their current strategic approach, set out a future roadmap for AI that's feasible and supplying external, validated, knowledge into the Senior Leadership Team.

Key Responsibilities:

• Help drive a business-led enterprise AI strategy
• Advise senior leaders on value-driven AI adoption and strategic direction.
• Align business functions (Marketing, Sales, Customer Service, etc.) to outcome-focused AI roadmaps.
• Assess and guide existing AI consulting and agent-development teams.
• Provide expert insight on GenAI platforms (Gemini, Copilot) and AI limitations.
• Ensure AI strategy is realistic, value-focused, and aligned to enterprise goals.

Key Skills

• Proven experience developing enterprise-level AI strategies across large or complex organisations.
• Ideally background in Financial Services or another highly regulated industry (Banking, Insurance, Payments, FS consulting).
• Strong C-suite and Senior Leadership stakeholder management, with the ability to challenge thinking and influence direction.
• Hands-on understanding of GenAI platforms (e.g., Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, OpenAI, Anthropic) and their practical constraints.
• Experience building AI roadmaps that align business functions (Marketing, Sales, Customer Service, Operations, Digital, Risk).
• Knowledge of AI governance, risk, compliance, and responsible AI frameworks relevant to FS environments.
• Exposure to AI delivery teams, including MLOps, data engineering, AI consulting, or agent-development teams.
• Ability to translate complex technical capability into clear commercial value propositions.
• Comfortable assessing AI maturity, operating models, and organisational readiness.
• Strong analytical and strategic thinking, with a track record of shaping direction at executive level.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and presentation skills.