Principal Consultant - Data & AI

Job description

**Overview** Microsoft Industry Solutions - Global Center Innovation and Delivery Center (GCID) delivers end-to-end solutions by enabling accelerated adoption and productive use of Microsoft technologies. An organization of well over 1000+ exceptional people, GCID presents a great opportunity for highly skilled services professionals to make a foray into consulting, solution development and delivery roles. The Principal Consultant is a senior leader responsible for the successful technical execution and delivery of complex client projects across diverse domains. This role acts as a strategic anchor between clients, architects, delivery managers, project managers, and delivery teams. In the AI-first GCID organization, Principal Consultants are expected to embed AI-native thinking into delivery models, ensuring solutions are intelligent, scalable, and aligned with business outcomes. The ideal candidate is passionate about technology, demonstrates breadth of expertise, and advocates for solutions that deliver true client value. Microsoft Industry Solutions - Global Center Innovation and Delivery Center (GCID) delivers end-to-end solutions by enabling accelerated adoption and productive use of Microsoft technologies. An organization of well over 1000+ exceptional people, GCID presents a great opportunity for highly skilled services professionals to make a foray into consulting, solution development and delivery roles. The Principal Consultant is a senior leader responsible for the successful technical execution and delivery of complex client projects across diverse domains. This role acts as a strategic anchor between clients, architects, delivery managers, project managers, and delivery teams. In the AI-first GCID organization, Principal Consultants are expected to embed AI-native thinking into delivery models, ensuring solutions are intelligent, scalable, and aligned with business outcomes. The ideal candidate is passionate about technology, demonstrates breadth of expertise, and advocates for solutions that deliver true client value. **Responsibilities** AI-First Delivery Leadership - Embed AI-first principles into delivery workflows, leveraging automation and intelligent orchestration where applicable. - Lead end-to-end delivery of complex projects, ensuring solutions are scalable, robust, and aligned with client business outcomes. - Drive engineering excellence through reusable components, accelerators, and scalable architecture. - Oversee technical execution across multiple projects, ensuring adherence to best practices, quality standards, and compliance requirements. - Collaborate with clients and internal stakeholders to define strategies, delivery plans, milestones, and risk mitigation approaches. - Act as a technical point of contact for clients, translating business requirements into scalable technical solutions. - Ensure delivery models are optimized for modern AI-native execution, including integration of automation and intelligent processes. - Ability to step into at‑risk projects, quickly assess issues, and establish a credible path to recovery or exit. Engineering Excellence - Champion high-quality engineering practices across all delivery engagements. - Ensure adherence to coding standards, architectural integrity, and performance benchmarks. - Define and institutionalize engineering guardrails that embed secure coding, test‑driven development, observability, and performance best practices by default. - Encourage continuous learning and technical certifications to maintain cutting-edge expertise. - Drive adoption of modern delivery methodologies (Agile, DevOps, CI/CD) to ensure robust and scalable solutions. - Foster a culture of technical rigor, innovation, and accountability within the team. Innovation & Thought Leadership - Use design thinking to shape user‑centric solutions, aligning business goals, architecture decisions, and delivery execution. - Monitor and evaluate emerging technologies to inform strategic direction. - Lead innovation in delivery models, reusable assets, and accelerators to enhance efficiency and impact. - Champion modern thinking and best practices across teams and engagements to foster a culture of continuous improvement. Client Engagement & Solutioning - Engage with clients to understand business needs and provide expert guidance throughout the project lifecycle. - Support pre-sales and solutioning efforts with estimations, proof-of-concepts, and technical proposals. - Build and maintain strong client relationships, ensuring high levels of satisfaction and value delivery. - Partner with client leadership to drive the cultural shift required for "AI-native" operations, moving beyond technical implementation to user adoption and workflow transformation. Team Management & Mentorship - Lead and mentor cross-functional teams, fostering a culture of learning, collaboration, and technical excellence. - Conduct reviews, provide feedback, and support professional development of team members. Quality & Compliance - Ensure secure, compliant, and reliable solution delivery through secure coding, test driven development, observability, design reviews, and quality gates across all engagements. Strategic Partnering - Serve as a strategic partner for internal and external stakeholders on key initiatives. - Provide strategic guidance and execution oversight to ensure alignment with organizational goals. - Define and track specific Business KPIs (e.g., revenue uplift, operational cost reduction, customer CSAT improvement) associated with AI initiatives. **Qualifications** Qualifications - 20+ years of experience in software/solution engineering, with at least 3–5 years in delivery leadership roles. - Proven experience in leading delivery of complex, multi-disciplinary projects. - Strong understanding of modern delivery methodologies (Agile, Scrum, DevOps, etc.). - Excellent commu