AI & Innovation Consultant - Value Driven, Financial Services
Posted Today by Sanderson Recruitment Plc
£700 Per day
Inside
Undetermined
London, UK
Summary: The AI & Innovation Consultant is responsible for identifying and delivering high-value AI opportunities within the organization, blending technical understanding with business analysis and delivery coordination. Reporting to the Chief AI Officer, the role involves collaboration with various stakeholders to ensure AI use cases are well-defined and feasible. The consultant will also engage in market evaluations and track the value realization of AI initiatives. This position requires a strong background in business analysis and AI/ML concepts, particularly within the financial services sector.
Key Responsibilities:
- Lead discovery sessions with business stakeholders to identify AI opportunities and clarify business objectives, success criteria, and measurable value.
- Translate business needs into detailed functional and non-functional requirements for AI solutions.
- Assess business processes to identify feasibility, data availability, model requirements, integration needs, and adoption considerations.
- Partner with Solution Architects to evaluate the technical viability of proposed AI solutions.
- Work with technical and solution analysts to create high-level and detailed solution designs, including data flows, model selection considerations, integration patterns, and security implications.
- Ensure all technical designs align with enterprise architecture principles and platform standards.
- Scan the external market for relevant AI tools, vendors, and technologies, assessing suitability, scalability, compliance, and cost.
- Prepare comparative analyses to support build-vs-buy decisions.
- Coordinate vendor engagements, proof-of-concept evaluations, and due-diligence activities.
- Work with Business Teams and our strategy team to put in place OKRs, and measurement approaches for each AI initiative.
- Work with scrum masters, track delivery milestones, adoption metrics, and performance outcomes.
- Produce clear value-realisation reports for senior leadership, summarising impact, optimisation opportunities, and lessons learned.
- Contribute to workshops, ideation sessions, hackathons, and training activities that promote AI education and awareness across the organisation.
- Support continuous improvement of the AI Hub and innovation processes.
- Share market insights, emerging AI trends, and best practices with internal teams.
Key Skills:
- Strong background in business analysis, including requirements elicitation, process mapping, stakeholder management, and benefits analysis.
- Proven ability to translate business challenges into technical AI requirements.
- Working understanding of AI/ML concepts (eg, LLMs, supervised/unsupervised learning, vector databases, prompt engineering, model evaluation).
- Ability to interpret technical designs, data schemas, and integration patterns.
- Familiarity with cloud-based AI services (eg, Azure OpenAI, AWS Sagemaker, Databricks, Microsoft Fabric).
- Experience working with development teams using agile delivery methodologies.
- Comfortable coordinating across internal stakeholders, technology teams, and external partners.
- 8-10 years' experience in business analysis, AI/ML project coordination, consulting, technology, or innovation roles.
- Experience in financial services, pensions, investment management, or regulated industries.
- Experience in regulated sectors (pensions, financial services).
Salary (Rate): £700 per day
City: London
Country: UK
Working Arrangements: undetermined
IR35 Status: inside IR35
Seniority Level: undetermined
Industry: IT
AI Consultant/AI Advisor/AI Innovation Consultant/AI Analyst/Consultant
The AI & Innovation Consultant plays a pivotal role in identifying, shaping, and delivering high value AI opportunities across the organisation. The role blends technical, business analysis, AI technical understanding, and delivery coordination, ensuring that AI use cases are clearly defined, technically feasible, and successfully transitioned into production.
Reporting into the Chief AI Officer, you will be working closely with business stakeholders, solution architects, data teams, and external partners, the AI Value Analyst ensures all AI
Core focus:
Business Engagement & Requirements Gathering
- Lead discovery sessions with business stakeholders to identify AI opportunities and clarify business objectives, success criteria, and measurable value.
- Translate business needs into detailed functional and non-functional requirements for AI solutions.
- Assess business processes to identify feasibility, data availability, model requirements, integration needs, and adoption considerations.
Technical Shaping & Solution Architecture Alignment
- Partner with Solution Architects to evaluate the technical viability of proposed AI solutions.
- Work with technical and solution analysts to create high-level and detailed solution designs, including data flows, model selection considerations, integration patterns, and security implications.
- Ensure all technical designs align with enterprise architecture principles and platform standards.
Market & Vendor Evaluation
- Scan the external market for relevant AI tools, vendors, and technologies, assessing suitability, scalability, compliance, and cost.
- Prepare comparative analyses to support build-vs-buy decisions.
- Coordinate vendor engagements, proof-of-concept evaluations, and due-diligence activities
Value Tracking & Benefits Realisation
- Works with Business Teams and our strategy team to put in place OKRs, and measurement approaches for each AI initiative.
- Work with scrum masters, track delivery milestones, adoption metrics, and performance outcomes.
- Produce clear value-realisation reports for senior leadership, summarising impact, optimisation opportunities, and lessons learned.
Innovation Culture & Organisational Enablement
- Contribute to workshops, ideation sessions, hackathons, and training activities that promote AI education and awareness across the organisation.
- Support continuous improvement of the AI Hub and innovation processes.
- Share market insights, emerging AI trends, and best practices with internal teams.
Experience and skills needed:
Business & Analysis Skills
- Strong background in business analysis, including requirements elicitation, process mapping, stakeholder management, and benefits analysis.
- Proven ability to translate business challenges into technical AI requirements.
Technical Skills
- Working understanding of AI/ML concepts (eg, LLMs, supervised/unsupervised learning, vector databases, prompt engineering, model evaluation).
- Ability to interpret technical designs, data schemas, and integration patterns.
- Familiarity with cloud-based AI services (eg, Azure OpenAI, AWS Sagemaker, Databricks, Microsoft Fabric).
Delivery & Vendor Engagement
- Experience working with development teams using agile delivery methodologies.
- Comfortable coordinating across internal stakeholders, technology teams, and external partners.
General Background
- 8-10 years' experience in business analysis, AI/ML project coordination, consulting, technology, or innovation roles.
- Experience in financial services, pensions, investment management, or regulated industries.
- Experience in regulated sectors (pensions, financial services).
Reasonable Adjustments:
Respect and equality are core values to us. We are proud of the diverse and inclusive community we have built, and we welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and perspectives. Our success is driven by our people, united by the spirit of partnership to deliver the best resourcing solutions for our clients.
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