Strategy Consultant - Lab (AI and Frontier Tech)

Dormont Manufacturing Co; City of Melbourne; On-site; AUD 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible work options

Home technology set-up

Generous leave programs

Training and development opportunities

Celebration of social and cultural events

Job summary

IE is seeking a Strategy Consultant to join the Labs Growth team in Melbourne. In this role, you will lead client engagements focused on AI and frontier technology, guiding end-to-end processes including problem framing and experimentation. Ideal candidates should thrive in ambiguity, possess strong problem-framing skills, and have experience with AI tools. The position offers flexibility, generous leave, and training programs aimed at professional growth.

Qualifications

• Experience in consulting, agency, or innovation environments.
• Ability to run initiatives from concept to pilot.
• Strong communication skills with senior audiences.

Responsibilities

• Shape client proposals and pitches for projects.
• Identify and develop opportunities using agentic solutions.
• Lead cross-functional teams through ambiguous engagements.
• Apply creative thinking to architect future-ready businesses.
• Partner with teams to hand over validated opportunities.

Skills

Leading work in ambiguity

Problem-framing capability

Running experimental initiatives

Hands-on experience applying AI tools

Facilitating design thinking workshops

Familiarity with service design principles

Governance and data privacy knowledge

High-quality presentations

Job description

Strategy Consultant - Lab (AI and Frontier Tech)

Melbourne

(i.e.,) are looking for a Strategy Consultant, Labs (AI and Frontier Tech) to join the Labs Growth team and lead client engagements at the frontier of AI and emerging technology.

This is a role for someone who thrives in ambiguity — someone who can shape a problem, run an experiment, and bring a cross-functional team along for the ride.

Research indicates that certain demographic groups, such as women, may be less inclined to apply for a role unless they meet all the job requirements. If you're interested in this role, we strongly encourage you to apply, as you might be just what we're looking for.

About the opportunity

As a Strategy Consultant in our Labs Growth team, you’ll work directly with clients to explore what’s possible with Generative and Agentic AI, and turn those possibilities into real propositions.

You’ll lead engagements end-to-end: from framing the problem and running experiments, through to developing propositions and handing validated opportunities over to the Studio team for scaled delivery. Reporting to the Director, Commercial and Growth (Labs), you’ll shape the Labs commercial pipeline and help build the practice as it grows.

Day-to-day, you’ll:

• Shaping client proposals, pitches, and engagements, and contributing to the Labs commercial pipeline.
• Identifying industry and client opportunities, and developing propositions that apply agentic solutions and frontier technology — including hands‑on experimentation with new tools and platforms.
• Leading cross‑functional Labs teams of service designers, data, and technical SMEs through engagements that are often ambiguous in scope, audience, or outcome.
• Applying creative and systems thinking to help clients architect future‑ready businesses and products.
• Partnering with the Studio team to hand over validated opportunities for scaled delivery.
• Helping build and evolve the Labs capability, including our methods, assets, and service offering.

What we’re looking for

We value demonstrated experience across two or more of the following areas:

• Leading work in ambiguity - you’re comfortable navigating undefined problems and shifting requirements.
• Strong problem‑framing capability, including writing clear problem statements and assessing opportunities through desirability, viability, and feasibility lenses.
• Running experimental initiatives from concept through to pilot, with a clear point of view on when to iterate, pivot, or stop.
• Hands‑on experience applying AI tools, with working knowledge of Agentic AI across domains like commerce, engineering, and product development.
• Facilitating design thinking workshops, with the ability to apply systems thinking to complex client challenges.
• Familiarity with service and experience design principles, an understanding of relevant technology considerations, and the ability to build business cases.
• Working knowledge of governance, data privacy, and secure‑environment considerations relevant to AI and experimental technologies.
• Preparing high‑quality presentations and presenting to leadership and executive audiences.

About you

• You’re an autonomous, self‑starting operator - you don’t need perfect conditions to get moving.
• You lead small cross‑functional teams with confidence, and you think creatively under pressure.
• You communicate clearly in writing and in person, including with senior and executive audiences.
• You’re curious about frontier technology — you experiment, you read, you form a point of view.
• You know when to push forward and when to stop. You’re comfortable with the ‘messy middle’.
• Ideally, you’ve worked in a consultancy, agency, or innovation/labs environment — and you understand the commercial side of how engagements are shaped and scoped.

The consultant we value

We value talent who put our clients first - always - with humility, sharp intellect, and unwavering integrity. A servant leader at heart, they earn trust through action, respect privacy, and consistently leave things better than they found them. Fueled by a growth mindset and lifelong learning, they adapt with intention and evolve through structured innovation. They listen deeply, share openly, align swiftly, and go boldly. Analytical and curious, they lead with initiative, form strong points of view rooted in insight and innovation, and have the courage to challenge the status quo for the better. This is the consultant who not only delivers, but inspires.

Why us?

(i.e.,), the Innovation and Experience company, is a full‑service product consultancy accelerating growth for some of Australia’s most successful businesses (check our website for recent work). We employ 60+ people working in cross‑functional teams to innovate and deliver outcomes powered by a product mindset, design thinking, and Agile delivery.

Work flexibility and work‑life balance are core to who we are, and central to creating ‘one (i.e.,)’. You’ll have the opportunity to work on unique and exciting projects while developing your skills and shaping your career.

Some of our benefits include:

• Flexible work options
• Home technology set‑up with laptop and monitor
• Generous leave programs, including 15 days life leave per year and paid parental leave
• A focus on growth and training — quarterly training days, a structured feedback and goal‑setting program, and tailored learning and development experiences
• A work environment that brings people together to celebrate both socially and culturally