AI Business Transformation & Design Strategist - 11395

Coupa; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 128,000 - 179,333; Full time

Job summary

Coupa in Chicago seeks an expert in procurement and AI to lead strategic initiatives that enhance business efficiency and visibility. This role involves guiding AI transformation, aligning operations with executive expectations, and leveraging deep industry knowledge to drive measurable outcomes.

The ideal candidate will possess strong commercial acumen, experience in large-scale digital transformations, and be a trusted advisor to C-suite executives.

Join Coupa and be part of a global impact while pioneering innovative AI solutions.

Qualifications

• Proficient in Source-to-Pay processes with knowledge of legacy operational pain points.
• Experience with enterprise digital transformation initiatives.
• Ability to secure C-suite buy-in for AI strategies.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategic discovery and AI opportunity mapping across the Coupa platform.
• Drive the creation of customer-led AI Centers of Excellence.
• Translate AI capabilities into measurable business value for executive stakeholders.

Skills

Strong procurement and finance domain expertise

Deep understanding of GenAI landscape

Executive presence

Strong commercial and strategic thinking

Job description

Coupa makes margins multiply through its community-generated AI and industry-leading total spend management platform for businesses large and small. Coupa AI is informed by trillions of dollars of direct and indirect spend data across a global network of 10M+ buyers and suppliers. We empower you with the ability to predict, prescribe, and automate smarter, more profitable business decisions to improve operating margins.

Why join Coupa?

• Pioneering Technology: At Coupa, we're at the forefront of innovation, leveraging the latest technology to empower our customers with greater efficiency and visibility in their spend.
• Collaborative Culture: We value collaboration and teamwork, and our culture is driven by transparency, openness, and a shared commitment to excellence.
• Global Impact: Join a company where your work has a global, measurable impact on our clients, the business, and each other.

Learn more on Life at Coupa blog and hear from our employees about their experiences working at Coupa.

What You’ll Do:

• Strategic Discovery & Domain Funneling
• Lead strategic discovery and AI opportunity mapping across the Coupa platform to identify untapped functionality where AI and Intake Orchestration can solve business friction
• Apply logical reasoning to guide customers away from ineffective AI use cases, focusing on high‑impact solutions that address underlying business problems
• Leverage deep procurement and finance domain expertise to design AI agents aligned to specific personas and operational workflows
• Own and sequence customer AI deployment roadmaps, prioritizing AI‑ready domains for immediate ROI while planning long‑term agentic transformation initiatives
• Transformation Architecture & Process Engineering
• Influence Business Spend Management (BSM) transformation initiatives across procurement, AP, finance, and Source‑to‑Pay workflows
• Define future‑state operating models and KPIs focused on measurable business outcomes and operational impact
• Apply traditional Source‑to‑Pay expertise to emerging AI and agentic workflow scenarios to ensure scalable and effective automation design
• Change Leadership & Adoption (AI COE)
• Drive the creation of customer‑led AI Centers of Excellence (COE) to support governance, adoption, and long‑term AI success
• Define human‑in‑the‑loop controls based on compliance, business risk, and policy requirements
• Advise customers on workforce evolution, organizational change, and AI adoption strategies across procurement and finance teams
• Executive Alignment & Product Bridge
• Translate AI capabilities, Smart Intake, and Orchestration solutions into measurable business value and ROI for CFOs, CPOs, and executive stakeholders
• Act as the voice of the customer internally by partnering with Product Management to identify roadmap gaps and influence future AI capabilities
• Build trusted advisor relationships with executive stakeholders, serving as the strategic lead and AI transformation expert throughout customer engagements

What You Will Bring to Coupa:

• Must-Haves:
  • Strong procurement and finance domain expertise with professional fluency across Source‑to‑Pay (S2P) processes and legacy operational painpoints
  • Deep understanding of the GenAI landscape including LLMs, RAG architectures, and autonomous agents, with the ability to distinguish between practical and theoretical AI applications
  • Executive presence with the ability to secure C‑suite buy‑in while partnering with functional leaders to operationalize AI strategies within day‑to‑day workflows
  • Experience supporting large‑scale, cross‑functional enterprise digital transformation initiatives
• Nice-to-Haves:
  • Experience with the Coupa platform and broader Business Spend Management ecosystem, including implementation exposure across core modules and Compose
  • Background in Tier‑1 consulting environments leading enterprise transformation and large‑scale change initiatives
  • Industry expertise across sectors such as Pharma, Manufacturing, Technology, or other complex enterprise environments
• Desired “Super Powers”:
  • Ability to recalibrate customer expectations and reconnect AI initiatives back to measurable business value when projects face challenges
  • Strong commercial and strategic thinking with the ability to pivot toward alternative high‑ROI AI use cases to maintain engagement momentumProactive approach to leveraging internal and external customer communities to accelerate problem solving and avoid reinventing solutions
  • Ability to navigate the organizational and emotional aspects of AI transformation, reinforcing iteration and change adoption
  • Trusted advisor mindset with the ability to define realistic success outcomes and position AI as a high‑impact business tool rather than a “magic wand”
  • Strong discovery and consultative skills, asking the right business and operational questions based on deep understanding of customer personas and workflows

The estimated pay range for this role is $128,000 - $179,333.

The successful candidate’s starting salary will be determined based on permissible, non‑discriminatory factors such as skills, experience, and geographic location within the state.

Coupa complies with relevant laws and regulations regarding equal opportunity and offers a welcoming and inclusive work environment. Decisions related to hiring, compensation, training, or evaluating performance are made fairly, and we provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified candidates and employees.