AI Strategist - Hybrid, CA

vibehackers; California, Northern (MO, KY); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

vibehackers seeks an experienced AI-driven Operational Intelligence leader to run end-to-end engagements for retail and consumer brands. You will be the primary client contact, owning discovery, business cases, specifications, delivery direction, and adoption, embedding in client workflows to unlock opportunities.

The role emphasizes long-term program delivery over single-tool solutions, maintaining profitability and expanding the program footprint through repeatable offerings.

Qualifications

• Must have deep, applied AI experience with tools, products, custom agents, or workflows.
• Strong client-facing and executive communication skills.
• Ability to translate business outcomes into AI-driven solutions.
• Experience leading end-to-end engagements with profitability focus.
• Technical fluency in agent systems, data pipelines, APIs, and architectures.
• SQL and/or Python experience is valuable.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end Operational Intelligence engagements for retail and consumer brands.
• Serve as the primary client contact and translate business outcomes into AI solutions.
• Define discovery, business case, specifications, delivery direction, and adoption.
• Direct projects and contractors to deliver against scope while maintaining quality.
• Drive adoption and ensure systems deliver tracked business metrics.
• Maintain profitability and identify repeatable offerings from bespoke work.

Skills

Applied AI Experience

Executive Communication

Client-Facing

Program Management

Strategic Discovery

Financial Modeling

Job description

Requires applied AI experience well above vibe coding; you'll build and demo AI-enabled tools, custom agents, and workflows.

About the Role

Lead end-to-end AI-driven Operational Intelligence engagements for retail and consumer brands, owning discovery, business case, specifications, delivery direction, and adoption. Serve as the primary client contact, translate business outcomes into scoped AI and operational solutions, and ensure quality, profitability, and expansion of the program.

Job Description

Role

You will run Operational Intelligence accounts end-to-end for retail and consumer brands, acting as the primary client contact and owning discovery, business case development, specification, delivery direction, and adoption. The role emphasizes long-term program delivery rather than single-tool solutions and requires embedding in client workflows to identify opportunities early.

Key Responsibilities

• Own multiple accounts independently as the primary point of contact
• Lead discovery across defined operational areas (e.g., customer experience, marketing operations, forecasting, inventory), benchmark performance, and identify opportunities
• Build clear business cases: expected impact, costs to deliver, and measurement
• Produce specifications precise enough for engineers and analysts to execute
• Direct concurrent projects and contractors to deliver against scope
• Drive adoption and ensure shipped systems remain in use and move tracked business metrics
• Maintain quality and profitability and identify repeatable offerings from bespoke work

How Success Is Measured

• Clients treat you as an operational and AI partner rather than a vendor contact
• Work expands beyond initial projects because you surface the next opportunity early
• Contractors execute from your direction without redoing discovery or specs
• Deliverables move tracked business metrics and remain in use after launch
• Multiple accounts run concurrently without losses in quality, client trust, or margin

Requirements

• Startup experience (built or operated) with comfort creating playbooks while delivering
• Strong client-facing and executive communication skills; able to challenge clients and refocus on business problems
• Deep, applied AI experience (tools, products, custom agents, or workflows you have built); you will be asked to demo an Applied AI case study
• Technical and analytical fluency to reason about agent systems, data connections, backend architectures, APIs, and implementation tradeoffs
• SQL and/or Python experience is valuable
• Ability to read a P&L, explain how Shopify/e-commerce businesses make money, and build financial models

Nice-to-have

• Time on the operator side inside a consumer or e-commerce brand
• Published writing or talks on applied AI

Working Style

• You will be embedded in client businesses and responsible for the full arc from relationship and discovery to delivery and the business metric at the end
• This is an early hire in the practice with scope to shape the offering; the environment suits those who want ownership and accountability rather than fixed scopes or predictable weeks

SQL Python Shopify APIs Agent systems Backend architectures

Skills

Account Management Client-Facing Communication Executive Presentation Strategic Discovery Program Management Business Case Development Specification Writing Stakeholder Management Technical Fluency Project Leadership Cross-Functional Collaboration Financial Modeling Quality and Profitability Management Applied AI Experience