AI Strategy & Portfolio Lead

Acosta Group; Oak Brook (IL); On-site; USD 125,000 - 175,000; Full time

Job summary

Acosta Group seeks a Director of AI Strategy & Portfolio Management to establish the enterprise AI control tower, prioritization, funding, and value realization across Transformation programs. You’ll drive governance, KPI tracking, and cross-functional collaboration with Finance, Strategy, Technology, and BU leaders.

You will develop value cases, AI investment plans, and executive updates, ensuring reuse of existing AI solutions, data products, and accelerators to maximize business impact.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Strategy, Management, Economics, Technology Management, Computer Science, Engineering, or related field; MBA or advanced degree preferred.
• 12+ years of experience in strategy, management consulting, digital transformation, enterprise transformation, portfolio management, or related disciplines.
• 5+ years of leadership experience driving enterprise strategy, transformation portfolios, technology investment planning, AI strategy, digital programs, or business value realization initiatives.
• Strong understanding of Artificial Intelligence, Generative AI, machine learning, agentic AI, copilots, automation, data and analytics.
• Experience building business cases, ROI methodologies, funding models, and executive investment recommendations.
• Ability to translate complex business challenges into measurable AI-enabled transformation initiatives.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional initiatives spanning BU, technology, data, operations, finance, and partners.

Responsibilities

• Establish and operate the enterprise AI intake, triage, prioritization, and portfolio management process.
• Create clear prioritization criteria for AI demand, including business value, strategic alignment, feasibility, risk, data readiness, reuse potential, funding needs, and transformation dependency.
• Maintain enterprise visibility into AI initiatives across Transformation programs, corporate functions, and Business Units.
• Partner with Finance, Strategy, Transformation, Technology, and BU leaders to define AI value cases, benefit assumptions, investment asks, and funding alignment.
• Develop and manage AI portfolio reporting, status views, executive dashboards, decision forums, and leadership-ready updates.
• Prevent duplication by identifying opportunities to reuse existing AI solutions, agents, models, accelerators, data products, and technical patterns.
• Establish value tracking practices for AI initiatives, including target value, realized value, adoption indicators, productivity impact, and benefits validation with business owners.
• Coordinate AI portfolio governance with architecture, data, cyber, legal, responsible AI, and risk review processes.
• Support AI CoE engagement with major transformation programs by clarifying what gets built centrally, what is program-funded, and what remains BU-owned.
• Prepare executive recommendations on AI portfolio trade-offs, sequencing, investment priorities, and capability gaps.

Skills

AI strategy

Portfolio management

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Executive communication

Cross-functional coordination

Data analytics

Education

Bachelor’s degree in related field

MBA preferred

Job description

Acosta Group seeks a Director of AI Strategy & Portfolio Management to establish the enterprise AI control tower, prioritization, funding, and value realization across Transformation programs. You’ll drive governance, KPI tracking, and cross-functional collaboration with Finance, Strategy, Technology, and BU leaders.

You will develop value cases, AI investment plans, and executive updates, ensuring reuse of existing AI solutions, data products, and accelerators to maximize business impact.