Senior Solution Owner (Data, Technology & AI)

CompassX is a boutique business and technology consulting firm. We help Fortune 500 and high-growth clients deliver their most strategic initiatives, from enterprise transformations to digital and data-driven projects. With over 15 years of proven results, we’ve expanded across industries including financial services, pharmaceuticals, aerospace, consumer products, and quick service restaurants.

We are honored to be recognized as a three-time winner of Consulting Magazine’s Best Boutique Firms to Work For, and previously recognized as a “Best Place to Work” in Southern California and one of INC.’s 5000 fastest-growing private companies in the U.S.

We're looking for a Solution Owner (Data, Technology & AI) to be the face of CompassX on a complex, high-visibility client engagement. This isn't a traditional Project Manager role. We need someone who sits with client executives from the earliest conversations - while a solution is still just a problem statement - and stays with it through design, build, and adoption. You'll be trusted to shape what gets built, not just track when it ships.

The strongest candidates bring a rare combination: consulting-grade client presence and leadership, real solution design and architecture instincts, and enough technical fluency in data and AI to know when an approach is right - not just when a sprint is on schedule.

While we have a strong preference for candidates local to the Southern California (LA/OC) area, exceptional candidates based elsewhere within the United States will also be considered.

What You'll Do

Client Leadership & Communication

• Act as the primary, trusted face of CompassX to senior client stakeholders - building the kind of credibility that gets you invited into the room before a problem is even fully defined
• Lead executive-level conversations that turn ambiguous business challenges into a clear, actionable solution direction
• Build consensus across stakeholder groups with competing priorities, and know how to navigate organizational dynamics without losing momentum

Solution Design & Ownership

• Own the design of the solution itself - not just the plan to deliver it. Shape the approach, validate it technically, and defend it under scrutiny
• Partner closely with architects, engineers, and data/AI practitioners to ensure the technical approach holds up, while remaining the accountable owner of the overall solution
• Drive process improvement and "ways of working" recommendations as part of the solution, not as an afterthought

Data, Technology & AI Fluency

• Evaluate the feasibility of data and AI use cases, and speak credibly to data pipelines, model approaches, and modern architecture
• Bring a point of view on where AI genuinely adds value to a solution - and where it doesn't
• Use AI as part of your own working style (research, synthesis, solutioning), modeling the kind of modern practice CompassX brings to clients

Delivery (supporting, not core)

• Bring enough fluency in delivery fundamentals - Agile, UAT, data validation - to keep a workstream credible, with support from delivery specialists as needed
• This is not a scrum-master or backlog-management role; delivery mechanics are a "nice to have," not the job

What You'll Bring

• 8+ years of experience spanning consulting, product ownership, and/or solution design — ideally with time at a reputable consulting firm
• A track record of being the trusted senior presence in front of executive clients, not just a coordinator of workstreams
• Real experience shaping or designing a solution (architecture, process, or product), not only managing its delivery
• Working knowledge of data and AI environments — pipelines, analytics, model evaluation, or modern data architecture
• Strong executive communication and consensus-building skills
• Bachelor's degree or higher (Business, Computer Science, Engineering) or equivalent demonstrable experience
• Ideally based in Southern California

Our consultants say CompassX is a place where they can truly find their own path. As part of a smaller firm, they see the impact of their work, have an identity, and know their voice matters. They value the freedom to take the reins of their careers, shape their client work, and maintain a direct line to leadership.

With CompassX’s focus on serving local Southern California clients, consultants not only build lasting relationships but also see the results of their work in the communities where they live.

At CompassX, you won’t just follow a path - you’ll create one.

The posted compensation range reflects the anticipated compensation for this opportunity. Depending on the role, client requirements, and business needs, compensation may be structured as a salaried position with bonus eligibility or as an hourly contract engagement (including 1099 independent contractor arrangements). Final compensation and engagement type will be determined based on factors including experience, skills, qualifications, internal equity, market conditions, and the nature of the role.