AI Readiness Assessment Consultant

AI Readiness Assessment Consultant (Financial Services)

Location: Chicago, IL (Hybrid 3 days/week onsite)

Role Overview

We are seeking an experienced AI Readiness Assessment Consultant to support a strategic AI transformation initiative for our direct client. The consultant will conduct structured AI readiness assessments across key business functions, evaluating operational, process, data, technology, and organizational readiness to enable successful AI adoption.

This is a hands-on consulting engagement, requiring close collaboration with business stakeholders, process owners, SMEs, and technical teams to produce actionable recommendations that will directly influence client s AI strategy, investment decisions, and transformation roadmap.

Key Responsibilities:

• Conduct comprehensive AI readiness assessments across assigned business functions.
• Partner with functional leaders, SMEs, and technical teams to understand current business processes, systems, data, and operational challenges.
• Assess AI readiness across the following dimensions:
• Business Strategy
• Knowledge Foundations (Data, Documentation & Governance)
• Technical Infrastructure
• Organizational Readiness & Change Management
• AI Applicability & ROI
• Evaluate current data quality, governance, process documentation, and institutional knowledge required to support AI initiatives.
• Identify readiness gaps and recommend prioritized remediation plans.
• Develop AI adoption roadmaps, sequencing quick wins and long-term transformation initiatives.
• Identify high-value AI use cases with preliminary business value and ROI justification.
• Facilitate validation sessions with business leadership and present findings to executive stakeholders.
• Produce assessment deliverables that support enterprise investment and AI implementation decisions.

Required Deliverables:

• Knowledge Substrate Map
• AI Readiness Gap Analysis
• Prioritized AI Transformation Roadmap
• AI Use Case Opportunity Inventory

Required Skills & Experience:

• 12+ years of consulting or transformation experience with at least 3+ years conducting AI readiness assessments within Financial Services or Market Infrastructure organizations.
• Proven experience assessing AI readiness and developing AI transformation strategies.
• Strong understanding of enterprise AI adoption, data governance, business process transformation, and organizational change management.
• Experience working within regulated financial institutions such as:
• Clearing Organizations
• Exchanges
• Custodians
• Banking or Capital Markets
• Strong knowledge of:
• AI Strategy & AI Adoption Frameworks
• Data Governance
• Enterprise Architecture
• Business Process Analysis
• Change Management
• AI Use Case Prioritization
• Familiarity with regulatory environments governing Financial Market Utilities, including PFMI standards and Model Risk Governance.
• Ability to engage confidently with senior leadership across Financial Risk Management, Technology, and Systems Integration teams.
• Excellent executive communication, stakeholder management, and presentation skills.
• Demonstrated experience delivering assessment outcomes that influenced investment or transformation decisions.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with systemically important financial market infrastructure organizations.
• Background in AI strategy consulting, digital transformation, or enterprise architecture.
• Experience facilitating executive workshops and steering committee presentations.