Empirical - AI Strategist (Fractional or Full-time)

Job description

IMPORTANT: At the moment we are only considering candidates located in Latin America. Please do not apply if you are not located in Latin America. About Empirical Empirical empowers early and growth stage tech companies to create the right products in the right way by providing two pivotal services: - Product & Technology Leadership: Our clients entrust critical decisions to our network of top-tier US-based CTOs and CPOs. We provide fractional, project, or advisory based support, combining highly experienced talent with a flexible approach. - Product Development Teams: We provide our clients with high performing, senior product development talent through a scalable staff augmentation model and ongoing support. We focus on Latin America to find exceptional talent, with time zone and cultural compatibility. We are proud to be a people first company, where we prioritize building meaningful, long lasting human connections with clients and team members alike, while embracing diversity and uniqueness. With this foundation and our focus on talent, we help create great products that people love. Our values - Care about people first - Strive to add value always - Lead with integrity - Have fun every step of the way The Opportunity We’re looking for an AI Strategist to join Empirical on a fractional, contract, or full-time basis and help our clients turn broad AI ambition into clear, fundable, and executable strategy. Every founder we talk to says some version of the same thing: they know AI matters, but they do not know where to start. In many cases, workflows are under-documented, pain points are unclear, and “AI” becomes a catch-all label for problems that may actually require automation, process redesign, or a hybrid solution. This role is designed for someone who can bring structure to that ambiguity. You will lead discovery engagements with clients, identify and rank meaningful opportunities, define a credible long-term vision, and translate that strategy into a practical roadmap and near-term action plan. You will help founders and executive teams understand what to prioritize, what to fund, and why. Unlike a traditional implementation role, this position is centered on clarity, prioritization, and strategic direction. You will operate at the intersection of business, technology, and AI adoption, partnering closely with leadership teams and handing off validated opportunities to delivery teams who can build. What you'll do - Lead AI strategy discovery engagements with clients, typically over 3 to 4 weeks, to identify pain points, uncover opportunities, and define practical next steps - Produce structured outputs such as a ranked list of pain points, a 3-year vision, a 12-month roadmap, and a 3-month action plan - Interview subject matter experts and executive stakeholders to understand workflows, inefficiencies, and institutional knowledge gaps - Classify business problems across AI, automation, hybrid solutions, or process redesign, using sound judgment rather than hype - Translate strategic recommendations into buildable Phase 1 opportunities with clear success criteria, scope, and budget considerations - Partner with founders, CFOs, and leadership teams to present findings, explain tradeoffs, and support prioritization decisions - Advise on strategy-level AI topics such as governance, data readiness, integrations, build vs buy decisions, and model direction - Collaborate with Empirical’s Fractional CTOs and engineering teams to hand off validated opportunities into delivery - Contribute to the evolution of Empirical’s AI strategy playbook and methodology as the practice grows Your qualifications and experience Must haves - 8+ years of experience across product, engineering, consulting, strategy, or related fields - At least 3 years of direct experience working with AI, ML, or LLM-based systems in real business environments - Strong experience leading discovery, strategy, or advisory work with executive stakeholders - Ability to shape strategy, not just execute tasks, and to produce artifacts that leadership can act on - Deep and current understanding of the GenAI landscape, including foundation models, agents, retrieval, governance, and cost/performance tradeoffs - Comfort operating between business and technical conversations, from workflow pain points to AI strategy and architecture discussions - Executive presence and confidence working with founders, CFOs, and senior leadership teams - Strong facilitation skills for workshops, stakeholder interviews, and prioritization sessions - Excellent writing skills, with the ability to create clear, persuasive strategy documents and readouts What we expect from you - 100% alignment with our core values! - Ability to take ownership of projects from start to finish - Strong collaboration and communication skills - Attention to detail and a passion for creating great user experiences What we offer - Remote/flexible work - Highly competitive compensation in US dollars - Opportunities for personal and professional development; mentorship, coaching and training as needed - Ongoing, 40 hours per week dedication - The opportunity to be part of an amazing, multicultural community of tech experts Why work with us? - We pride ourselves on our core values and have proven that putting people first creates a thriving and collaborative work environment. - We seek to accommodate and balance individual needs with client needs, understanding each one of us is unique. - We offer benefits such as remote/flexible work, selective paid training, mentorship programs, referral programs and more. - We are selective in the projects we take on to ensure our teams are engaged in challenging, meaningful, enjoyable opportunities that will provoke creativity, innovation and growth!