Associate Partner - AI Integration

Introduction

A career in IBM Consulting is built on long-term client relationships and close collaboration worldwide. You'll work with leading companies across industries, helping them shape their hybrid cloud and AI journeys. With support from our strategic partners, robust IBM technology, and Red Hat, you'll have the tools to drive meaningful change and accelerate client impact. At IBM Consulting, curiosity fuels success. You'll be encouraged to challenge the norm, explore new ideas, and create innovative solutions that deliver real results. Our culture of growth and empathy focuses on your long-term career development while valuing your unique skills and experiences.

Your role and responsibilities

As an Associate Partner in IBM Consulting's AI Practice, you are a market-facing AI business leader responsible for driving AI services revenue growth, shaping client AI transformation agendas, and scaling IBM's AI practice within the Distribution sector (Retail, CPG, Logistics). You report to the AI Practice Leader for the U.S. Distribution Market.

This role blends AI sales leadership, executive advisory on AI, and large-scale AI delivery ownership. You will originate and close complex AI deals, lead AI RFP and pursuit processes, lead enterprise AI transformations, and build sustainable, high-margin AI growth powered by IBM watsonx, hybrid cloud, and modern data platforms. You understand what an AI-native organization is, can articulate it clearly to a CEO or to an engineer, and can build the strategy to get a client there and then execute it with the client and a large, multi-disciplinary team.

You are expected to operate as a trusted C-suite advisor, strategic seller, and program executive, with accountability for both bookings and delivery outcomes. Your primary responsibilities will include:

Revenue Ownership and Market Growth

• Own Part AI Business Growth: Own and deliver $10M+ in annual bookings in AI services, and drive AI services revenue growth for the practice.

• Build AI Pipeline: Build and maintain 3 to 5x qualified AI pipeline coverage across focus accounts and net-new targets.

• Originate, Shape, and Close Complex AI Deals: Lead the pursuit lifecycle for large, complex AI opportunities ($5M to $20M+), from qualification through proposal, RFP response, orals, and close. Lead AI deal strategy, commercial structuring, pricing, and negotiations.

• Grow the AI Footprint: Drive net-new logo acquisition for AI services alongside AI expansion within existing accounts.

Industry and Client Leadership (Distribution Focus)

• Drive Trusted Client Relationships: Leverage existing CXO relationships and build new executive connections. Serve as a trusted AI advisor at both the C-suite and practitioner level, translating business ambition into executable AI programs.

• Bring Deep Distribution Expertise: Apply deep knowledge of Retail, CPG, Supply Chain, and Logistics, including the operational and commercial realities of those businesses and where AI creates value in them.

• Advise on AI-Led Transformation Use Programs: Guide clients on high-value applications including demand forecasting and supply chain optimization, pricing and promotion optimization, and customer analytics and personalization.

• Define the AI-Native Strategy for Clients and Execute Against It: Define what an AI-native organization looks like for each client and build the AI-native strategy and roadmap to get there, spanning operating model, data foundation, talent, governance, and technology. Then execute against that strategy with the client and a large IBM and partner team.

Delivery Leadership

• Lead Solution Design and Delivery: Take accountability for the delivery of AI solutions at scale, spanning advisory, engineering, and operational capabilities. Guide solution architecture, manage engagement financials, quality, and risk, and ensure outcomes are realized, not just delivered.

• Operate at Both Strategic and Tactical Levels: Move fluidly between shaping a client's multi-year AI agenda and unblocking a delivery team on a specific technical decision. Bring enough technical depth to partner credibly with engineers, data scientists, and architects.

Practice, Team, and Community Building

• Help Build the AI Practice: Recruit, develop, and mentor AI consultants and practitioners. Build AI practice capabilities, reusable assets, accelerators, and points of view. Contribute to the culture and community of the practice, not only its bookings.

• Participate in Sector and Community Events: Represent IBM and the AI practice in sector, solution, partner, and community events to promote AI expertise, build relationships, and grow the practice's market presence.

What Success Looks Like

• Consistently exceeds annual AI bookings and revenue targets

• Builds a sustainable AI pipeline and repeatable growth engine

• Establishes IBM as a trusted AI transformation partner in key accounts

• Delivers large-scale AI programs with measurable business impact

• Scales a high-performing AI practice within the Distribution sector

Required technical and professional expertise

• Consulting Leadership: Prior sales, delivery, and leadership roles at a major consulting firm, with a track record of leading large, multi-practice engagements and the teams that deliver them.

• AI Sales Leadership: Proven ability to lead large AI opportunity capture, including deal strategy, commercial structuring, pricing, negotiations, RFP and proposal processes, and executive orals with Fortune 500 clients.

• AI Program Delivery: Experience leading complex AI programs from strategy through production, with direct accountability for engagement financials, quality, and client outcomes.

• AI-Native Strategy: Ability to clearly articulate what an AI-native organization is, define the strategy and roadmap to get there, and execute against it with the client and a large team.

• Strategic and Technical Depth: Working knowledge of AI/ML, Generative AI (LLMs, RAG), Agentic AI, data platforms, and MLOps, sufficient to partner credibly with both C-level and practitioner-level clients and guide architecture decisions. Experience with IBM watsonx, hybrid cloud, and at least one hyperscaler (AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure) and their partner ecosystems.

• Practice and Team Building: Demonstrated experience recruiting, developing, and leading consulting teams, building community, and creating reusable capabilities, assets, and methods, not only selling and delivering.

• Distribution Sector Expertise: Deep expertise in Retail, CPG, Supply Chain, and Logistics, with existing CXO relationships and experience building AI capabilities for clients in those sectors.

• Character and Perspective: Well read across AI, technology, and business, with a point of view and the curiosity to keep building one. Brings personality and judgment to the work. A decent human who earns trust, develops others, and makes the team better by being on it.

Qualifications and Required Education

• 12 to 15+ years of experience in consulting or technology services

• 5+ years in quota-carrying leadership roles with consistent sales performance

• 3+ years selling and delivering AI solutions for large enterprises, including Generative AI and Agentic AI programs taken from strategy through production

• Experience leading AI pursuits and RFP responses, and serving as the accountable executive on AI delivery

• Knowledge and experience, at both a strategic and tactical level, working with hyperscalers (AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure), data platform companies, and AI model providers

• Experience operating at Senior Manager / Director / Associate Partner level or equivalent

• Proven ability to operate at C-suite level and influence executive decision-making

• Bachelor's degree required

• Advanced degree (MBA, MS, or equivalent) preferred

Location

New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Chicago, Texas, Atlanta

IBM is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, caste, genetics, pregnancy, disability, neurodivergence, age, veteran status, or other characteristics. IBM is also committed to compliance with all fair employment practices regarding citizenship and immigration status.