Principal Consultant, Adaptive Organization – BPO, Technology & AI-Enabled Operating Models

Position Overview

ISG advisors in the Adaptive Organization practice enable the business and technology lifecycle and enliven innovation by leveraging the principles of agility, product-based delivery and modern ways of working: fast, flexible and focused on business outcomes. The challenge of today’s business and IT environment is to be able to rapidly develop and release new capabilities while maintaining stability across the environment. Variations in business need require an understanding of how value is defined, services are architected and consumed, and how work flows across delivery to meet the needs of the business and consumer.

This role helps our clients envision and design their future operating model, spanning Technology, Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), Managed Services, and AI-enabled capabilities.

Your work will include defining integrated business and technology strategies, modern sourcing and partner ecosystems (including BPO, technology and managed services providers), and governance models that enable agility, innovation, cost efficiency, and resilience across both IT and business operations.

As enterprises integrate AI into their technology landscapes you will help leaders translate strategy into pragmatic design choices across governance, workforce, sourcing, and service delivery.

You will help clients:

• Strategically think about the future, assess current strategic initiatives to develop a future-state point of view
• Design and realize integrated operating models that increase technology- and AI-enabled business value across IT and business operations
• Learn how to continuously iterate and improve that value by incorporating real customer feedback and insights
• Successfully define organization and culture change strategies needed to effect significant change
• Collaboratively define technology, AI, and BPO partnering/sourcing strategies to support the target operating model, including hybrid delivery models (in-house, outsourced, co-sourced, global business services, and managed services)

Responsibilities

This role, reporting into the Strategy and Adaptive Organizations Director within the Americas Consulting region Digital practice, supports one or multiple engagements simultaneously with a small to mid-size team of ISG consultants and advisors. These engagements may be part of a broader program-level engagement, may focus on a specific technology domain, span the broader technology organization, and/or extend into business operations.

This role will also support the development of the Adaptive Organization Solution. While ISG holds a solid point of view with relevant methodologies, structured design approaches, and artifacts, our consultants and advisors are key to assuring continuous improvement of our delivery methods to meet market needs and support sales efforts. This includes elevating our points of view to include shifting market forces like AI.

You will use fact-based decision-making and your expertise in IT and Business Process strategies and operating model design, product management, Agile, DevOps and modern technology delivery models (as-a-Service, shared platforms, automation, AI, etc.) to assess client current state environments and design an adaptive operating model strategy that also maintains the predictability, governance and security of the technology estate. You will implement strategies alongside clients and advise on execution against transformation roadmaps. You will work with the clients to ensure the organization is structured to operate effectively in contemporary complexity including stakeholders across the business value stream up all the way up to end-customers.

• Lead complex and/or multiple small-to-mid-size engagements as Project Owner, effectively interfacing with client leadership and ensuring alignment to strategic outcomes
• Own responsibility for end-to-end overall delivery and client satisfaction from strategy and design through implementation and transformation
• Collaborate within a large, complex delivery team, both as a workstream leader and/or team player, taking direction from and providing support to ISG engagement Partners and Directors
• Lead clients in incorporating Artificial Intelligence into operating model design, including governance implications, workforce evolution, sourcing strategies, risk management, and value realization frameworks
• Apply AI and advanced analytics tools to enhance client insight generation, decision-making, and transformation execution
• Support business development by working with pursuit teams in shaping opportunities, contributing to proposals and executive presentations, and expanding client relationships with revenue contribution targets aligned with the Principal Consultant level
• Demonstrate domain expertise via thought leadership, industry network, and experienced credibility
• Support talent management with recruiting, coaching and mentoring colleagues
• Develop ISG Intellectual Property (IP) and continuously improve delivery methodology IP

• This is a remote position based in the US or Canada with travel up to 75% within the US and Canada (typically 40 - 50%)
• 12+ years of relevant industry, sourcing, managed services, or management consulting
• 8+ years of experience in IT strategy, digital operating model development, and/or enterprise transformation, including BPO and/or managed services
• Experience leading small to medium size projects
• 5+ years in an IT leadership or delivery leadership role (e.g., product management, Agile/DevOps leadership, or complex operations delivery)
• Demonstrable ability to engage with C-Suite and VP-level executives to develop complex, transformational strategies and the capability to inspire, influence and support advancing that strategy toward realization
• Proven knowledge of Product Management disciplines with applied scaled movement to product-orientation, Agile and/or DevOps in partnership with business and shared services
• Proven knowledge of standard Technology services areas, common processes and frameworks (Application Develop and Management, Data & Analytics, Infrastructure Services, Cybersecurity, AI and Automation, IT Operations and so on)
• Proven knowledge of Business Operations services areas, common processes and frameworks (Finance and Accounting, Finance Operations, HR/HCM Operations, Supply Chain & Procurement, Sales Operations, Customer Service, Call Centers and so on)
• Experience with organization design, human capital optimization, behavior management techniques, and/or cultural transformation is highly desirable
• Experience supporting business development activities, including opportunity shaping, proposal development, and executive presentations
• Demonstrated contribution to revenue growth initiatives within consulting or advisory environments
• Robust industry network, published thought leadership, and credibility a plus
• Demonstrated understanding of Artificial Intelligence (including Generative AI, Agentic AI, automation, and advanced analytics) and its implications for operating models, workforce design, governance, and sourcing strategies
• Demonstrated understanding in maturing technologies (APIs, Open Source, Containers, Version Control environments, Data Analytics, Cloud, Cybersecurity, etc.)
• Expert knowledge with MS-Office suite of software applications and tools, including Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, MS Teams and MS Outlook
• Experience using both physical and virtual methods and tools to conduct client workshops and design sessions (whiteboarding, presentation of ideas, managing to outcomes, collaboration tools like Miro)
• Experience using AI-centric tools and software in enhance day-to-day work with the ability to validate AI-generated material for accuracy, applicability and effectiveness

• Bachelor’s Degree and or equivalent experience
• MBA or another advanced degree (s) desirable