Business Process Engineering and Automation Technical SME

Position Overview

Commonwealth Strategic Solutions is seeking a Technical Subject Matter Expert (SME) in Artificial Intelligence, Automation, Data, and Advanced Analytics to provide technical and strategic leadership supporting the Department of Veterans Affairs and other complex federal health initiatives.

This individual will serve as a trusted strategic and technical advisor to client and corporate leadership, helping define how AI, automation, advanced analytics, and modern data capabilities can be applied to solve complex mission and operational challenges.

As a Technical SME for Commonwealth, this role will lead solutioning, define solution strategy, shape engagement approaches, and guide multidisciplinary teams from problem definition through implementation. The successful candidate will combine deep technical credibility with strong consulting judgment, executive communication skills, and the ability to translate emerging technologies into practical, mission-focused solutions.

Candidates should bring 12+ years of progressively responsible technical, analytical, consulting, healthcare technology, or related domain experience, along with either an advanced degree or substantial demonstrated domain and technical expertise.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Strategy & Solution Leadership

· Lead development of technical and solution strategies involving AI, automation, data, analytics, digital transformation, and healthcare technology.

· Translate complex mission and operational challenges into defined technical problems, solution approaches, implementation roadmaps, and measurable outcomes.

· Evaluate solution alternatives based on feasibility, mission value, scalability, security, data availability, implementation complexity, and organizational readiness.

· Determine the appropriate use of generative AI, machine learning, intelligent automation, advanced analytics, workflow automation, or other technologies.

· Provide technical direction and quality oversight across solution design, pilots, prototypes, and implementation efforts.

· Identify technical risks, dependencies, assumptions, and constraints and advise leadership on mitigation approaches.

AI, Automation & Advanced Analytics

· Identify and prioritize opportunities to apply AI and automation to clinical, operational, administrative, research, and program-management processes.

· Lead design of AI-enabled workflows, decision-support tools, intelligent automation, predictive analytics, and knowledge-management solutions.

· Advise on technologies and approaches including generative AI, large language models, machine learning, natural language processing, predictive modeling, retrieval-augmented generation, and rules-based automation.

· Establish approaches for evaluating AI solutions for accuracy, reliability, explainability, bias, security, privacy, usability, and mission impact.

· Recommend when AI is appropriate and when traditional analytics, automation, process redesign, or other solutions represent a better approach.

· Maintain awareness of emerging AI and automation capabilities and assess their practical applicability within federal healthcare environments.

Client Solutioning & Engagement Strategy

· Serve as a senior technical leader during client discovery, solutioning, strategic planning, and business development activities.

· Shape engagement strategies, technical workstreams, staffing approaches, implementation sequencing, and success measures.

· Lead discovery sessions with executive, clinical, operational, technical, and data stakeholders.

· Identify root causes, clarify requirements, surface constraints, and convert ambiguous client needs into actionable solution strategies.

· Develop solution concepts, technical approaches, roadmaps, and executive-level recommendations that clearly communicate both technical feasibility and mission value.

· Contribute technical leadership to proposals, statements of work, presentations, demonstrations, and other client-facing materials.

· Partner with corporate leadership to identify emerging client needs and develop differentiated service offerings and capabilities.

Trusted Advisor & Executive Decision Support

· Serve as a trusted strategic advisor to senior client and corporate leadership on technology investments, solution approaches, emerging technologies, and implementation risks.

· Translate complex technical concepts into clear choices, implications, risks, and recommendations for non-technical executives.

· Develop business cases, options analyses, technology assessments, and strategic recommendations to support leadership decision-making.

· Facilitate executive discussions regarding technology strategy, prioritization, investment, organizational readiness, and adoption.

· Provide objective, pragmatic guidance on where AI and automation can create measurable mission value and where technology may introduce unnecessary complexity.

· Build stakeholder trust through strong technical judgment, clear communication, and understanding of the client's mission and operating environment.

Data, Architecture & Integration

· Provide strategic guidance on data architecture, interoperability, data engineering, analytics, and integration approaches supporting AI and automation solutions.

· Advise on integration across EHR platforms, APIs, data warehouses, cloud platforms, and enterprise systems.

· Guide approaches for accessing, integrating, governing, and validating complex healthcare and operational data.

· Support strategic use of VA data environments, including the Corporate Data Warehouse (CDW) and other relevant data sources.

· Ensure solution architectures consider scalability, maintainability, security, governance, interoperability, and long-term sustainability.

Governance, Responsible AI & Team Leadership

· Ensure proposed solutions account for applicable VA and federal requirements related to data governance, cybersecurity, privacy, accessibility, and responsible AI.

· Advise leadership on AI-related risks, including data quality, model reliability, bias, explainability, privacy, security, and vendor dependence.

· Incorporate appropriate human oversight, validation, auditability, and performance monitoring into AI-enabled solutions.

· Provide technical leadership and mentorship to data scientists, engineers, analysts, consultants, and program teams.

· Establish technical standards, frameworks, and reusable approaches that improve consistency and quality across engagements.

· Review major technical deliverables, solution architectures, analytical approaches, and recommendations for quality and strategic alignment.

Growth and Business Development

· Lead solutioning, proposal volumes, and orals on tech-related growth endeavors

· Actively drive pipeline for new growth opportunities

Required Qualifications

· 12+ years of progressively responsible experience in AI, automation, data science, advanced analytics, health technology, enterprise technology, digital transformation, technical consulting, or a closely related field.

· Demonstrated experience serving as a senior technical SME, solution architect, technical advisor, technical lead, or equivalent role on complex initiatives.

· Demonstrated ability to lead solutioning and define technical strategy, rather than solely execute predefined requirements.

· Experience advising senior stakeholders and translating technical considerations into executive-level recommendations.

· Demonstrated experience with a meaningful combination of:

· Artificial intelligence and generative AI

· Machine learning and advanced analytics

· Intelligent or workflow automation

· Data architecture and engineering

· Business intelligence and data visualization

· Enterprise or healthcare technology integration

· Experience developing technical roadmaps, solution architectures, options analyses, business cases, or similar strategic decision-support products.

· Strong understanding of the opportunities, limitations, risks, and appropriate applications of AI and automation.

· Strong executive communication, facilitation, presentation, and problem-solving skills.

· Experience working within complex healthcare, federal, regulated, or similarly mission-critical environments.

Education & Domain Expertise

Candidates must possess one of the following:

· An advanced degree, such as a Master’s or Ph.D., in Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science, Engineering, Health Informatics, Statistics, Information Systems, or another relevant technical discipline;

OR

· A bachelor’s degree combined with deep, demonstrable technical and domain expertise, developed through significant senior-level experience leading complex AI, automation, analytics, healthcare technology, data, or digital transformation initiatives.

Exceptional candidates with substantial technical leadership and recognized domain expertise may be considered based on experience in lieu of a specific advanced degree.

Strongly Preferred Qualifications

· Significant experience supporting the Department of Veterans Affairs or another federal healthcare organization.

· Experience serving as a strategic or technical advisor to senior federal executives.

· Experience with VA systems or data environments, including CDW, VistA/CPRS, Oracle Health/Cerner Millennium, or related platforms.

· Experience supporting VA Electronic Health Record Modernization or major clinical informatics initiatives.

· Prior experience supporting VHA, OHT, OIT, OCI, or related VA organizations.

· Experience defining enterprise AI, automation, analytics, data, or digital transformation strategies.

· Experience with generative AI and large language model solutions, including enterprise use cases, retrieval-augmented generation, evaluation, governance, and responsible AI.

· Experience designing workflow automation using APIs, automation platforms, low-code/no-code tools, or AI-enabled orchestration.

· Experience with HL7, FHIR, SNOMED, LOINC, healthcare interoperability, or clinical informatics.

· Familiarity with federal cloud, cybersecurity, privacy, data governance, and responsible AI requirements.

· Familiarity with Agile or SAFe delivery in large federal technology environments.

Preferred Certifications

· Relevant AI, machine learning, cloud, data, or enterprise architecture certifications.

· Healthcare informatics or healthcare data certifications.

· SAFe, Agile, or related delivery certifications.

· Responsible AI or AI governance certifications.