Lead multidisciplinary teams to identify and prioritize operational efficiency opportunities, design AI-enabled and agentic workflows, develop business cases, drive pilots and implementations, and manage change, governance, and adoption to realize measurable business outcomes.
Principal/Engagement Manager – Operations Strategy
About the Role
Argano is a digital consultancy specializing in high-performance business operations, digital transformation, and AI-driven solutions. We help enterprise and mid-market organizations modernize core systems, streamline supply chains, and improve financial, data, and workforce operations to exceed customer expectations and fuel commercial growth.
We are seeking an experienced strategy consulting leader — someone who brings the rigor, structure, and executive presence of a top-tier consulting background — to lead multi-disciplinary teams that identify and implement transformation opportunities in middle/back-office operations. This role is the bridge between business strategy and technical execution: you will define the what and why of transformation, working closely with technologists, AI/agentic engineers, and change management specialists who own the how.
This Principal/Engagement Manager will partner with business leaders, consulting teams, and technology stakeholders to identify high-impact opportunities, build the business case, shape solution direction, and drive successful implementation and adoption.
Key Responsibilities
Identify Opportunities
- Partner with business leaders to structure ambiguous problems, prioritize opportunities, and build rigorous, quantified business cases for operational transformation.
- Build and manage a portfolio of initiatives aligned to strategic business objectives, applying hypothesis-driven analysis to focus effort on the highest-value opportunities.
Shape & Direct Solutions
- Translate business challenges into a clear solution vision and requirements, partnering with technology and AI teams to design agentic workflows and AI-enabled solutions — directing solution shape and business logic while technical teams own implementation.
- Lead pilots and implementations, ensuring technical delivery stays tied to business outcomes and value realization.
Drive Adoption & Transformation
- Lead executive-level communication and storylining, translating complex technical work into clear narratives for senior stakeholders.
- Design and implement change management, training, and stakeholder engagement to ensure adoption.
- Establish governance, measure value realization, and shape future service offerings.
Qualifications
Required
- 5–10 years in management/strategy consulting (top-tier / MBB or MBB-equivalent firm strongly preferred), with direct experience structuring ambiguous business problems and building executive-ready business cases.
- Demonstrated hypothesis-driven, structured problem-solving approach (e.g., MECE frameworks, issue trees) applied to real client engagements.
- Track record leading complex, cross-functional business or technology transformation initiatives.
- Strong quantitative business case development and financial modeling skills.
- Excellent executive communication, story lining, and facilitation skills — comfortable presenting to and influencing C-suite stakeholders.
- Demonstrated ability to partner effectively with technical experts (engineers, data scientists, AI architects) — translating between business and technical requirements.
Preferred
- Experience directing or scoping AI, automation, or enterprise technology implementations.
- Familiarity with generative AI, LLMs, agentic systems, or workflow automation concepts sufficient to credibly partner with technical teams.
- MBA or equivalent advanced degree.
- Experience evaluating and selecting SaaS or enterprise technology solutions from a business/vendor-management lens.
Argano is an equal-opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or disability status.
Argano Irvine, California, USA Office
16969 Von Karman Avenue , Irvine, CA, United States, 92606
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