Founding AI Strategist
Crucibl
Software Engineering, Data Science
San Francisco, CA, USA
Posted on May 11, 2026
Founding Principal, Outcomes
San Francisco
Outcomes
Hybrid
Full-time
About Crucibl
Management consulting is a $400B industry built on selling intelligence-for-hire. The model is breaking. Crucibl is building the AI-native operating system for business decisions - agents that turn messy enterprise data into crisp, actionable outcomes in hours, not months.
We're not pre-revenue and hoping. We're profitable, growing fast, and delivering for Fortune 500 clients. We raised a $10M seed from Tier 1 investors - then kept growing on revenue. The round validated the vision. The P&L validates the business.
The client pipeline is full. We're scaling to meet demand.
The Role
You've delivered high-stakes strategy projects at a top firm. Now imagine doing it with AI as your co-pilot instead of a team of analysts grinding through spreadsheets at 2 AM — and then turning what you learn in the field directly into the next version of the platform.
As a Founding Principal, Outcomes, you own engagements end-to-end — from scoping the problem with a senior client to partnering with engineering on what to build next. You're not building decks for a partner to present. You're in the room, making the call, then building toward something bigger — a product the client keeps. Not a one-time deliverable, but a decision-making tool that stays embedded in their business long after the engagement ends.
The gap between what a client asks for and what they actually need — that's your domain. You close it.
Why Join Now
- The hardest part is done — real revenue, Fortune 500 clients, Tier 1 backing. You're scaling a winning hand, not placing a bet.
- Do the work you loved in consulting — structured problem-solving for high-stakes decisions — without the parts you didn't (the grind, the slow pace of change, the distance from impact)
- Shape the product — your delivery experience directly informs what we build next. You're not just a user of the platform, you're a builder.
- Work directly with founders who have built at Google scale and deployed capital at top consulting and PE firms
- Outsized equity in a company that's already generating revenue and growing fast
What You'll Do
Client Delivery:
- Own engagements end-to-end — scope the problem, structure the analysis, deliver the recommendation
- Discern what clients need from what they ask for — then architect the right MVP, Phase I, Phase II
- Build senior stakeholder relationships that expand our footprint; grow accounts, not just serve them
Judgment & Problem Structuring:
- Take ambiguous, messy business questions and break them into frameworks our AI agents can execute against
- Make calls with incomplete information — you don't wait for perfect data to move
- Know when the deliverable isn't landing and course-correct before the client tells you
Product Partnership:
- Be the voice of the client inside the company — and a credible one. Engineering needs to trust your read on what matters and why.
- Know when to push for the right solution and when to accept the trade-off — velocity, complexity, and client need are always in tension
- Translate what you're seeing in the field into product thinking: not just "the client wanted this" but "here's the pattern, here's what it means, here's what we should build"
- The relationship with engineering is a partnership, not a handoff — you'll disagree, debate, and build something neither of you could have alone
Scale & Team Building:
- Build the delivery playbook as you go — what you create outlasts any single project
- Help define what great looks like as we hire the next wave of Principals
Who You Are
Must-haves:
- 2–5 years at MBB or equivalent top-tier firm — you've owned workstreams and presented to senior clients, not just supported them
- Sharp judgment: you read situations accurately, update fast, and know the difference between a scope problem and a relationship problem
- Exceptional communication — responsive, crisp, client-ready; senior stakeholders trust you immediately
- Deeply curious about AI — you don't need to be an engineer, but you reach for new tools unprompted and use them fluently
Strong signal:
- PE deal team or operator experience — you know what it means to be on the hook for the outcome, not just the analysis
- Has led an AI-powered initiative — fast to ramp, not just familiar
- Entrepreneurial streak — you've built something, started something, or operated somewhere with nowhere to hide
We're not looking for:
- Pure MBB without operational exposure — strategy without touching grass isn't enough
- Traditional PMs — this role owns client outcomes, not backlogs
- People who want distance from impact — you'll be on the front lines, not behind a partner
Who You'll Work With
Our founders bring Google-scale systems experience and domain expertise from top consulting and private equity. You'll work in tight pods with engineers — pairing consulting rigor with AI-native tooling to deliver outcomes that neither could achieve alone.
Self-awareness, a growth orientation, and a pursuit of excellence are non-negotiable. We're building a team of spiky, humble people who haven't confused making it with being done growing.
Why This Matters
85% of the global economy runs on enterprises. The biggest frontier in AI isn't better models - it's judgment at scale. You'll be on the front lines, proving that AI can deliver the quality of insight Fortune 500 companies currently pay millions for - faster, sharper, and at a fraction of the cost.
You won't just advise companies on strategy. You'll prove a better way exists.
Equal Opportunity Employer
Crucibl is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.
Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
Crucibl welcomes applications from candidates requiring visa sponsorship. Sponsorship eligibility for exceptional candidates is determined during the offer process.
Req ID: R5