Associate Partner - Physical AI (Fujitsu Wayfinders)
Job Location: Austin, Texas; Boston, Massachusetts; Chicago, Illinois; Dallas, Texas; Houston, Texas; Los Angeles, California; New York, New York; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; San Jose, California; Washington, D.C.
About the role
Wayfinders Associate Partner – Physical AI. Associate Partners serve as the senior technical owner and advisor for the Physical AI practice. Physical AI describes systems that perceive the physical world (sensors, cameras, connectivity), reason about it (AI/ML, simulation, digital twins), and act on it (robotics, automation) — think computer vision-guided quality inspection, predictive maintenance from sensor telemetry, or a digital twin that simulates a warehouse before automation goes live.
Where Managing Consultants and Senior Managing Consultants own individual engagements, this Associate Partner owns technical standards, architecture judgment, and the hardest escalations across the full portfolio. This role suits a leader who has personally built and shipped end-to-end physical AI programs and can bring that depth to client relationships and delivery oversight. This position offers a pathway to becoming a Partner.
Responsibilities
- Client Leadership
- Serve as trusted technical advisor to senior executives on Physical AI architecture, feasibility, and transformation
- Track record personally owning delivery of multiple high-value physical AI or automation programs
- Act as senior escalation point for the practice's most complex technical, architectural, and safety decisions
- Build and grow technical teams; mentor engineers and consultants into delivery leaders
- Practice Development
- Shape technical strategy, reference architectures, and reusable accelerators for Physical AI, automation, and robotics
- Mentor high-performing technical and delivery teams
- Integrate Physical AI architecture with broader digital, sustainability, and operational excellence initiatives
- Business Development
- Serve as senior technical voice on deal teams, strengthening client confidence in technical feasibility
- Contribute to revenue and profitability through delivery excellence and reusable IP
Requirements
- Experience & Education
- 8+ years consulting or equivalent senior industry leadership, personally owning end-to-end physical AI programs — spanning perception, modeling, and execution
- Demonstrated delivery of production solutions with measurable business outcomes in real operating environments
- Advanced degree (PhD, MS in Computer Science, Robotics, or equivalent) preferred; deep hands-on experience can substitute
- Leadership & Influence
- Executive presence built on technical depth, not just narrative
- People leadership of technical talent: team building, coaching, performance management
- Track record leading interdisciplinary technical teams and integrating with consulting/PM disciplines
- Physical AI & Technical Competency
- Computer vision / vision AI
- Industrial IoT, sensors, and telemetry
- Digital twins and simulation
- Robotics and automation systems
- Strong architectural tradeoff and system-design skills across hardware/software/workflow integration points
- Deep understanding of governance, safety, privacy, and risk considerations for physical/robotic systems; MLOps and Responsible AI practices adapted for physical systems
Pay
The pay range for this position is estimated at $210,000 to $270,000 USD. Additionally, this role may be eligible for a short-term incentive based on company results and individual performance.
Benefits
- Health benefits
- 401K