Principal Analyst (Prof 5), Operational Process Analytics & Agentic AI Strategy

FreeWheel, a Comcast company, provides comprehensive ad platforms for publishers, advertisers, and media buyers. Powered by premium video content, robust data, and advanced technology, we're making it easier for buyers and sellers to transact across all screens, data types, and sales channels. As a global company, we have offices in nine countries and can insert advertisements around the world.

Job Summary

Job Description Summary We are seeking an individual contributor, Operational Process Analytics & Agentic AI Strategy to lead the identification, prioritization, and strategic development of AI-driven operational transformation opportunities across the organization. This role will serve as a bridge between business operations, analytics, automation, and AI execution teams. The ideal candidate combines deep operational process expertise with advanced understanding of Agentic AI capabilities and limitations from a business and transformation lens. This leader will partner directly with senior stakeholders to evaluate operational pain points, identify high-value AI and automation opportunities, develop business cases, align priorities across organizations, and shape multi-quarter transformation roadmaps. Once initiatives are approved, this role will transition programs into execution teams while remaining accountable for strategic alignment, adoption readiness, and measurable business outcomes. Over time, this role will expand to lead AI enablement and change management efforts to ensure sustainable adoption of AI-driven workflows and decision-making across the enterprise.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities

AI Opportunity Identification & Process Transformation

• Analyze operational workflows, support models, and business processes to identify opportunities for Agentic AI, automation, and process optimization.
• Evaluate operational inefficiencies, manual dependencies, decision bottlenecks, and scalability challenges.
• Translate business problems into AI-enabled operational strategies and practical implementation opportunities.
• Assess where AI should be applied versus where traditional automation or process redesign is more appropriate.

Strategic Roadmap & Business Case Development

• Build and maintain prioritized AI transformation roadmaps aligned to organizational goals and operational priorities.
• Develop business cases including ROI analysis, operational impact, risk assessment, adoption considerations, and resource requirements.
• Partner with business leaders to balance strategic value, feasibility, implementation complexity, and organizational readiness.
• Influence prioritization decisions across multiple stakeholder groups and competing business demands.

Agentic AI Advisory & Governance

• Act as a strategic advisor to leadership on Agentic AI capabilities, risks, operating models, and implementation considerations.
• Guide leadership teams toward rational, measurable, and business-aligned AI decisions rather than trend-driven adoption.
• Evaluate AI use cases through the lens of architecture, scalability, governance, operational risk, compliance, and workforce impact.
• Act as an SME and business architect to work with Engineering and Enterprise Architecture teams to design architectural frameworks and standards.
• Help establish frameworks and standards for responsible AI adoption within operational functions.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Partner closely with Operational Analytics, Automation & AI Development, Business Performance Analytics, Application Support, and business operations teams.
• Collaborate with technical execution teams to transition approved initiatives into delivery roadmaps with clear business objectives and success metrics.
• Facilitate alignment across business, technical, and operational stakeholders, including managing challenge and resistance constructively.

Change Management & AI Enablement

• Develop AI enablement strategies that improve organizational understanding, readiness, and adoption of AI-powered workflows.
• Partner with leadership to drive operational change management initiatives tied to AI transformation programs.
• Create communication frameworks, stakeholder engagement strategies, and adoption measurement approaches.
• Help establish long-term AI literacy and operational AI maturity across the organization.

Qualifications

Required Experience

• 8+ years of experience in operational analytics, business transformation, process optimization, management consulting, technical consulting, AI strategy, or related fields.
• Demonstrated experience identifying and driving large-scale operational improvement initiatives.
• Strong understanding of Agentic AI concepts, AI workflow orchestration, intelligent automation, and emerging AI operating models.
• Experience building business cases and influencing prioritization decisions at leadership levels.
• Proven ability to work cross-functionally across business, analytics, operations, and technical teams.
• Strong executive communication, facilitation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Comfortable operating in environments with ambiguity, evolving priorities, and constructive challenge.

Preferred Experience

• Experience in operational AI transformation, automation strategy, or enterprise AI programs.
• Familiarity with support operations, workflow systems, CRM platforms, or enterprise operational ecosystems.
• Experience leading organizational change management or transformation adoption initiatives.
• Exposure to AI governance, risk evaluation, and responsible AI frameworks.
• Experience working with global operational teams and enterprise-scale transformation programs.

Leadership Characteristics

• Strategic and pragmatic thinker who balances innovation with operational reality.
• Strong influencing skills without relying on direct authority.
• Able to challenge assumptions and guide leadership discussions with credibility and data-driven reasoning.
• Highly collaborative with the ability to t