AI Consultant - Contract
Protagonist Therapeutics, Newark, CA, United States
Job Title: AI Consultant
Job Summary
We are seeking a highly motivated and hands-on
AI Consultant
to join our team. This role blends strategic advisory with deep technical execution, focusing on delivering measurable business outcomes through AI. The ideal candidate will partner closely with business and technical stakeholders to identify high-value opportunities, rapidly prototype AI-driven solutions, and lead their deployment and adoption at scale. This role requires a strong balance of consulting mindset, engineering capability, and change management expertise.
Must be onsite 4 days a week.
Key Responsibilities
1. Business Analysis & AI Strategy
Partner with stakeholders to analyze business processes, workflows, and operational challenges
Identify, prioritize, and define high-impact AI/ML and Generative AI use cases
A key function of this role is to conduct thorough evaluations of AI initiatives/proposals, ensuring they are secure, scalable, and directly address the core needs of the business.
2. Solution Design, Prototyping & Development
Rapidly design, build, and iterate AI-powered prototypes and production-ready solutions
Develop applications leveraging LLM APIs (e.g., GPT, Gemini, Claude), RAG architectures, and agentic workflows
Implement integrations using tools such as MCP, APIs, enterprise connectors, and workflow automation platforms
Prepare and engineer data pipelines, including data cleaning, transformation, and feature engineering
Apply best practices in prompt engineering, evaluation frameworks, and model tuning
3. Implementation, Integration & Scaling
Lead deployment of AI solutions into enterprise environments (cloud/on-prem/hybrid)
Ensure seamless integration with existing systems (ERP, Contract Management, data platforms, etc.)
Establish scalable architectures, including monitoring, logging, and versioning (MLOps / LLMOps)
Address security, compliance, and governance requirements for enterprise AI adoption
4. Adoption, Training & Change Management
Design and deliver training sessions, workshops, and enablement programs for business users
Drive organizational adoption by embedding AI into day-to-day workflows
Create documentation, playbooks, and best practices for sustainable usage
Act as a trusted advisor to stakeholders throughout the AI transformation journey
5. Performance Measurement & Continuous Improvement
Define KPIs and success metrics to measure business impact (efficiency, cost savings, revenue uplift, etc.)
Monitor model and system performance, including accuracy, latency, and user adoption
Continuously optimize solutions based on feedback and evolving business needs
Stay current with advancements in AI/ML and Generative AI to bring innovative solutions
Qualifications & Skills
Technical Expertise
Strong foundation in AI/ML concepts, including supervised/unsupervised learning and deep learning
Experience with AI/ML frameworks
Practical experience with Generative AI technologies, including LLM APIs and RAG architectures
Familiarity with agent frameworks, tool-use systems, and orchestration platforms
Experience with cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP) and data ecosystems
Consulting & Business Acumen
Proven ability to translate complex business challenges into AI-driven solutions
Strong problem-solving and analytical thinking skills
Excellent communication skills with the ability to engage both technical and non-technical audiences
Experience managing cross-functional projects and stakeholders
Ability to influence decision-making and drive outcomes in ambiguous environments
Preferred Qualifications
Experience in Life Sciences industry
Exposure to enterprise AI platforms (e.g., Azure OpenAI, Vertex AI, Bedrock)
Experience with knowledge graphs, vector databases, or semantic search
Background in change management or digital transformation initiatives
The hourly pay range for this position at commencement of employment is expected to be between $150/hour and $200/ hour however, pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.
Protagonist Therapeutics is a discovery through late-stage development biopharmaceutical company. The Company's proprietary peptide technology platform enables
de novo discovery of peptide therapeutics . Two novel peptides derived from Protagonist's proprietary discovery platform are at or near commercialization. ICOTYDE™ (icotrokinra) is approved in the U.S. for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis in adults and pediatric patients 12 years of age and older who weigh at least 40 kg who are candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy. ICOTYDE is the first and only targeted oral peptide that precisely blocks the Interleukin-23 receptor (IL-23R) licensed to Janssen Biotech, Inc.,a Johnson & Johnson company. ICOTYDE was jointly discovered by Protagonist and Johnson & Johnson scientists, with Protagonist having primary responsibility for the development of ICOTYDE through Phase 1, and Johnson & Johnson assuming responsibility for further development and commercialization. An NDA for rusfertide, a first-in-class hepcidin mimetic peptide that is being co-developed with Takeda Pharmaceuticals pursuant to a worldwide license and collaboration agreement entered in 2024, is under priority review with the FDA. Protagonist holds an option to co-commercialize rusfertide in the U.S. through a 50/50 profit and loss share structure or can opt-out of this structure. The Company also has a number of preclinical stage drug discovery programs addressing clinically and commercially validated targets including an oral IL-17 peptide antagonist, obesity dual and triple agonists, an oral hepcidin functional mimetic, and the recently announced IL-4 and amylin programs.
More information on Protagonist, its pipeline drug candidates, and clinical studies can be found on the Company's website at https://www.protagonist-inc.com.
Job Summary
We are seeking a highly motivated and hands-on
AI Consultant
to join our team. This role blends strategic advisory with deep technical execution, focusing on delivering measurable business outcomes through AI. The ideal candidate will partner closely with business and technical stakeholders to identify high-value opportunities, rapidly prototype AI-driven solutions, and lead their deployment and adoption at scale. This role requires a strong balance of consulting mindset, engineering capability, and change management expertise.
Must be onsite 4 days a week.
Key Responsibilities
1. Business Analysis & AI Strategy
Partner with stakeholders to analyze business processes, workflows, and operational challenges
Identify, prioritize, and define high-impact AI/ML and Generative AI use cases
A key function of this role is to conduct thorough evaluations of AI initiatives/proposals, ensuring they are secure, scalable, and directly address the core needs of the business.
2. Solution Design, Prototyping & Development
Rapidly design, build, and iterate AI-powered prototypes and production-ready solutions
Develop applications leveraging LLM APIs (e.g., GPT, Gemini, Claude), RAG architectures, and agentic workflows
Implement integrations using tools such as MCP, APIs, enterprise connectors, and workflow automation platforms
Prepare and engineer data pipelines, including data cleaning, transformation, and feature engineering
Apply best practices in prompt engineering, evaluation frameworks, and model tuning
3. Implementation, Integration & Scaling
Lead deployment of AI solutions into enterprise environments (cloud/on-prem/hybrid)
Ensure seamless integration with existing systems (ERP, Contract Management, data platforms, etc.)
Establish scalable architectures, including monitoring, logging, and versioning (MLOps / LLMOps)
Address security, compliance, and governance requirements for enterprise AI adoption
4. Adoption, Training & Change Management
Design and deliver training sessions, workshops, and enablement programs for business users
Drive organizational adoption by embedding AI into day-to-day workflows
Create documentation, playbooks, and best practices for sustainable usage
Act as a trusted advisor to stakeholders throughout the AI transformation journey
5. Performance Measurement & Continuous Improvement
Define KPIs and success metrics to measure business impact (efficiency, cost savings, revenue uplift, etc.)
Monitor model and system performance, including accuracy, latency, and user adoption
Continuously optimize solutions based on feedback and evolving business needs
Stay current with advancements in AI/ML and Generative AI to bring innovative solutions
Qualifications & Skills
Technical Expertise
Strong foundation in AI/ML concepts, including supervised/unsupervised learning and deep learning
Experience with AI/ML frameworks
Practical experience with Generative AI technologies, including LLM APIs and RAG architectures
Familiarity with agent frameworks, tool-use systems, and orchestration platforms
Experience with cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP) and data ecosystems
Consulting & Business Acumen
Proven ability to translate complex business challenges into AI-driven solutions
Strong problem-solving and analytical thinking skills
Excellent communication skills with the ability to engage both technical and non-technical audiences
Experience managing cross-functional projects and stakeholders
Ability to influence decision-making and drive outcomes in ambiguous environments
Preferred Qualifications
Experience in Life Sciences industry
Exposure to enterprise AI platforms (e.g., Azure OpenAI, Vertex AI, Bedrock)
Experience with knowledge graphs, vector databases, or semantic search
Background in change management or digital transformation initiatives
The hourly pay range for this position at commencement of employment is expected to be between $150/hour and $200/ hour however, pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.
Protagonist Therapeutics is a discovery through late-stage development biopharmaceutical company. The Company's proprietary peptide technology platform enables
de novo discovery of peptide therapeutics . Two novel peptides derived from Protagonist's proprietary discovery platform are at or near commercialization. ICOTYDE™ (icotrokinra) is approved in the U.S. for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis in adults and pediatric patients 12 years of age and older who weigh at least 40 kg who are candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy. ICOTYDE is the first and only targeted oral peptide that precisely blocks the Interleukin-23 receptor (IL-23R) licensed to Janssen Biotech, Inc.,a Johnson & Johnson company. ICOTYDE was jointly discovered by Protagonist and Johnson & Johnson scientists, with Protagonist having primary responsibility for the development of ICOTYDE through Phase 1, and Johnson & Johnson assuming responsibility for further development and commercialization. An NDA for rusfertide, a first-in-class hepcidin mimetic peptide that is being co-developed with Takeda Pharmaceuticals pursuant to a worldwide license and collaboration agreement entered in 2024, is under priority review with the FDA. Protagonist holds an option to co-commercialize rusfertide in the U.S. through a 50/50 profit and loss share structure or can opt-out of this structure. The Company also has a number of preclinical stage drug discovery programs addressing clinically and commercially validated targets including an oral IL-17 peptide antagonist, obesity dual and triple agonists, an oral hepcidin functional mimetic, and the recently announced IL-4 and amylin programs.
More information on Protagonist, its pipeline drug candidates, and clinical studies can be found on the Company's website at https://www.protagonist-inc.com.