Company Overview

Blue Orange Digital helps organizations unlock measurable business value with modern analytics and AI. We are in a focused growth phase serving Financial Services, Private Equity (PE) firms and their portfolio companies, delivering AI solutions that drive EBITDA uplift, revenue acceleration, and operational efficiency.

Role Summary

The Field CTO - Data & AI is the external face of Blue Orange's technical expertise. You build market credibility through thought leadership and industry presence, serve as the strategic technical advisor on our most important pursuits, and help PE operating partners and portfolio executives see how AI creates measurable business value.

This role blends market presence with strategic sales involvement. You're not embedded in every deal—you're deployed selectively on complex, high-value pursuits where executive credibility and strategic vision accelerate the win. Between pursuits, you're building Blue Orange's brand through conferences, content, and relationship development.

You're equally comfortable on stage at a PE forum and in a boardroom shaping an AI investment thesis. You have strong opinions on where AI creates real value (and where it doesn't), and you communicate those opinions in ways that build trust and open doors.

This is an individual contributor role with significant external visibility. You won't manage a team—you'll be the strategic technical voice that elevates Blue Orange's market position and closes our most important deals.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Sales Execution & Executive Advisory (45%)

• Run technical discovery, scoping, and solution architecture across the sales pipeline

• Build and deliver demos, POCs, and technical presentations that advance deals

• Own technical sections of proposals and RFPs—solution approach, architecture, methodology

• Lead executive conversations with PE operating partners, C-suite, and board-level stakeholders

• Present to investment committees, boards, and executive teams on AI value creation

• Advise PE firms and portfolio CEOs on AI roadmaps, build vs. buy decisions, and technology strategy

• Shape win themes, differentiation, and solution narratives for opportunities

Market Presence & Thought Leadership (30%)

• Represent Blue Orange at conferences, PE forums, industry events, and webinars

• Develop and deliver keynotes, panels, and presentations that establish Blue Orange as a leader in AI for PE value creation

• Publish thought leadership content: whitepapers, LinkedIn articles, blog posts, podcast appearances

• Build relationships with PE operating partners, industry analysts, and technology partners

• Generate inbound interest and qualified leads through visibility and reputation

• Partner with marketing on content strategy, messaging, and brand positioning

Solution Vision & Innovation (15%)

• Define Blue Orange's point of view on Data & AI trends, emerging technologies, and market direction

• Develop reference architectures and solution frameworks for key use cases

• Translate market trends into service offering opportunities

• Evaluate build vs. buy decisions and guide technology/vendor ecosystem strategy

• Provide technical vision input to proposals without owning detailed scoping

• Stay current on LLM/GenAI developments, data platform evolution, and AI governance trends

Internal Enablement (10%)

• Mentor sales engineers, architects, and consultants on executive engagement and strategic selling

• Provide input on hiring priorities, team development, and capability building

• Shape go-to-market messaging, competitive positioning, and sales enablement materials

• Contribute to partnership strategy with cloud providers, data platforms, and AI vendors

Requirements

Must-Haves

• 10+ years in Data, Analytics, or AI/ML, with significant experience in client-facing advisory, consulting, or technical leadership roles

• Executive presence: Comfortable presenting to C-suite, boards, PE operating partners, and investment committees

• Demonstrated thought leadership: Published content, conference speaking, recognized expertise in the Data/AI space

• Deep AI fluency: Strong grasp of modern AI landscape—LLMs, RAG, agents, MLOps, evaluation strategies, governance and safety considerations

• Data platform expertise: Hands-on experience with Databricks, Snowflake, or equivalent; understanding of Lakehouse, cloud data architecture, and data engineering patterns

• Business value orientation: Ability to connect technical capabilities to EBITDA impact, revenue growth, and operational efficiency

• Sales contribution track record: Experience shaping pursuits, developing win themes, and presenting in competitive sales situations

• Strong communication: Exceptional written and verbal skills; ability to make complex concepts accessible to non-technical audiences

• Network and relationships: Existing connections in the Data/AI ecosystem and/or PE community

Nice-to-Haves

• PE, consulting, or portfolio company experience—understanding of value creation, 100-day plans, hold period dynamics

• Prior CTO, VP of Engineering, Chief Data Officer, or Practice Lead role

• Advanced degree: MS, PhD, or MBA

• Certifications in cloud AI/ML, Databricks, or Snowflake

• Experience building or leading a technical practice or solutions team

• Track record of sourcing revenue through personal brand and network

Reports to: CEO/CTO
Partners with: Account Executives, Sales Engineering, Marketing, Delivery Leadership
Location: NYC preferred; flexible for exceptional candidates
Travel: 30% to conferences, PE offices, client sites, and industry events
Work Authorization: Candidates must be authorized to work in the US
Compensation: Competitive base + variable tied to influenced revenue and market presence outcomes (OTE range $220K–$300K, adjusted for experience)

Benefits:

• Unlimited Paid Time Off (PTO)

• Paid parental/bereavement leave

• Worldwide recognized clients to build skills for an excellent resume

• Top-notch team to learn and grow with

Background checks may be required for certain positions/projects.

Blue Orange Digital is an equal-opportunity employer.