Graduate / Associate Forward Deployed AI Consultant | Melbourne

ADAPTOVATE is a management consulting firm helping organisations stay ahead of change by building the capability to adapt, innovate and lead in dynamic markets.

We work with clients around the world on complex business challenges and transformation, increasingly using AI and emerging technologies to create practical business value.

We are looking for high-potential graduates and early-career professionals to join our Melbourne team.

We are looking for a different type of consultant, someone who enjoys understanding a business problem, building and testing solutions, and working directly with clients to turn those solutions into real change.

You may be graduating from university, have recently graduated, or have up to 3 years of relevant experience.

Join ADAPTOVATE and help clients build practical AI solutions and turn them into real business transformation. Apply now to join our Melbourne consulting team. ADAPTOVATE is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.

What will you be doing?

Work directly with clients to understand complex business problems and identify where AI can create value

Analyse data, processes, customer journeys and ways of working to understand the problem

Design, build and test AI-enabled solutions, prototypes, workflows and automations

Use AI, data and emerging technologies to solve practical business problems

Test solutions with clients and users, gather feedback and improve them quickly

Help move successful solutions from prototype through implementation and adoption

Work closely with business and technical teams to make solutions practical and scalable

Translate technical ideas into clear business language

Measure whether solutions are delivering real business value

Help clients drive broader business transformation by leveraging AI solutions

Build your AI, commercial, problem-solving and client skills through hands-on project experience

What is ADAPTOVATE looking for?

We are looking for people with a builder mindset, strong problem-solving ability and good business skills.

We prefer candidates with a degree in one of the following areas:

• Computer Science
• Engineering
• Science or another quantitative discipline
• Business or a related discipline with demonstrated technology / AI experience

Candidates from other academic backgrounds will also be considered if they can demonstrate strong capability in using technology or AI to solve business problems.

We are particularly interested in candidates who can show us something they have built, through university, work, internships, hackathons or personal projects.

More importantly, you should be able to explain what problem you were solving, why you built it and what impact it created.

For Graduate Consultant candidates, prior consulting experience is not required. We are looking for:

• Strong problem-solving and structured thinking
• A builder mindset and willingness to experiment
• Interest and experience with AI and emerging technology
• Strong learning ability
• Good communication and business skills
• The ability to connect technology with a real business problem
• Evidence that you enjoy creating and solving problems, not just analysing them

For Associate Consultant candidates, we would typically expect around 2–3 years of relevant professional experience, ideally in:

• AI, data, software or product-related roles with strong business or client exposure
• Technology or digital consulting
• Building or implementing AI-enabled solutions
• Business or technology transformation with hands-on technology exposure
• Management consulting with strong exposure to AI, technology or solution delivery

You should also demonstrate:

• Strong analytical and structured problem-solving skills to understand complex business problems
• A builder mindset with a willingness to develop, test and improve practical solutions
• The ability to connect AI and technology to real business needs and outcomes
• Strong communication and client-facing skills
• The ability to work across both business and technical stakeholders
• The ability to translate technical ideas into clear business language
• Ownership and a willingness to take solutions from idea through implementation and adoption
• Curiosity about how businesses work and how technology can drive broader transformation
• Comfort working in fast-moving and ambiguous environments
• Willingness to work from our Melb office and travel to client sites when required

We are not looking for a pure technologist or a traditional consultant who simply uses AI tools.

We are looking for someone who can understand the business problem, build with the client and use AI solutions to drive real transformation.