State and Local Government Associate Director - Hawaii

Associate Director

Guidehouse is seeking an Associate Director to join its State and Local Government Practice in or near Honolulu, Hawaii. This is a leadership role for a proven consulting executive who combines strong technology acumen with a demonstrated track record of originating revenue, expanding accounts, and delivering complex engagements with excellence.

Guidehouse is making a strategic investment in Hawaii. This Associate Director will enhance our Honolulu presence, including recruiting, executive visibility, and sustained client engagement. This role requires a balance of client-facing leadership, hands-on delivery oversight, and business development. The ideal candidate is comfortable operating as a trusted advisor to senior executives while also mentoring teams and shaping market offerings.

Key responsibilities include:

• Build, manage, and grow a sustainable and expanding Hawaii-based book of consulting business aligned with Guidehouse's strategic priorities
• Demonstrate understanding of Hawaii's unique operating environment, including geographic distribution, inter-island coordination, and resource constraints
• Incorporate culturally aware engagement approaches that reflect Hawaii's values, community priorities, and stakeholder expectations
• Experience leading large-scale, multi-agency transformation programs and PMO functions
• Oversight of complex governance structures, executive steering committees, and risk/issue management
• Experience managing system integrators and multi-vendor environments
• Ability to operate effectively in politically sensitive environments and build consensus across diverse stakeholder groups
• Experience supporting cabinet-level or executive leadership decision-making
• Develop and maintain executive-level client relationships, serving as a trusted advisor to senior leaders
• Lead business development efforts including opportunity identification, proposal development, pricing, negotiation, and deal closure
• Act as an engagement executive for complex, technology-enabled consulting projects, ensuring high-quality delivery and client satisfaction.
• Manage quality control for project deliverables and work product consistent with Guidehouse quality requirements
• Provide strategic direction and oversight for initiatives such as technology modernization, systems implementation, digital transformation, data and analytics, and enterprise platforms
• Translate technology concepts into clear business value for non-technical stakeholders
• Contribute to go-to-market strategies, account planning, and the development of new service offerings
• Recruit, mentor, and develop consulting talent while fostering a collaborative, high-performance culture
• Support overall practice operations including financial performance, utilization, and resource planning
• Work closely with our teaming partners and execute joint go-to-market plans

What You Will Need:

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college/university
• Minimum of 7+ (SEVEN) years relevant work experience
• Experience with enterprise platforms and implementations such as ERP (financials, procurement, budgeting), HCM, grants management systems, or other enterprise platforms, including integrations and data conversion
• Experience with core and emerging technologies such as Cloud, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and enterprise platforms (Salesforce, Service Now, Power Apps, Workday)
• Strong leadership, communication, and collaboration skills with the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels
• Demonstrated experience engaging senior agency leadership within Hawaii state government in complex or high-visibility initiatives
• Ability to operate effectively in a leadership role that balances sales, delivery, and people management
• Critical thinking to solve problems and develop innovative solutions to clients' management and operational challenges
• Proven abilities as a team leader: supervising teams to create an atmosphere of trust; seeking diverse views to encourage improvement and innovation; participating in various staff recruitment and retention activities; and coaching staff
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Ability to travel to client locations, Guidehouse Office locations and as needed to support business development activities within the State of Hawaii and the West
• Familiarity with State and Local Government structures, processes, procurement processes, contract vehicles, and network
• Technology and Management Consulting skills such as project management, financial modeling, operational modeling, process improvement, and stakeholder management
• No sponsorship is available for this position

What Would Be Nice to Have:

• Direct leadership of enterprise platform implementations such as ERP (financials, procurement, budgeting), HCM, or comparable system
• Master's Degree, MPP or MPA (including MBA or equivalent)
• Track record of building or scaling consulting offerings or practices
• Experience representing a firm through thought leadership, industry…