Business Systems Strategist

Switchboard is a growing AI product studio for internal operations.

We work with COOs, CFOs, and ops leaders at companies where the team has become the glue between disconnected systems, manual processes, and spreadsheets that everyone is eager to move on from. We build the custom software, AI-powered workflows, and automation that replace the compromises they've learned to live with.

Every partnership starts by understanding how work really moves through an organization, then building the tools that match that reality. We're a small product-minded firm that takes the work seriously without taking ourselves too seriously. The challenges are real, and the things we build actually make people's jobs better.

Are you the person who looks at a 50-step, manual process and thinks, "certainly this could be 5 steps, right?"

As a Business Systems Strategist
, you'll figure out how a client's business actually operates, then define what gets built to improve it. Not what to recommend in a deck, but what to build, and why.

Our approach is prototype-first. Most partnerships start with a 2–8 week Jumpstart: discovery interviews, a systems and data audit, and a working prototype that gives the client something real to react to, followed by a build plan. Clients who want to keep going move into the full build, where we turn that prototype into production software their team uses every day.

You get real ownership over outcomes by leading strategy throughout. In the Jumpstart you run discovery and build the first version of the prototype. In the full build you own the scope, the requirements sign-off, and the client relationship, working with a Project Manager and Developers.

We run our service delivery primarily in Notion + Claude. Our playbooks for both phases are driven through skills across all stages. You'll work in that system from your first week and help improve it based on your learnings and experiences.

Doing this well takes product fluency, strategy & business acumen, and AI fluency. More on each below.

• Lead strategic discovery with client stakeholders from frontline staff to C-suite, mapping how work actually moves and where there’s opportunities for efficiency, automation, and AI.
• Define what gets built and why
  , grounded in what you learned in discovery.
• Build the prototype with Claude Code, run the demos, and decide what changes based on how the client reacts.
• Design the integrations. Map the client's systems and data, decide which system owns what, and define how what we build connects to their tech stack.
• Own the build plan that sequences what gets built and when, so our development team can execute and client leadership stays bought in.
• Translate technical trade-offs into clear narratives that move both CFOs and developers, without getting lost in jargon.
• Turn the prototype into a spec. Work through edge cases with the client's experts, check feasibility with Developers, and own the sign-off.
• Stay involved through build and testing. Keep the build matched to what the client needs, and call scope changes when you see them.
• See it through go-live. Work with our team to train the client's team, partner with the Project Manager on change management, and stay close through hypercare to ensure the new way of working sticks.
• Lead your Business Analyst when certain projects have one. You set the direction for their work, review it, and coach them.

• There's a clear line from your work to the functioning products and automations. Whether it's a prototype, a build plan, or a spec, your output is clear enough that the team can start building without a translation layer in between.
• You pick the right approach, not just the most ambitious one. You know when the client…