Principal AI Architect

We are seeking a Principal / Architect of AI Systems — a hands-on technical visionary who will define, accelerate, and unify all AI-related initiatives across the organization. This is not a people management role; it’s a deep technical leadership position focused on building, experimenting, and shaping the future of AI integration across our ecosystem. This role blends research and implementation: part AI strategist, part hands-on builder, and part evangelist of best practices. The ideal candidate thrives on experimentation, stays ahead of emerging AI frameworks, and can translate innovation into production-grade systems that deliver real outcomes fast. Core Responsibilities ️ Define and own the AI technical vision • Set the overarching AI architecture and ensure consistency across teams and products. • Guide how AI is designed, coded, tested, and deployed organization-wide. Stay on the bleeding edge • Spend ~50% of time exploring emerging models, frameworks, and paradigms (LLMs, agents, orchestration layers, etc.). • Identify opportunities for innovation and translate research into tangible prototypes. Build, validate, and ship • Dedicate the other 50% to hands-on development — building prototypes, validating architectures, and accelerating AI integration across projects. • Design and test agentic systems, model orchestration layers, and AI infrastructure patterns. Evaluate and select technologies • Drive tool selection for LLMs, frameworks, vector databases, embeddings, retrieval systems, and orchestration layers (LangChain, Bedrock, Azure OpenAI, etc.). • Balance innovation with reliability, cost, and scalability. Accelerate delivery cadence • Champion rapid experimentation cycles — moving beyond slow, traditional sprints toward daily or near-daily delivery of AI outcomes. • Instill a culture of visible, continuous improvement in AI development. Standardize best practices • Define how AI coding, testing, and deployment should be done across the company. • Establish reusable templates, pipelines, and architecture patterns. Mentor and evangelize • Coach engineers and architects on responsible AI integration. • Promote AI literacy and best practices across cross-functional teams. Ideal Background • 10+ years in software architecture, ML systems, or AI platform engineering. • Proven experience with LLM integration, agentic systems, and AI infrastructure. • Deep technical fluency with tools such as LangChain, Azure OpenAI, AWS Bedrock, Vector DBs, RAG pipelines, and MLOps workflows. • Strong foundation in data engineering, DevOps, and AI system orchestration. • Demonstrated ability to ship prototypes fast — not just theorize, but deliver. • Track record of research-driven innovation and constant exploration of new models and frameworks. Key Mindset & Attributes • Research-Driven Builder: Obsessed with learning, testing, and applying the newest AI advances. • Execution-Oriented: Moves fast, experiments intelligently, and delivers tangible results. • Anti-Bureaucracy: Rejects unnecessary process; favors agility and iteration. • Cross-Functional Connector: Works fluidly with data, cloud, and app teams to unify vision. • Thought Leader: Defines standards, drives technical discipline, and inspires AI excellence across projects. Ideal Candidate Profile A Principal AI Architect or Staff-level AI Engineer who combines strategic vision with hands-on execution — capable of setting technical direction, architecting cutting-edge systems, and keeping the organization at the forefront of applied AI innovation