AI Technical Architect

I’m recruiting on behalf of a Perth-based organisation for an AI Technical Architect. This is a chance to own the architecture behind a live, customer-facing AI assistant and shape how the agency adopts Azure AI and Microsoft Copilot across the enterprise.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Define target, reference and solution architectures for generative AI, RAG and agent-based solutions, covering data flows, identity, security, networking and operational controls
• Own the technical roadmap for a public-facing conversational AI assistant, working with external vendors on content ingestion, Azure AI Search indexing, prompt orchestration, guardrails and performance
• Assess and select Azure AI models and services based on use case, sensitivity, sovereignty, cost, latency and supportability
• Design Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot Studio solutions, including knowledge sources, connectors, agents, DLP, access controls and publishing pathways
• Produce architecture decision records, options analyses, high-level and detailed designs, NFRs, cost estimates and implementation roadmaps
• Establish MLOps and LLMOps practices, including versioning of models, prompts and indexes, evaluation gates, change control and production monitoring
• Provide technical assurance from proof of value through build, release and transition to support
• Conduct technical due diligence on AI vendors and products, and assess new AI initiatives for architecture fit and reuse
• Coach and transfer knowledge to internal architects, support teams and delivery partners

What We’re Looking For

• Extensive enterprise, solution, cloud, data or integration architecture experience on complex production services
• Proven design and delivery of Azure AI solutions, ideally including Azure AI Foundry, Azure OpenAI and Azure AI Search
• Strong knowledge of LLMs, RAG, embeddings, vector and hybrid search, agents, prompt orchestration, guardrails and model evaluation
• Solid Azure architecture across identity, private networking, API integration, Key Vault, observability, IaC, DevSecOps and cost management
• Experience architecting customer-facing conversational AI with grounded responses, safety controls, accessibility, analytics and human escalation
• Knowledge of Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot Studio architecture, governance, extensibility and agent lifecycle
• Practical MLOps/LLMOps experience, including automated testing, deployment and production monitoring
• Ability to turn privacy, security, sovereignty and responsible AI requirements into implementable technical controls
• Power Platform experience (Copilot Studio, Power Automate, connectors, DLP) advantageous
• Microsoft Fabric, Power BI or Azure data services experience advantageous
• Government, transport or regulated-environment experience preferred
• Relevant Microsoft Azure AI, Solutions Architect, security or enterprise architecture certifications advantageous

What’s On Offer

• Perth CBD based with hybrid flexibility
• Contract engagement — 6 Months with the possibility of extension
• Competitive Day Rate
• High-visibility role setting the AI architecture direction for a major State Government agency
• Hands-on work with the latest Azure AI and Copilot technologies on services used by the WA public

If you’re an architect who’s designed and shipped production AI on Azure and wants to set the direction at enterprise scale, I’d love to hear from you. Apply now or reach out directly for a confidential chat.

Mark Hardy
mhardy@fourquarters.com.au
linkedin.com/in/mark-hardy-716292210