Principal Architect - AI (Data Architect background)

Redtech is helping our client with a Direct Hire search for a Principal Architect - AI with a strong Data Architecture background.

Location: Issaquah (Seattle), WA - selected candidate must live within 50 miles of their selected work location. (Relocation assistance available for eligible new hires located over 50 miles from the Hub location of hire and they move to within 50 miles of the hub location) Relocation assistance available for eligible hires

Schedule – 100% onsite 5 days/week. They don’t have an official “on call” structure but they can set expectations during interviews. As with all leadership level technical roles, it may require to be available 7 days a week at times which also can be discussed in detail during interviews.

Background check & Drug Test - requires successful completion.

Eligibility – Authorized to work in the US, some types of sponsorships are offered including H1B transfers

Compensation -

Target Pay Range: $185,000- $250,000/year DOE (top of the range only considered for exceptional experience)

Role is eligible for bonus and RSU's

Benefits offering – based on eligibility:

CLEINT offers a comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off, health benefits — medical/dental/vision/hearing aid/pharmacy/behavioral health/employee assistance, health care reimbursement account, dependent care assistance plan, commuter benefits, short-term disability and long-term disability insurance, AD&D insurance, life insurance, 401(k), stock purchase plan, financial wellness program, to eligible employees.

Most important skills required

• AI specific experience is 3+ years hands on AI experience implementing production scale AI solutions is a must (the past hands on experience is to be able to advise business areas, will not be building code)
  
• Executive communication and stakeholder management skills
  
• 5+ years Data Architecture background is a must
  
• 3+ years of machine learning experience is a must (the past hands on experience is to be able to advise business areas, will not be building code)
  

Job Description:

Our CLIENT is hiring a Principal AI Architect to drive enterprise-scale AI transformation.

Need someone who brings:

· Strategic Vision - Shape our AI roadmap and architect solutions that deliver measurable business impact.

· Deep Technical Expertise - Design and implement advanced AI systems, from agentic workflows to production-grade ML platorms.

· Hands-On Leadership - Build and mentor high-performing teams while staying technically engaged with complex implementations.

· Business Impact - Translate cutting-edge AI capabilities into tangible outcomes that transform how we operate.

CLIENT’s Enterprise Architecture team propels our business by blueprinting an innovative, scalable, and secure architecture that serves our members globally with years to come. Enterprise Architects work with leadership, stakeholders, and subject matter experts to build a holistic view of the organization's value streams, goals, strategies, capabilities, processes, information, and information technology assets. The role of the enterprise architect is to ensure that the business and IT are in alignment. The enterprise architect links the business mission, strategy, capabilities and processes of an organization to its IT strategy, documents this using multiple architectural models or views that show how the current and future needs of an organization will be met in an efficient, sustainable, agile, and adaptable manner, and fosters the changes needed to achieve.

Exceptional executive presence is crucial to succeed in this role. You will facilitate complex discussions, influence peers and
stakeholders, and serve as a thought leader to inspire change. As a key figure in evolving the Enterprise Architecture practice,
you will uphold consistent quality across methodology and deliverables while addressing today’s digital challenges with
technical expertise, leadership, and strategic foresight.

Your responsibilities include guiding installations, testing, and service transitions while identifying and leveraging technological
innovations. You will engage with businesses to drive the adoption of cutting-edge solutions and oversee incident, change,
release, problem, performance, and availability management, ensuring operational excellence.

The Enterprise Architecture team is seeking an AI Architect to advance our AI and machine learning (ML) practice and guide enterprise-wide transformation efforts. As a core member of the Enterprise Architecture team, this individual will:
● Shape the organization's AI/ML strategy and roadmap
● Define AI/ML technical capabilities—including generative AI systems, data pipelines, model deployment strategies, MLOps frameworks etc.
● Define AI reference architecture, standards, and best practices.
● Lead integration of AI/ML into business system transformation initiatives.
● Ensure that AI-driven solutions are consistent with organizational goals and technical standards.
● Champion ethical AI governance and regulatory compliance.
● Support continuous technology improvement and adaptable architecture.

ROLE

● Defines future state AI/ML architecture and technology roadmap.

● Links business strategies and processes to AI/ML technology strategies, ensuring AI initiatives support enterprise objectives and deliver measurable business value.

● Establishes and maintains models of AI-driven organizational value streams, goals, strategies, capabilities, processes, information, and IT assets. Ensure these models capture both traditional and AI/ML-specific business functions.

● Defines and enforces target state and reference architectures, principles, guardrails, and standards for AI/ML, ensuring alignment with industry best practices, ethical frameworks (e.g., responsible AI), and regulatory guidelines (GDPR, NIST AI RMF).

● Develops and manages AI governance frameworks including model lifecycle management (MLOps), model monitoring, data governance, bias mitigation, explainability (XAI), and compliance.

● Leads initiatives around AI governance, MLOps pipeline optimization (monitoring/drift detection), and continuous improvement of intelligent solutions.

● Develops and promotes reusable AI/ML architectural patterns (e.g., generative AI workflows, RAG architectures) that foster innovation while adhering to best practices.

● Collaborates with stakeholders to operationalize AI use cases (e.g., demand forecasting, NLP for customer service), embedding AI into end-to-end business process models.

● Leads reviews of AI-driven solution designs for scalability, interoperability, and compliance.

● Investigates emerging technologies (generative AI, computer vision), assess enterprise impact through research/proof-of-concepts, and build business cases for adoption.

● Defines data requirements for AI (feature stores, pipelines), advises on data-sharing strategies to support ML models, and ensures data quality/security in AI contexts.

● Evaluates public cloud services and hybrid architectures for cost-effective deployment of intelligent systems.

● Mentors cross-functional teams on AI/ML adoption; bridge gaps between data scientists, engineers, and business units to foster a collaborative environment.

REQUIRED

Core Enterprise Architecture

● 5+ years' architecture experience with business/capability modeling using EA frameworks (TOGAF/Zachman).

● 5+ years of demonstrated experience with analyzing and documenting business value streams, capabilities, processes, and data using model-based representations for the purpose of collecting, aggregating, or analyzing complex business information.

● Proven ability to define future architecture/technology roadmap and align technology strategy with business goals.

● Strong communication skills to translate technical concepts for executives and technical teams.

● Demonstrates a strong understanding and passion for emerging technologies

● Proven skills in leadership, relationship building, negotiation, collaboration, advocacy, governance, and consensus building.

● Excellent verbal and written communication skills at all levels.

● Team player with proven ability to work effectively within a large matrix organization.

● Ability to make architecture changes in a dynamic agile environment.

Specialized AI/ML Experience

● 3+ years’ experience leading or architecting production-grade AI/ML solutions,hands-on with frameworks such as TensorFlow/PyTorch etc.

● Experience designing MLOps pipelines (MLflow/Kubeflow) and implementing model lifecycle management/governance.

● Knowledge of responsible/ethical AI practices: bias detection/mitigation; explainability; regulatory compliance.

● Proficiency in public cloud AI services: GCP Capgemini/Vertex AI; distributed data platforms (data lakes/feature stores).

● Demonstrates a strong understanding of emerging AI and ML technologies to support the development of new solutions, such as, Agentic AI, GenAI, etc.

Leadership & Collaboration

● Demonstrated skills in leadership, stakeholder engagement, consensus-building for strategic initiatives.

● Team mentorship experience focused on upskilling in AI/ML domains.

● Direct people management experience is a plus.

Recommended

● Bachelor degree or equivalent experience in computer science, information systems or related fields. Advanced degree a plus.

● 10+ years of Technology and Retail / Supply Chain experience.

● Experience working in ERP and Retail systems software (IBM i and/or SAP), including knowledge of Product Lifecycle.

● Knowledge of software development lifecycle methodologies with experience in both Classic and Agile (scaled) methodologies.

● Experience with distributed Enterprise/Solution Architecture.

● TOGAF certification, Cloud, AI certification.

● Working knowledge of DevOps, agile methodology, and continuous improvement.

● Industry AI publications/voice in leading forums

● Proficient in Google Workspace applications, including Sheets, Docs, Slides, and Gmail.

Requirements