Principal AI Architect

Job Title:
Principal AI Architect

Location:

Issaquah, WA - Onsite 5x/week

Job Type: Direct Hire

Bottom Line / In a Nutshell:

• 3+ years hands on AI experience implementing production scale AI solutions
• Executive communication and stakeholder management skills
• 5 + years Architecture background is a must
• 3+ years of machine learning experience is a must

Job Description:

We're hiring a Principal AI Architect to drive enterprise-scale AI transformation. We 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 platforms.
• 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.

Our Enterprise Architecture team propels our business by blueprinting an innovative, scalable, and secure architecture that serves our Warehouse 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 present 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.

Our 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 & Responsibilities:

• 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…