AI & Automation Architect

Sword is a leading provider of business technology solutions within the Energy, Public and Finance Sectors, driving transformational change within our clients. We use proven technology, specialist teams and domain expertise to build solid technical foundations across platforms, data, and business applications. We have a passion for using technology to solve business problems, working in partnership with our clients to help in achieving their goals.

Sword is strengthening its Data, Analytics, AI and automation capability as demand grows for practical, secure and scalable AI transformation.

The AI and Automation Architect will play a lead architectural role on customer engagements, helping clients design and implement governed AI solutions across the Microsoft ecosystem. Internally, the role will help shape Sword’s AI products, services, accelerators and delivery standards, with automation acting as an important enabler.

We are looking for someone who has moved beyond proof of concept and can design enterprise AI solutions using Azure AI Foundry, multi-model architectures, agentic patterns, Copilot Studio and responsible AI governance.

The successful candidate will be highly consultative, technically credible and comfortable translating complex AI choices into clear business, delivery and governance implications.

As the AI and Automation Architect, you will provide architectural direction across AI and automation engagements, with a strong focus on Microsoft AI technologies, agentic solutions and governed enterprise AI delivery.

You will work with clients across discovery, design and delivery; guide solution teams; provide technical assurance; and support pre-sales through client conversations, solution shaping, estimation and technical input into proposals or statements of work.

This role combines technical depth, client engagement and service development, helping Sword deliver high-quality AI transformation while shaping reusable products, services and standards.

• Play a lead architecture role on customer engagements, guiding solution direction and supporting high-quality delivery across AI and automation work
• Design secure, scalable and governed AI solutions using Azure AI Foundry, Azure OpenAI, Azure AI Search, Copilot Studio, Microsoft 365, Power Platform and related Azure services
• Architect multi-model and agentic AI solutions that integrate with enterprise data, APIs, workflows and line-of-business systems
• Provide technical assurance across solution designs, implementation approaches, security models, data flows, agent behaviours and operational readiness
• Lead discovery and design workshops, helping clients identify use cases, assess feasibility, define value and translate requirements into practical solution designs
• Support sales and delivery teams through client calls, solution shaping, estimation, proposal input and statements of work
• Ensure AI solutions align to responsible AI, security, governance, data protection, testing, monitoring and operational ownership expectations
• Help shape Sword’s AI and automation products, services, accelerators, reference architectures and delivery standards
• Collaborate with data architects, engineers, AI specialists, Power Platform specialists, security teams and business change colleagues to deliver coherent end-to-end solutions
• Stay current with emerging Microsoft AI capabilities, agentic patterns and wider AI market developments, translating them into pragmatic recommendations for clients and Sword

• Strong client-facing consulting skills, with the ability to understand business problems, shape practical AI-enabled solutions and guide delivery teams through clear architectural direction
• Hands‑on experience designing and implementing enterprise AI solutions using Microsoft Azure AI Foundry, Azure OpenAI, Azure AI Search, Copilot Studio and related Azure services
• Experience designing multi-model AI architectures, including model selection, orchestration, evaluation, grounding, cost management and responsible use of foundation models
• Experience designing and…