Cloud AI Architect

Cloud AI Architect

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We’re seeking a senior architect to build and lead our enterprise AI Center of Excellence. Our production platform runs on Azure. You’ll define the technical strategy, stand up secure AI lab and MLOps foundations, evaluate and integrate commercial/open‑source AI responsibly, and turn high‑value ideas into production outcomes. This is a remote, hands‑on architecture role spanning strategy, system design, governance, and delivery leadership.

LLMs may be used where appropriate, but the near‑term emphasis is on classical ML and practical, data‑driven solutions. Strong engineers from other major clouds will receive structured support to ramp on Azure.

• Establish the AI COE mission, operating model, intake process, and KPIs.
• Design and build secure Azure AI lab environments and MLOps foundations (networking, identity, secrets, observability).
• Architect end‑to‑end AI solutions that integrate with enterprise platforms and data sources.
• Translate business needs into actionable use cases and deliver proofs‑of‑concept.
• Evaluate and integrate commercial/open‑source AI technologies with clear guardrails.
• Partner with Data Engineering on data tagging, cataloging, and readiness for AI workloads.
• Lead governance and risk management in partnership with the AI Council.
• Deliver production‑ready solutions with measurable business impact.
• Mentor teams and publish reusable patterns, templates, and best practices.
• Track and report adoption, model performance, and value realization.

• AI COE charter, intake, and KPI framework adopted across stakeholders.
• Secure AI lab operational with reference architectures and baseline pipelines.
• Vendor and technology evaluation rubric in use for AI initiatives.
• Working POCs promoted to MVP/production with appropriate MLOps and monitoring.
• Reusable solution patterns documented for training, batch, streaming, and serving.
• Governance playbook in place for data handling, model risk, and approval workflows.

• 5+ years delivering production ML/AI systems.
• Azure proficiency (Azure ML, Databricks/Delta/MLflow, ADLS, CI/CD, networking) or expertise in AWS/GCP with demonstrated ability to apply equivalent patterns on Azure (e.g., model registries, feature stores, lakehouse, private networking) and a clear willingness to develop Azure skills.
• MLOps skills including experiment tracking and model registry plus CI/CD for ML (e.g., MLflow, Kubeflow, Sage Maker/Vertex registries, or equivalents).
• Working knowledge of common ML methods and predictive modeling.
• Experience implementing security and governance for data/AI workloads (data classification, privacy, encryption/KMS, IAM/RBAC, secrets management, network isolation/private endpoints) and managing vendor risk.
• Ability to translate business objectives into scoped use cases and delivered solutions.
• Clear communication and stakeholder management across technical and non‑technical audiences.

• Experience leading cross‑functional AI initiatives.
• Experience assessing vendors and integrating commercial/open‑source AI responsibly.
• Familiarity with data quality and cataloging; effective partnership with data engineering teams.
• Experience mentoring engineers and guiding contractors; strong documentation and enablement.

Expert Level

Contract position based out of Plymouth, MN. This is a fully remote position.

The pay range for this position is $90.00 - $110.00/hr.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:

• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
• 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre‑tax and Roth post‑tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long‑term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Emp…