AI-Native Architect

Our team shapes the future of software engineering through pioneering research, practical engineering methods, and collaboration with government, industry, and academia. At the AI-Native Software Engineering Directorate, we focus on helping engineering teams exploit emerging technologies and harness AI capabilities to create and evolve software rapidly while maintaining fundamental software qualities.

About the role

As an AI-Native Architect, you will help organizations solve architecture-scale challenges with AI assistance. Common challenges include modernizing legacy systems, rearchitecting systems to enable new technologies, and creating new architectures and reference architectures across domains. New challenges involve creating and evolving agentic workflows for business processes and software engineering activities.

You will advance our AI-Native Software Engineering strategy by addressing challenges such as:

• Assessing customer system challenges and recommending technical solutions
• Reviewing existing systems against today's challenges and designing modernization strategies
• Creating novel architectures and reference architectures to address customer challenges
• Coaching engineering teams in achieving architecture-scale changes
• Architecting and prototyping systems and agentic workflows
• Identifying opportunities to apply AI to diverse architecture challenges
• Sharing experiences, solutions, and practice improvements through publications and presentations

You will collaborate with world-class software engineers, researchers, and data scientists working on national and global-scale problems.

Requirements

• A bachelor’s degree in computer science, software engineering, or a related discipline with eight (8) years of experience; OR an MS in the same fields with five (5) years of experience; OR a PhD with two (2) years of experience
• Subject to a background investigation and must be able to obtain and maintain a Department of War security clearance
• Willing to travel up to 25% of the time to locations outside your home area, including SEI offices in Washington, D.C., sponsor sites, and conferences

Skills

• Comprehensive knowledge of software architecture and software engineering fundamentals
• Broad knowledge of architecture principles, practices, and tools
• Ability to quickly learn new problem domains and technologies
• Track record of architecting or rearchitecting systems at scale
• Track record of aligning development activities with planned architectures
• Ability to keep up with and adapt to rapidly changing technical advances
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; ability to convey complex technical ideas to stakeholders with varying backgrounds
• Proficiency developing task plans or roadmaps to solve complex problems
• Strong collaboration skills for working with colleagues and sponsors
• Willingness and ability to guide and mentor junior team members

Desired Experience

• Experience leading engineering teams to produce successful outcomes for industry or government projects
• Successful application of AI to improve software engineering activities
• Experience working with leadership to plan, develop, and deliver an overall technical strategy
• Experience drafting work proposals

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, prescription, dental, and vision insurance
• Generous retirement savings program with employer contributions
• Tuition benefits
• Ample paid time off and observed holidays
• Life and accidental death and disability insurance
• Free Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus pass
• Access to a Family Concierge Team to help navigate childcare needs
• Fitness center access

Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Position Type: Staff – Regular Full Time