Lead AI Architect

When you join Accurate Background, you’re an integral part of making every hire the start of a success story. Your contributions will help us fulfill our mission of advancing the background screening experience through visibility and insights, empowering our clients to make smarter, unbiased decisions. Job Description Accurate Background is a fast-growing organization focused on providing employment background screening solutions and building trusted relationships with our clients. Accurate Background continues to exceed expectations by offering innovative background check and credentialing products. The Lead AI Architect will play a key role in establishing and scaling Accurate Background’s emerging AI capabilities as part of a new team focused on building reusable AI platforms, AI engineering standards, experimentation practices, and production-ready AI solutions. This role will help define and operationalize an enterprise-grade AI Center of Excellence, including AI governance practices, AI lab experimentation, reusable agent and tool patterns, scalable AI solution architectures, and architecture standards for responsible AI adoption. The Lead AI Architect will help transform the traditional Software Development Lifecycle into an AI Development Lifecycle — AI-DLC, materially changing how AI-enabled solutions are designed, evaluated, deployed, governed, monitored, and continuously improved. This role focuses on shaping AI architecture strategy and solution patterns that drive operational efficiency, improve user experiences, reduce risk, and generate measurable business and revenue value. We offer a fun, fast-paced environment with significant opportunities for growth. Responsibilities Lead the architecture, design, and technical direction for AI-enabled solutions, including AI agents, tools, GenAI-powered applications, and reusable AI servicesDefine enterprise AI architecture standards, reusable patterns, reference architectures, and engineering guardrailsEstablish foundational AI Center of Excellence standards to support scalable, secure, responsible, and production-ready AI adoptionArchitect and guide development of an AI lab for experimentation, prototyping, evaluation, model testing, and rapid iterationDefine and operationalize AI-DLC practices, including experimentation, evaluation, governance, deployment, monitoring, and continuous improvementDesign reusable and scalable AI platforms, services, APIs, orchestration patterns, and integration layersPartner with business and technology leaders to identify, prioritize, and deliver AI use cases that drive operational efficiency and measurable business valueDefine architecture patterns for GenAI capabilities such as RAG, prompt engineering, agent orchestration, tool calling, memory management, and human-in-the-loop workflowsArchitect AI agent ecosystems, tool integrations, and orchestration workflows across enterprise platforms and systemsProvide technical direction on LLMs, SLMs, embeddings, vector search, model APIs, model selection, and AI service integrationCreate architecture blueprints, technical designs, reusable frameworks, decision records, and implementation standardsEnsure AI solutions are secure, observable, maintainable, compliant, and aligned to enterprise architecture principlesEstablish and enforce AI governance practices, including responsible AI, data protection, privacy, compliance, auditability, and risk controlsGuide deployment, monitoring, troubleshooting, and operational readiness of AI applications and platformsDefine evaluation frameworks, quality benchmarks, feedback loops, and AI performance measurement approachesPartner with stakeholders to move AI ideas from concept through architecture, experimentation, production, and scaleMentor engineers, architects, and product teams on AI-native architecture, AI engineering practices, and responsible AI solution designInfluence technology selection and platform strategy across AWS, Azure, AI-native PaaS services, agent frameworks, observability tools, and enterprise integration patterns Required Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in computer science or equivalent experience10+ years of software engineering, solution architecture, enterprise architecture, cloud architecture, and/or AI architecture experience8+ years of experience designing and delivering cloud-native solutions using modern architecture patternsStrong programming background, preferably with Python, and ability to guide architecture for Python-based AI services and applicationsHands-on experience architecting or building AI-enabled applications, GenAI solutions, AI agents, or AI platformsExperience with AWS and/or Azure, including AI-native PaaS cloud services such as AWS Bedrock, AWS AgentCore, Azure AI Foundry, and Azure OpenAIStrong understanding of GenAI architecture patterns, including:LLM/SLM model selectionRetrieval-Augmented Generation — RAGPrompt engineering and evaluationAgentic workflowsTool/function callingEmbeddings and vector searchHuman-in-the-loop systemsAI observability and monitoringModel evaluation and quality benchmarkingExperience with agent frameworks and orchestration tools such as LangGraph, Semantic Kernel, or similar technologiesExperience with LLM ecosystems and providers such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Llama, Mistral, or similar model providersExperience with vector databases and retrieval systems such as Pinecone, Azure AI Search, or equivalent technologiesExperience with tool, agent, and UI interoperability patterns, including AG-UI, A2A, MCP, registries, and reusable service layersExperience integrating APIs, microservices, event-driven systems, and enterprise platforms into AI workflowsStrong understanding of modern architecture patterns including microservices, APIs, event-driven systems, cloud services, serverless patterns, and platform-based architecturesExperience working in Agile/Scrum environments and partnering with product, engineering, operations, security, and compliance teamsStrong understanding of AI governance, responsible AI, privacy, compliance, and risk management considerationsAbility to translate business problems into scalable AI architecture, reusable solution patterns, and implementation roadmapsStrong analytical, communication, decision-making, and problem-solving skillsSelf-starter with the ability to lead through ambiguity, influence technical direction, and collaborate across teams Preferred Qualifications Experience building, leading, or contributing to an AI Center of Excellence, AI platform team, AI innovation team, or enterprise AI enablement functionExperience defining or implementing an AI Development Lifecycle — AI-DLCExperience designing structured Context Engineering practices to improve model reliability, consistency, traceability, and performanceExperience with observability and evaluation tools such as OpenTelemetry, Datadog, CloudWatch, LangSmith, or similar platformsCI/CD, containerization, infrastructure automation, and cloud deployment patternsArchitecting AI solutions in regulated, compliance-driven, or risk-sensitive environmentsExperience delivering AI solutions for operational automation, customer experience, internal productivity, or revenue-generating products.Familiarity with AI governance frameworks such as ISO/IEC 42001, NIST AI RMF, or similar standardsExperience defining reusable architecture patterns for multi-agent orchestration, deterministic workflows, human review, policy enforcement, auditability, and production monitoringExperience creating executive-level architecture artifacts, technology roadmaps, solution blueprints, and governance models AI Mindset Balance rapid experimentation with disciplined architecture, governance, and engineering practicesDesign AI platforms and solutions for scalability, reusability, observability, security, and compliance from the startFocus on measurable business outcomes, operational impact, risk reduction, and value creationEmbrace ambiguity while helping define standards, patterns, and guardrails for emerging AI capabilitiesBuild systems with continuous evaluation, monitoring, feedback, and improvementApply responsible AI principles across architecture, design, deployment, and operationsPromote reusable AI patterns that accelerate delivery while reducing duplication, inconsistency, and operational riskThink in terms of platforms, ecosystems, agent interoperability, reusable tools, and enterprise-scale adoption Working Conditions The company environment is dynamic and reflective of rapid growthFriendly, helpful, open, and all inclusiveFast paced with frequent changesSits and works at desk computer-keyboard for extended periods of timeWorks with others The annual base salary for this position ranges from $191,000 - $255,000. Pay will vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and relevant education and training. This position may also be eligible for an annual performance-based bonus, commission, or other variable pay plan. The Company also offers a full range of benefits, including medical, dental, and 401k. Your recruiter can share more details about the specific compensation package during the hiring process. The Accurate Way We offer a fun, fast-paced environment, with lots of room for growth. We have an unwavering commitment to diversity, ensuring everyone has a complete sense of belonging here. To do this, we follow four guiding principles – Take Ownership, Be Open, Stay Curious, Work as One – core values that dictate what we stand for, and how we behave. Take ownership. Be accountable for your actions, your team, and the company. Accept responsibility willingly, especially when it’s what’s best for our customers. Give others every reason to trust you, believe in you, and count on you. Rise to every occasion with your personal best. Be open. Be open to new ideas. Be inclusive of people and ways of doing things. Make yourself accessible and approachable, and communicate with genuineness, transparency, honesty, and respect. Embrace differences. Stay curious. Stay curious even as you move forward. Tirelessly ask questions and challenge the status quo in your pursuit of new ideas, ways to solve problems, and to continually grow and improve. Work as one. Work together to create the best customer and workplace experience. Put our customers and employees first—before individual or departmental agendas. Make sure they get the help they need to succeed. Equal opportunities Accurate is an equal-opportunity employer and is committed to hiring talented and qualified individuals with diverse backgrounds. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law. Accurate will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws. This posting is open for U.S.-based candidates who currently reside in the following states: CA, CO, FL, GA, IL, MD, MN, NC, NY, OH, OK, PA, TN, TX, VA, WA, WV For Court Runner opportunities, candidates may also reside in: AZ, DE, KY, MI, NH, NV Special Notice Accurate is aware of schemes involving fraudulent job postings/offers and/or individuals or entities claiming to be employees of Accurate. Those involved are offering fabricated employment opportunities to applicants, often asking for sensitive personal and financial information. If you believe you have been contacted by anyone misrepresenting themselves as an employee of Accurate, please contact humanresources@accurate.com. Please be advised that all legitimate correspondence from an Accurate employee will come from "@accurate.com" email accounts. Accurate will not interview candidates via text or email. Our interviews are conducted by recruiters and leaders via the phone, Zoom/Teams or in an in-person format. Accurate will never ask candidates to make any type of personal financial investment related to gaining employment with the Company.