Principal AI Architect

You will report to the Global Head of Digital Factory.

About the role

Design and lead the technical strategy for our AI infrastructure, platforms, and systems. Own the architectural vision for how we build, deploy, and scale AI solutions across the organization. Work at the intersection of AI/ML innovation, systems design, and engineering excellence, partnering with product, data science, and infrastructure teams to build robust, scalable, and responsible AI systems. This is a high-impact technical leadership role ideal for someone passionate about AI systems, architecture, and solving complex technical challenges at scale.

Responsibilities

• AI Architecture & Systems Design (40%)
  • Own the end-to-end technical architecture for AI systems, platforms, and infrastructure
  • Design scalable, modular, and extensible AI architectures that support multiple use cases
  • Define technical standards, best practices, and design patterns for AI development across the organization
  • Evaluate and recommend AI/ML frameworks, tools, and technologies (LLMs, vector databases, orchestration platforms, etc.)
  • Design solutions for complex challenges: model serving, real-time inference, batch processing, multi-model systems
  • Create architecture documentation, diagrams, and technical specifications for cross-functional teams
  • Conduct architecture reviews and provide technical guidance on design decisions
• AI Infrastructure & Platform Development (25%)
  • Design and architect AI/ML platforms and infrastructure for scale (training, inference, monitoring, deployment)
  • Define MLOps and model lifecycle management practices (versioning, governance, lineage, reproducibility)
  • Design data pipelines, feature engineering infrastructure, and data management systems
  • Architect solutions for model serving, inference optimization, and latency requirements
  • Plan and execute infrastructure upgrades, migrations, and technical debt reduction
  • Establish monitoring, observability, and alerting frameworks for AI systems
  • Work with DevOps and Infrastructure teams to operationalize AI systems
• AI/ML Innovation & Strategy (15%)
  • Stay at the forefront of AI/ML research and emerging technologies
  • Evaluate new models, frameworks, and techniques for strategic relevance and business impact
  • Design proof-of-concepts and pilots for emerging AI technologies (generative AI, multimodal models, agents, etc.)
  • Provide technical thought leadership on AI strategy and technology roadmap
  • Mentor data scientists and engineers on architectural best practices and design patterns
  • Contribute to technical strategy discussions with product and business leadership
• Technical Leadership & Collaboration (15%)
  • Lead and mentor senior engineers, architects, and technical leads
  • Establish technical vision and roadmap aligned with business objectives
  • Drive technical decision-making and architecture governance across AI teams
  • Partner with Product to translate business requirements into technical architecture
  • Collaborate with Data Science, Engineering, and Infrastructure teams on design and implementation
  • Lead design reviews, architecture discussions, and technical problem-solving sessions
  • Build and maintain robust relationships with key technical stakeholders
• Responsible AI & Governance (5%)
  • Design systems and processes to ensure responsible AI practices (bias detection, fairness, explainability)
  • Establish governance frameworks for model performance, safety, and ethical deployment
  • Design monitoring and alerting for model drift, performance degradation, and fairness metrics
  • Navigate regulatory requirements and ensure compliance with AI regulations
  • Architect solutions for model interpretability, transparency, and auditability
  • Lead technical discussions on AI ethics, safety, and responsible system design

Requirements

• Required Skills and Abilities
  • Extensive software engineering or systems architecture experience
  • Moderate hands-on experience designing and building large-scale AI/ML systems
  • Proven track record architecting systems that have been deployed to production at scale
  • Experience leading technical architecture decisions on complex, mission-critical systems
  • Demonstrated expertise in distributed systems, scalability, and performance optimization
  • Deep expertise in AI/ML fundamentals, algorithms, and best practices
  • Outstanding understanding of modern ML frameworks and tools (TensorFlow, PyTorch, JAX, etc.)
  • Proficiency in at least one programming language (Python, Java, C++, Go, etc.)
  • Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure) and containerization (Docker, Kubernetes)
  • Robust understanding of data engineering, ETL pipelines, and data infrastructure
  • Knowledge of database systems, data warehousing, and query optimization
  • Familiarity with API design, microservices, and distributed system patterns
  • Strategic thinking with ability to balance innovation and pragmatism
  • Outstanding problem-solving skills with ability to break down complex technical challenges
  • Excellent communication skills; ability to explain complex concepts clearly
  • Leadership presence and ability to influence technical teams and stakeholders
  • Intellectual curiosity and passion for staying current with AI/ML research and trends
  • Comfort with ambiguity and ability to make decisions with incomplete information
  • Robust judgment and ability to make sound architectural trade-offs
  • Track record of mentoring senior engineers and technical leads
  • Experience navigating organizational and technical complexity at scale
  • Thought leadership in AI/ML architecture (speaking engagements, publications, open-source contributions)
• Desired Skills and Abilities
  • Bachelor’s degree in Business, Computer Science, Project Management or a related field
  • Engineering, computer science, data science, or machine learning background
  • Understanding of AI infrastructure, model training, deployment, and MLOps
  • Familiarity with prompt engineering, fine-tuning, and LLM customization
  • Knowledge of RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation), agents, and advanced AI architectures
  • Experience in enterprise SaaS, B2B, or B2B2C product management
  • Track record in regulated industries (finance, healthcare, enterprise) or compliance-heavy environments
  • Previous experience with platform or ecosystem products
  • Demonstrated understanding of AI safety, fairness, bias mitigation, governance, and responsible AI frameworks
  • Knowledge of AI ethics principles and ability to operationalize them in product decisions
  • Experience with generative AI, LLMs, or conversational AI products
  • Experience with large language models (LLMs), transformers, and generative AI systems
  • Expertise in RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation), fine-tuning, and prompt engineering
  • Experience designing AI agents and multi-step reasoning systems
  • Knowledge of model compression, quantization, and inference optimization
  • Familiarity with reinforcement learning or other advanced ML techniques
  • Experience designing and operating ML platforms (Kubeflow, MLflow, SageMaker, Vertex AI, etc.)
  • Expertise in model serving and inference optimization (TensorFlow Serving, Triton, etc.)
  • Experience with feature stores and feature engineering platforms
  • Knowledge of monitoring, observability, and alerting for ML systems
  • Experience with infrastructure-as-code and CI/CD pipelines for ML

About the company

AXA XL, the P&C and specialty risk division of AXA, is known for solving complex risks. We provide re/insurance solutions for mid-sized companies, multinationals, and individuals by reinventing risk management. Combining a comprehensive capital platform, data-driven insights, leading technology, and top talent, we deliver client service across property, casualty, professional, financial lines, and specialty business.

Benefits

• Inclusion
  • Committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of gender, sexual orientation, age, ethnicity, origins, marital status, religion, disability, or other protected characteristics
  • Five Business Resource Groups focused on gender, LGBTQ+, ethnicity and origins, disability, and inclusion with 20 Chapters globally
  • Robust support for Flexible Working Arrangements
  • Enhanced family-friendly leave benefits
  • Named to the Diversity Best Practices Index
  • Signatory to the UK Women in Finance Charter
• Total Rewards

  AXA XL’s Reward program covers health, wellbeing, lifestyle, and financial security. It provides competitive compensation and personalized, inclusive benefits that evolve with your needs.

• Sustainability
  • 2023-26 Sustainability strategy, “Roots of resilience,” focuses on:
    • Protecting natural ecosystems and valuing nature
    • Addressing climate change and building a net-zero strategy
    • Integrating ESG considerations into internal processes and practices
  • AXA Hearts in Action volunteering and charitable giving programs, including:
    • Matching Gifts program
    • Volunteering Leave
    • Annual Global Day of Giving

Pay

The U.S. base salary range for this position is USD 141,000 - 222,200. Actual pay will be determined based on skills, experience, and location.