Principal Architect - AI Product Engineering

Responsibilities

• Lead cross-functional engineering and architecture teams in the end-to-end delivery of complex AI systems, ensuring technical excellence and delivery quality.
• Define and enforce reference architectures, technical patterns, delivery standards, and accelerators for enterprise AI adoption (leveraging Azure capabilities where appropriate).
• Provide senior-level architectural oversight on programs, guiding the design of advanced, distributed, AI-powered applications across multi-system enterprise environments.
• Drive the integration of modern AI capabilities—such as generative AI, intelligent/agentic systems, and Model Context Protocol (MCP)—into production-ready software.
• Champion best practices for performance, scalability, reliability, observability, and MLOps/LLMOps across all AI delivery engagements.
• Serve as a trusted technical advisor to executive stakeholders (CIO, CTO, CDO), helping them define enterprise AI strategies and prioritize high-value opportunities.
• Lead technical workshops, architecture reviews, and visioning sessions to align solution direction with business outcomes.
• Represent 3Cloud’s technical leadership in client engagements, partner discussions, and industry events, effectively communicating complex AI and engineering concepts.
• Oversee a portfolio of large-scale AI delivery programs, ensuring architectural integrity, risk mitigation, and alignment with client strategy.
• Provide proactive technical guidance to remove delivery blockers, solve architectural challenges, and ensure teams are building scalable and secure solutions.
• Shape the technical direction of sales pursuits, proposals, and multi-year roadmap engagements through expert-level architectural insight.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• 12+ years in software engineering or application development, with 5+ years in architecture leadership roles delivering enterprise-scale systems.
• Proven experience leading teams in delivering complex, cloud-native, AI-driven applications from concept to production.
• Extensive experience guiding large-scale modernization or AI adoption programs across multiple business units.
• Demonstrated ability to build and execute technical strategies that align with enterprise business goals.
• Deep expertise across several of the following areas: Agentic AI & Orchestration, Search & Retrieval, LLM Evaluation, Quality & Operations, Responsible AI, Security & Compliance, AI Platforms & Data Foundations, Cloud Engineering, Data Integration & Governance, Analytics & Visualization, Innovation & Adaptability, Strategic Vision & Business Acumen, Thought Leadership & IP Development.
• Strong proficiency with modern development workflows, DevOps practices, GitHub, and AI-assisted coding tools.
• Comfortable working in Agile environments and driving iterative delivery.
• Experience building reusable IP adopted across teams or practices.

Qualifications

• Education & Experience: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience). 12+ years in software engineering or application development, with 5+ years in architecture leadership roles delivering enterprise-scale systems.
• Enterprise Transformation & Program Leadership: Extensive experience guiding large-scale modernization or AI adoption programs across multiple business units. Demonstrated ability to build and execute technical strategies that align with enterprise business goals.
• Technical Expertise: Proven experience leading teams in delivering complex, cloud-native, AI-driven applications from concept to production. Deep expertise across several of the following areas: Agentic AI & Orchestration, Search & Retrieval, LLM Evaluation, Quality & Operations, Responsible AI, Security & Compliance, AI Platforms & Data Foundations, Cloud Engineering, Data Integration & Governance, Analytics & Visualization, Innovation & Adaptability, Strategic Vision & Business Acumen, Thought Leadership & IP Development.

Skills

• Modern development workflows, DevOps practices, GitHub, and AI-assisted coding tools.
• Agentic AI & Orchestration: Architecting solutions using frameworks such as Semantic Kernel or LangChain; implementing tool/function calling with planning and orchestration patterns.
• Search & Retrieval: Architecting solutions using vector databases, hybrid search, and RAG optimization techniques.
• LLM Evaluation, Quality & Operations: Building evaluation pipelines, golden datasets, quality gates, telemetry, feedback loops, and guardrails to support reliable LLM deployment.
• Responsible AI, Security & Compliance: Applying AI governance, safety, risk mitigation, and privacy controls across enterprise AI solutions.
• AI Platforms & Data Foundations: Hands-on experience with Azure AI, Azure OpenAI, Databricks, ML/data pipelines, event-driven architectures, and scalable data systems.
• Cloud Engineering: Expertise in API-driven, microservices-based, and containerized architectures on Azure.
• Data Integration & Governance: Experience building robust ETL/ELT systems with strong data quality and metadata governance practices.
• Analytics & Visualization: Ability to integrate analytics and ML outputs into enterprise applications and BI environments.
• Innovation & Adaptability: Continuously explores emerging AI technologies and can rapidly convert them into enterpriseready, technically sound solutions.

Benefits

• Flexible work location with a virtual first approach to work!
• 401(K) with match up to 50% of your 6% contributions of eligible pay
• Generous PTO providing a minimum of 15 days in addition to 9 paid company holidays and 2 floating personal days
• Two medical plan options to allow you the choice to elect what works best for you!
• Option for vision and dental coverage
• 100% employer paid coverage for life and disability insurance
• Paid leave for birth parents and non-birth parents
• Option for Healthcare FSA, HSA, and Dependent Care FSA
• $67.00 monthly tech and home office allowance
• Utilization and/or discretionary bonus eligibility based on role
• Employee Assistance Program to help with everyday challenges

Pay

Competitive compensation. In addition to base pay employees are eligible to receive an annual discretionary/utilization bonus. If you are hired at 3Cloud your final base salary is based on factors such as skills, education, experience and/or geographic location. Please keep in mind that the range mentioned above includes the full base salary range for the role. It is not typical for offers to be made at or near the top of the range.

Schedule

Flexible work location with a virtual first approach to work!