Principal / Distinguished Architect – Microsoft AI, Copilot & Azure Stack

Role Summary

We are seeking a very senior Microsoft AI & Azure Architect to lead the design, delivery, and governance of large-scale AI solutions for enterprise customers. This role combines deep hands-on technical leadership with people and stakeholder management, including managing senior AI technical leaders embedded in customer environments.

The ideal candidate will be a trusted advisor to CXOs, a hands-on architect for complex AI platforms, and a mentor who can scale high-performing AI engineering and architecture teams across multiple customer engagements.

Key Responsibilities

1. AI & Cloud Architecture Leadership

Own end-to-end architecture for AI-driven solutions built on Microsoft Azure, spanning data, AI/ML, GenAI, security, and enterprise integration.
Define reference architectures, blueprints, and guardrails for AI solutions aligned to Microsoft best practices.
Lead solutioning for GenAI, Copilot, and AI platform modernization initiatives.
Review and approve high-risk or business-critical architecture decisions across customer programs.

2. Microsoft Copilot & GenAI Enablement

Architect and govern enterprise adoption of:
Microsoft Copilot (M365, Security, Dynamics, Power Platform)
Custom Copilots using Copilot Studio
Azure OpenAI Service (GPT, Embeddings, Assistants)
AI Foundry
Design Responsible AI and enterprise-grade governance models for Copilot and GenAI usage.
Drive advanced use cases such as:
Enterprise knowledge assistants
Agentic workflows (multi-agent systems)
RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation)
Automation with Copilot + Power Platform + Azure AI

3. Azure AI & Data Platform Architecture

Design and lead solutions using:
Azure OpenAI Service
Azure AI Studio & Azure AI Search
Azure Machine Learning (ML Ops, pipelines, model lifecycle)
Azure Data Factory, Synapse, Fabric, Databricks
Architect scalable AI platforms with strong focus on:
Security, privacy, and compliance
Performance, cost optimization, and reliability
Data governance and lineage

4. Engineering Excellence & MLOps

Define and enforce MLOps / LLMOps standards:
CI/CD for ML and GenAI
Model versioning, evaluation, and monitoring
Prompt management and experimentation
Ensure observability for AI systems including:
Model drift
Hallucination and quality metrics
Cost and token usage optimization

5. Customer & Stakeholder Leadership

Act as Chief Architect / AI Advisor for strategic customers.
Lead architecture discussions with CXOs, CIOs, CTOs, and CDOs.
Translate business problems into scalable AI architectures and roadmaps.
Partner with sales and pre-sales teams on:
Deal shaping
Technical due diligence
RFP and solution defenses

6. People & Community Leadership

Lead and mentor senior AI architects and technical leaders deployed in customer environments.
Build and grow AI architecture communities of practice.
Conduct architecture reviews, design boards, and technical escalations.
Coach leaders on customer engagement, technical depth, and executive communication.

Required Technical Expertise

Core Microsoft Stack (Must-Have)

Microsoft Azure (Expert Level)
Azure Networking, Security, Identity (Entra ID)
Azure Landing Zones & Enterprise Scale Architecture
Azure AI & GenAI
Azure OpenAI Service
Azure AI Studio, AI Search
Prompt engineering and RAG patterns
Microsoft Copilot Ecosystem
M365 Copilot architecture and extensibility
Copilot Studio (custom copilots, plugins, connectors)
Power Platform (Power Apps, Power Automate, Dataverse)

Data, ML & Platform Engineering

Azure Machine Learning (training, inference, pipelines)
Data platforms: Azure Fabric, Synapse, Databricks
MLOps / LLMOps frameworks and best practices
API and integration architecture (REST, event-driven, microservices)

Security & Responsible AI

AI security patterns:
Prompt injection mitigation
Data leakage prevention
RBAC and identity-driven access
Responsible AI principles:
Fairness, transparency, explainability
Compliance (GDPR, SOC2, ISO, etc.)

Experience & Qualifications

15+ years of overall technology experience.
8–10+ years in enterprise architecture or principal architect roles.
Proven experience delivering large-scale AI / GenAI solutions for global enterprises.
Strong background in Microsoft ecosystem (Azure-first).
Experience managing senior architects and technical leaders.
Prior role as Chief Architect, Distinguished Engineer, or Principal Architect preferred.

Leadership & Soft Skills

Executive-level communication and storytelling skills.
Strong customer-facing presence and credibility.
Ability to balance hands-on depth with strategic vision.
Mentorship mindset with passion for building leaders.
Comfortable operating in ambiguous, high-impact environments.

Certifications (Highly Desirable)

Azure Solutions Architect Expert
Azure AI Engineer Associate / Expert
Microsoft Copilot / Power Platform certifications
TOGAF or equivalent architecture certification

Why Join Us

Opportunity to shape AI transformation at scale for global enterprises.
Work on cutting-edge Microsoft Copilot and GenAI programs.
Lead and influence senior AI leaders across customers.
Build next-generation AI platforms and industry solutions.

This role is ideal for a seasoned architect who wants to operate at the intersection of technology, leadership, and enterprise-scale AI transformation.

Principal Software Engineer- (AI/ML Architect-Developer)

Principal Architect - Microsoft AI, Copilot & Azure Stack