Principal Architect - Data & AI

Team: IT

Location: US

Commitment: Full-time

Workplace Type: remote

Accountabilities

• Lead the technical delivery approach for large, multidisciplinary engagements spanning data engineering, data visualization, data governance, and AI.
• Orchestrate technical leads across disciplines to establish a unified delivery plan, including sequencing, dependencies, decision points, and shared standards.
• Own how complex work is structured, staffed, sequenced, and de-risked without necessarily owning the detailed solution design of every individual discipline.
• Identify delivery risks early and intervene when engagements begin to drift in quality, technical coherence, or execution approach.
• Drive practice maturation initiatives from initial assessment through adoption, establishing documented standards, reusable accelerators, engineering practices, advisory frameworks, and clear ownership.
• Improve talent and engagement models through consistent technical interview standards, calibration frameworks, skills visibility, and practices that support consultant focus and engagement health.
• Strengthen scoping and advisory capabilities by translating ambiguous business requests into clearly defined problems, recommendations, and appropriate engagement pathways.
• Apply AI tooling and agentic patterns to consulting delivery, measuring their impact on speed, quality, consistency, and overall delivery economics.
• Incorporate successful AI-enabled approaches into repeatable delivery standards and accelerators rather than relying on individual usage.
• Coach architects and consultants across disciplines on consulting judgment, delivery strategy, and technical decision-making.
• Influence technical leaders across teams when cross-practice alignment, engagement risk, or capability development requires coordinated action.
• Collaborate closely with presales, PMO, engineering, sales, leadership, partners, and other principal architects to promote consistent delivery and continuous improvement.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in a related technical field or equivalent professional experience.
• 10+ years of experience delivering enterprise data or AI solutions, including substantial experience within consulting or professional services environments.
• Expert-level expertise in at least one of data engineering, data visualization, or data governance, combined with working proficiency across at least two additional disciplines.
• Demonstrated ability to take a practice capability from assessment through to an adopted and sustainable standard, such as delivery standards, DevOps practices, accelerator libraries, interview frameworks, or competency models.
• Proven experience leading technical delivery across multiple disciplines simultaneously on large or complex engagements.
• Practical experience using AI to improve how delivery teams operate, with the ability to demonstrate measurable outcomes and explain approaches that did not deliver expected value.
• Hands-on experience within the Microsoft data and AI ecosystem, potentially including Microsoft Fabric, Azure data services, Power BI, Microsoft Purview, Copilot Studio, or Microsoft Foundry.
• Exceptional facilitation, presentation, communication, and stakeholder management skills, including the ability to lead executive-level discussions and drive decisions through ambiguity or disagreement.
• Strong relationship-building abilities and the capacity to establish trust with clients, executives, technical teams, partners, and internal leadership.
• Ability to influence effectively without relying on direct reporting authority.
• Strong problem-solving skills, with a focus on identifying systemic issues and addressing root causes.
• Experience supporting presales activities such as scoping, effort modeling, technical approaches, and statements of work is preferred.
• Familiarity with DORA capabilities and their application to data and analytics delivery is preferred.
• Experience serving regulated or public-sector clients, including government, healthcare, financial services, or education, is valued.
• Relevant Microsoft certifications such as PL-300, DP-600, DP-700, DP-750, GH-300, GH-600, or AI-901 are preferred.
• Ability to travel periodically to client, partner, company, and industry event locations.
• Commitment to continuous learning across evolving data, analytics, and AI platforms.
• Strong ethical standards and disciplined adherence to data privacy, governance, compliance, and security requirements.

Benefits

• Estimated annual compensation of $200,000–$250,000, including base salary and bonus.
• Compensation determined based on job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and market location.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance options.
• 401(k) plan.
• Flexible spending benefits.
• Remote work flexibility.
• Opportunities for continuous professional development and leadership growth.
• Access to the technology and resources needed to succeed in a modern data and AI environment.
• Opportunity to work on large-scale enterprise engagements across multiple industries.
• Exposure to emerging AI technologies, platforms, and delivery methodologies.
• A collaborative environment that values technical excellence, knowledge sharing, and continuous improvement.
• Commitment to diversity, inclusion, and professional growth.