FLEX Director, Solution Architect

Location: Bethesda, MD, United States

This is a temporary position. 

JOB SUMMARY

The FLEX Director, Solution Architect - IT Service Management (ITSM) Virtual Agents is a senior technical leader responsible for defining, designing, and delivering enterprise-scale virtual agent and conversational AI solutions across IT Service Management (ITSM) and related platforms.

This role combines strategic architecture, hands-on development leadership, and platform governance, with deep expertise in both no-code/low-code (e.g., Virtual Agent, IBM Watson, Microsoft Copilot Studio) and pro-code development frameworks (e.g., APIs, middleware orchestration, custom AI integrations).

The architect will lead the design and evolution of intelligent virtual agent ecosystems that enable self-service, automation, and AI-driven support experiences, integrated across ITSM, HR, and enterprise systems.

CANDIDATE PROFILE

Education and Experience

Required

• Bachelor’s Degree in Information Systems or related field or equivalent experience, education, and certification
• 8+ years of IT service operations experience with a minimum of 3+ years as a Solution Architect, Lead Developer or Lead Engineer
• 5+ years of relevant experience with implementing ITSM Platform solutions
• Proven experience designing and deploying virtual agents / chatbots
• Strong hands-on development experience in:
  • Python (required) for AI/ML integration, automation, and backend services
  • JavaScript and platform-native scripting (eg, scripting)

Preferred

• Experience with:
  • Virtual Agent, AWA, and ITSM workflows
  • Microsoft Copilot Studio or similar conversational AI platforms
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to create compelling materials for technical and executive audiences
• Experience and working knowledge of virtual agent chatbot solutions including (but not limited to) Microsoft Copilot, Moveworks, Amazon Lex, Virtual Agent
• Experience with planning solutions focused on low code/no code implementations while minimizing customizations
• Experience planning and implementing integrations between and other systems, guiding developers or engineers, and providing alternative analysis and recommendations
• Experience in designing and developing solutions with SaaS solutions such as in an Agile Software Development environment
• Recent experience with private and public cloud concepts
• Strong understanding of the software development life cycle (SDLC)
• Experience deploying web applications with a focus on User Experience and Responsive code for multi-device compatibility
• Demonstrates strong executive presence and strategic thinking skills 
• Ability to evaluate and communicate operational metrics and issues to leadership
• A thorough understanding of the interdependence of systems and their impact to the business
• End to end infrastructure lifecycle experience from “chip to chiller” inclusive of servers, storage, data centers, databases, middleware and web/application environments
• Proven ability to effectively prioritize and execute tasks in a high-pressure environment
• Demonstrated ability to assess customer/client needs, creatively approach solutions, decide and influence appropriate courses of action
• Ability to understand and communicate the lifecycle of technologies and applications and to translate into business strategies for the client organizations
• Experience in working with multi-vendor development environment
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities
• Ability to accomplish results through others, particularly by establishing relationships, effective controls and leading in a managed service environment
• Experience of working with platform for global customers
• Certified System Administrator and Certified Implementation Specialist
• Agile/Scrum certifications
• ITIL Foundations Certification

CORE WORK ACTIVITIES

Architecture & Strategy

• Define and maintain the enterprise architecture roadmap for ITSM virtual agents and conversational AI platforms
• Design scalable, secure, and reusable frameworks for:
• Virtual agent workflows and orchestration
• AI-driven automation and self-healing capabilities
• Integration with ITSM, HRSD, ACD/IVR, and external systems
• Establish architecture standards, design patterns, and governance models for virtual agent solutions
• Partner with product and business leaders to translate roadmap priorities into technical designs
• Evaluate emerging AI/GenAI technologies and define adoption strategies

Solution Design & Development Leadership

• Act as a hands-on lead developer, contributing directly to design, prototyping, and development of complex virtual agent solutions
• Lead end-to-end solution design across:
• No-code/low-code platforms (IBM Watson, Virtual Agent, Copilot Studio)
• Pro-code implementations (custom APIs, middleware, AI services)
• Write and maintain production-quality code supporting:
• Conversational orchestration layers
• Integration services and automation frameworks
• AI/ML-enabled workflows
• Define and implement advanced conversational design patterns, including:
• Intent classification and entity recognition
• Multi-turn dialogue orchestration
• Context management and session memory
• Lead development of reusable frameworks, accelerators, and shared services
• Conduct code reviews and enforce engineering best practices across teams

Software Engineering & AI Development

• Design, develop, and maintain backend services and AI enablement layers supporting virtual agent solutions
• Utilize Python as a primary development language for:
• AI/ML integration and orchestration
• Workflow automation and data processing pipelines
• API development and service orchestration
• Develop and integrate solutions using:
• REST and event-driven APIs
• Microservices and cloud-native architectures
• Build components supporting:
• LLM-based conversational workflows and prompt execution
• Knowledge retrieval and search augmentation
• Intelligent routing and decisioning logic
• Partner with AI and data teams to bring models into production-ready solutions
• Ensure engineering solutions meet enterprise standards for scalability, security, and reliability

At Marriott International, we are dedicated to being an equal opportunity employer, welcoming all and providing access to opportunity. We actively foster an environment where the unique backgrounds of our associates are valued and celebrated. Our greatest strength lies in the rich blend of culture, talent, and experiences of our associates. We are committed to non-discrimination on any protected basis, including disability, veteran status, or other basis protected by applicable law. 

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