Solutions Architect - Defence and National Security

Cohere; Ottawa; On-site; CAD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Open and inclusive culture

Weekly lunch stipend

Full health and dental benefits

100% parental leave top-up

6 weeks of vacation

Job summary

Cohere in Ottawa, Ontario is seeking a Solutions Architect to drive the Defence and National Security business. The role involves developing AI solutions and collaborating with customers to deliver tailored applications of AI technology.

The ideal candidate has 5+ years of experience in AI/ML solution architecture and holds Secret Clearance in Canada. Job perks include flexible remote working arrangements, generous vacation, and health benefits.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated expertise in agentic AI and deploying tailored AI models.
• Strong hands-on skills with cloud-native deployment frameworks.
• Excellent communication skills for technical stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Develop and deliver cutting-edge agentic AI solutions.
• Architect scalable, secure NLP and generative AI solutions.
• Support deployment of large language models into environments.

Skills

AI/ML solution architecture

Python

Kubernetes

Docker

AWS SageMaker

Azure AI Foundry

Google Vertex AI

Agent orchestration

Education

5+ years of experience in AI/ML

Security Clearance: Secret Clearance in Canada

Job description

Who are we?

Our mission is to scale intelligence to serve humanity. We’re training and deploying frontier models for developers and enterprises who are building AI systems to power magical experiences like content generation, semantic search, RAG, and agents. We believe that our work is instrumental to the widespread adoption of AI.

We obsess over what we build. Each one of us is responsible for contributing to increasing the capabilities of our models and the value they drive for our customers. We like to work hard and move fast to do what’s best for our customers.

Cohere is a team of researchers, engineers, designers, and more, who are passionate about their craft. Each person is one of the best in the world at what they do. We believe that a diverse range of perspectives is a requirement for building great products.

Join us on our mission and shape the future!

Why this role?

In this role as a Solutions Architect at Cohere, you will play a significant role in growing Cohere’s Defence and National Security business.

In this dynamic role, you will need to be both a strategic thinker and a hands‑on doer. You will take a hands‑on approach to building customer demos and proof of concepts that showcase the business value of our platform. As the technical relationship owner, you will collaborate with stakeholders to understand their business objectives and translate those into technical solutions. You will take ownership of the customer narrative, serving as the voice of the customer and acting as a liaison between the customer and our product team. Additionally, you will provide guidance on best practices for using Cohere, identify areas for improvement within the platform, and cultivate technical champions within customer organizations to drive adoption and gather feedback to enhance our products.

In this role, you will:

• Develop and deliver cutting‑edge agentic AI solutions utilizing Cohere’s foundation models and Agentic AI Foundry - North.
• Architect scalable, secure, and customizable NLP and generative AI solutions tailored to enterprise customer needs.
• Collaborate with customers to understand complex workflows, design pilots, and translate business requirements into technical solutions encompassing model fine‑tuning, custom agents, and agent orchestration.
• Support deployment and integration of large language models (LLMs) and custom solutions into production environments using Kubernetes, Docker, and cloud infrastructures, ensuring high performance and security.
• Lead technical engagements, including deep dives into AI architectures, workshop facilitation, and establishing best practices for agent‑based AI systems and model customization.
• Work with product development to provide customer feedback on agentic AI capabilities, contribute to product enhancements, and help shape future features.

This career opportunity may be a good match for you if you possess:

• 5+ years of experience in AI/ML solution architecture, with demonstrated expertise in agentic AI, model customization, and deploying tailored AI models in enterprise contexts.
• Security Clearance: Secret Clearance in Canada is required
• Strong hands‑on skills with Python, Jupyter notebooks, and cloud‑native deployment frameworks such as Kubernetes, Docker, cloud‑managed AI services like AWS SageMaker, Bedrock, or Azure AI Foundry or Google Vertex AI.
• Experience in designing and deploying “agentified” AI workflows, that involve multiple interconnected models or agents, to solve business challenges.
• Hands‑on experience building on agent orchestration frameworks like Cohere North and deploying custom agents to production.
• Familiarity with model fine‑tuning methodologies, and the development of AI agents optimized for specific workflows and enterprise needs.
• In‑depth understanding of the strengths, weaknesses, and operational considerations of generative LLMs, with experience in customizing and orchestrating these models.
• Excellent communication skills to articulate complex AI architectures to both technical stakeholders and executive audiences.
• Nice to have: Background in building and managing scalable AI/ML ecosystems, with knowledge of multi‑cloud deployment strategies.
• Nice to have: Familiarity with security standards for deploying agent‑based AI solutions, including data privacy, model safety, and access controls.
• Nice to have: Experience working in a startup‑like context.

If some of the above doesn’t line up perfectly with your experience, we still encourage you to apply!

We value and celebrate diversity and strive to create an inclusive work environment for all. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and are committed to providing equal opportunities. Should you require any accommodations during the recruitment process, please submit an Accommodations Request Form, and we will work together to meet your needs.

Full‑time employees at Cohere enjoy these perks:

• An open and inclusive culture and work environment
• Work closely with a team on the cutting edge of AI research
• Weekly lunch stipend, in‑office lunches & snacks
• Full health and dental benefits, including a separate budget to take care of your mental health
• 100% parental leave top‑up for up to 6 months
• Personal enrichment benefits towards arts and culture, fitness and well‑being, quality time, and workspace improvement
• Remote‑flexible, offices in Toronto, New York, San Francisco, London and Paris, as well as a co‑working stipend
• 6 weeks of vacation (30 working days!)