Senior Data & AI Architect

Aptiora; Zürich; Hybrid; CHF 140,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Job summary

Aptiora in Switzerland is seeking a senior consultant to shape data and AI strategy for clients. You will design operating models, data governance, and the Data & GenAI CoE, translating business needs into scalable data products and services.

You will evaluate cloud architectures on Azure/AWS/GCP, guide make-or-buy decisions, and partner with client teams across industries on international projects. Excellent English and a track record in strategy consulting with SI/delivery firms are required,

Qualifications

• 4+ years in IT.
• 2+ years on AI/GenAI, Data Mesh and requirements gathering.
• Consulting experience in strategy or delivery and SI environments.
• Hands-on in operating model design, data/AI orgs or CoEs.
• Experience with vendor selection, business case and architecture decisions.
• Excellent written and spoken English.
• Knowledge of Data Mesh governance, contracts, catalogues and lineage.
• Cloud data/AI platforms on Azure/AWS/GCP; security and FinOps basics.

Responsibilities

• Design operating models and Data/AI organizations aligned to clients.
• Define Data Mesh governance with domain ownership and SLAs.
• Define the Data & GenAI CoE scope, service catalogue and engagement model.
• Create end-to-end demand management, prioritization and value tracking processes.
• Advise on target cloud architecture including Databricks and GenAI components.
• Lead make-or-buy analyses and vendor selection with business cases.
• Ensure architecture and governance align with enterprise standards.

Skills

IT experience

AI/GenAI

Consulting

Operating models

Vendor evaluation

Data governance

Cloud platforms

Tools

Unity Catalog

OpenMetadata

Collibra

Databricks

Job description

Artefact is a next-generation strategy and data consulting firm dedicated to transforming organizations through data and AI. We combine the rigor of top-tier strategy consulting with deep expertise in data, digital, and analytics to help clients achieve tangible

What you would do

• Operating model and organization
• Design the Data & AI operating model (centralized, federated, hub-and-spoke) following Data Mesh principles: roles, responsibilities, domain ownership and governance mechanisms.
• Define the organization of the Data & GenAI CoE: scope, service catalogue, skills, sizing and engagement model with business domains.
• Design end-to-end processes for demand management, use case prioritization, funding and value tracking.
• Architecture and technology choices
• Define the target data platform architecture on cloud (Azure, AWS, GCP) and Databricks, including GenAI components (RAG, agents, vector stores, LLMOps).
• Run make-or-buy analyses and vendor selections: scouting, evaluation criteria, business case, TCO and final recommendation.
• Check that architecture, security and data governance choices are consistent with enterprise standards and with the operating model.
• Data products: from demand to rollout
• Gather and formalize functional requirements with the business, translating them into data products with owners, consumers, SLAs and quality metrics.

What the employer asks for

• At least 4 years of professional experience in IT.
• At least 2 years on projects focused on AI/GenAI, Data Mesh and functional requirements gathering.
• Consulting experience, ideally in strategy consulting, combined with experience at a system integrator or delivery firm.
• Hands-on experience designing operating models, Data/AI organizations or CoEs.
• Experience with make-or-buy analyses, vendor selection or target architecture definition.
• Excellent written and spoken English.
• Technical and functional skills:
• You will not be expected to write code, but you need to know the technologies well enough to assess them, challenge vendors and spot a flawed setup.
• Data Mesh and governance: domain ownership, data products, federated governance, data contracts, catalogues and lineage (e.g. Unity Catalog, OpenMetadata, Collibra).
• Cloud: data and AI PaaS services on at least one of Azure, AWS and GCP; security, networking and FinOps principles.

Eligibility

• Languages: Excellent written and spoken English.
• Operating model: Data/AI organization, CoE, roles (data owner, data steward, product owner), demand and portfolio processes.

Conditions and benefits stated

• A role bridging strategy and technology, with direct impact on client decisions.
• International projects on Data Mesh, data platforms and GenAI.
• Close collaboration with the Project Lead and a growth path towards programme leadership roles.
• Highly competitive compensation package
• This position is based in

Not stated in the posting

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