AI Architecture Lead

The Citation Group; Milton Keynes; On-site; GBP 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

The Citation Group in Milton Keynes is seeking an AI Architect to lead AI/Data architecture within the delivery area, reporting to the Chief AI Officer. This senior role requires hands-on experience with production AI systems and has a track record shaping architectural decisions across product, engineering, security, and infrastructure.

You will own patterns, model selection frameworks, cost governance, data readiness, and governance, ensuring decisions are documented and aligned with the

Qualifications

• Senior level with 6+ years in software, data, or platform engineering/architecture.
• Meaningful hands-on time on production AI systems, not just pilots.

Responsibilities

• Architectural standards and patterns for AI systems (retrieval/grounding, agent orchestration, prompt design, guardrails).
• Own decisions with architecture documentation and ADRs, aligned to a five-layer AI platform architecture.
• Model selection framework: open-weight vs closed, per workload, with evidence-based justification.
• Tokenomics and cost governance: track, model, and optimize token usage and hosting costs.
• Data architecture readiness: assess data quality and accessibility across systems for AI initiatives.
• Design authority and governance: sign off on AI design elements of partner Statements of Work.
• Proof of concept scope, success criteria, and validation against delivery constraints.
• Production quality, observability, and incident response for AI systems.
• Security and compliance: involve security from the start in major initiatives.

Job description

The Citation Group in Milton Keynes is seeking an AI Architect to lead AI/Data architecture within the delivery area, reporting to the Chief AI Officer. This senior role requires hands-on experience with production AI systems and has a track record shaping architectural decisions across product, engineering, security, and infrastructure.

You will own patterns, model selection frameworks, cost governance, data readiness, and governance, ensuring decisions are documented and aligned with the