Enterprise AI Architect

Digital Waffle; United Kingdom; Remote; GBP 156,000 - 223,000; Full time

Job summary

Digital Waffle is seeking an experienced Enterprise AI Architect in the UK, with remote work options, to lead the AI architecture workstream of a major transformation. You will take a draft design to a buildable architecture, overseeing an AI gateway, identity, and governance framework across the Ideas › Build › Run lifecycle.

Key focus areas include Entra ID, zero trust, egress controls, and advanced AI gateway patterns.

Qualifications

• Experience in enterprise architecture and Zero Trust.
• Expertise with Entra ID and conditional access.
• Knowledge of egress and network controls in production.
• Experience with LLM gateways, model routing and supply-chain controls.

Responsibilities

• Review the draft architecture and deliver a detailed multi-layer design ending in a build spec.
• Lead AI gateway evaluation and selection (LiteLLM, Kong, Azure APIM).
• Design the request pipeline, environments and egress controls, and Entra ID identity.
• Define supply-chain controls and model provider residency and isolation strategy.
• Build a permission-aware grounding so AI only sees data users are entitled to.
• Own DLP and guardrail policy, security control spec and the threat model.
• Run use-case governance from idea to production with registers and gates.
• Deliver reference patterns for AI-assisted software delivery and customer service agents.
• Chair the Design Authority and Technical Design Review, and mentor your internal successor.

Skills

Enterprise architecture

Zero Trust

Entra ID

Conditional access

Egress controls

Network controls

LLM gateways

Model routing

Supply-chain controls

Tools

LiteLLM

Kong

Azure APIM

Job description

Location: UK, Remote

Contract Length: 5-month initial contract - likely extended to 12 months

The opportunity

Our client, an established UK technology business, is building the foundations for safe, rapid and well-governed AI use. They need an experienced Enterprise AI Architect to lead the AI architecture workstream of a major transformation programme, taking a draft design to an agreed, buildable architecture that engineers actually use.

The approach centres on a three-zone model (Ideas › Build › Run) and a managed AI gateway. You’ll challenge it, strengthen it and see it into build, then hand over to an internal successor. This role suits someone confident enough to overturn inherited decisions when the evidence says so.

What you’ll do

• Review the draft architecture and deliver a detailed multi-layer design, ending in a build specification
• Lead AI gateway evaluation and selection (options may include LiteLLM, Kong and Azure APIM)
• Design the request pipeline, environments and egress controls, and Entra ID identity, including agent identity
• Define supply-chain controls and model provider, residency and isolation strategy
• Build a permission-aware grounding approach so AI only sees data users are entitled to
• Own DLP and guardrail policy, the security control specification and the threat model
• Run use-case governance from idea to production: the register, release gates and approved tools
• Deliver reference patterns for priority initiatives, such as AI-assisted software delivery, ML routing and customer service agents
• Chair the Design Authority and Technical Design Review, and mentor your internal successor

What you’ll bring

• Enterprise architecture and Zero Trust experience
• Deep knowledge of Entra ID and conditional access
• Egress and network controls in production
• LLM gateways, model routing and supply-chain controls