Lead Architect (AI & Agentic Systems)

LA International; Halifax; Hybrid; GBP 92,000 - 111,000; Full time

Job summary

LA International is seeking a Lead Architect for AI & Agentic Systems in Halifax. This hybrid role requires up to 4 days onsite per week, with a 6-month contract and extensions possible.

The position offers a daily rate of £500–£600 via umbrella company, reflecting senior architectural leadership in AI-enabled services. You will define target architectures for agentic workflows, ensure security and compliance, and guide cross-functional teams through ADRs and governance gates.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in enterprise software architecture.
• 3+ years leading AI/LLM or agentic platform architectures.
• Experience with multi-agent orchestration and MCP.
• Strong knowledge of Kubernetes-based deployments and REST/gRPC APIs.

Responsibilities

• Define the long-term vision, strategy and target architecture for AI-enabled services.
• Conduct discovery and analysis of existing capabilities and processes.
• Lead momentum for automation, self-service and service optimisation.
• Develop roadmaps and implementation plans aligned to business outcomes.
• Provide architecture leadership and ADRs across the team.
• Ensure governance, security, compliance and data privacy requirements.

Skills

Enterprise architecture

AI/ML leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Cross-functional leadership

Cloud-native architectures

Security governance

Problem solving

Communication

Tools

Kubernetes

Docker

LangChain

LlamaIndex

Vector databases

Job description

Lead Architect (AI & Agentic Systems)

6 Month contract initially + Extensions

Based: Hybrid - Max 4 days p/w onsite in Halifax.

Rate: £500 - £600 p/d - (via Umbrella company)

We have a great opportunity with a world leading organisation where you will be provided with all of the support and development to succeed. A progressive organisation where you can really make a difference. We have a great opportunity for a Lead Architect (AI & Agentic Systems) to join the team.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and refine the long-term vision, strategy, and target architecture for AI-enabled operational services.
• Conduct discovery, assessment, and analysis of existing capabilities and operational processes.
• Identify opportunities for automation, self-service, and service optimisation.
• Develop strategic roadmaps and implementation plans aligned to business outcomes.
• Provide architecture leadership and technical guidance throughout the transformation journey.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to prioritise initiatives and define delivery approaches.
• Ensure solutions meet governance, security, compliance, and operational requirements.
• Support the transition from strategy and design into implementation and adoption.
• System Architecture & Strategy: Define the target architecture for agentic workflows, multi-agent orchestration, and Model Context Protocol (MCP) integrations across enterprise systems.
• Platform Scalability & Cloud Native Design: Architect decoupled, stateless microservices tailored for Kubernetes containerization, ensuring high availability, fault tolerance, and zero-downtime deployments.
• RAG & Memory Management Architecture: Oversee the architectural blueprint for Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), vector knowledge stores (Cortex), and hybrid session memory (short-term & long-term persistence).
• Governance, Security & Responsible AI: Design security controls, data lineage, and privacy frameworks (including long-term data deletion and compliance guardrails) in strict alignment with Responsible AI standards.
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Guide senior engineers and technical leads through architectural decision records (ADRs), technical governance gates, and solution reviews.
• Kubernetes Platform Governance: Define and enforce architectural standards for Kubernetes-based deployments, including pod design principles, namespace isolation, resource quotas, autoscaling strategies (HPA/VPA), and rolling deployment patterns ensuring TESSA's agentic services operate as fully stateless, resilient, and production-grade workloads across cluster environments.

Key Skills & Experience

• 8+ years of experience in enterprise software architecture, with at least 3+ years leading AI/ML or LLM-integrated platform architectures.
• Deep understanding of agentic orchestration protocols, Model Context Protocol (MCP), tool-use patterns, and multi-agent coordination.
• Proven track record with LangChain, LlamaIndex, vector databases, chunking strategies, embeddings, and context-window optimization.
• Strong expertise with Kubernetes, Docker, microservice decoupling, event-driven architecture, and REST/gRPC API design.
• Hands-on experience defining and enforcing Kubernetes architectural standards including pod design, namespace isolation, resource quotas, HPA/VPA autoscaling, and rolling deployment strategies to ensure fully stateless, production-grade workloads.
• Hands-on experience designing robust IAM, VPC-SC, rate limiting, and audit logging for AI/ML workloads.
• Proven experience in AI, AIOps, intelligent automation, and enterprise architecture.
• Strong understanding of conversational AI, large language models (LLMs), agent-based solutions, and automation platforms.
• Experience defining target-state architectures, strategic roadmaps, and digital transformation initiatives.
• Knowledge of IT Service Management (ITSM), operational processes, incident management, and service delivery models.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and consulting skills with the ability to translate business objectives into technology strategies.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams and influencing senior business and technology stakeholders.
• Familiarity with cloud-native architectures, APIs, integration patterns, governance, security, and compliance frameworks.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, communication, and presentation skills.

LA International is an award-winning partner of choice for many of the world's most influential companies and government organisations. Holding Enhanced Government Security Accreditation, we are recognised as the European market leader in the delivery of Security Cleared talent to organisations that demand the very highest levels of security, compliance and assurance.

A multiple award-winning organisation, having secured the prestigious Queens Award for Enterprise: International Trade over consecutive years. We are committed to fostering an inclusive, equitable and accessible workplace where everyone feels valued and supported. We welcome applications from all individuals, regardless of background or identity, and we encourage candidates who may not meet every listed requirement to still apply. If you require any adjustments or support during the recruitment process, please let us know and we will work with you to ensure a fair and accessible experience.

Please Note: If a high volume of applications is received, only candidates shortlisted will be contacted.