Senior AI Architect - Microsoft Technologies

EPAM Systems, Inc.; Amsterdam; Hybrid; EUR 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

26 paid holiday days

Pension plan scheme

Disability insurance (WGA Shortfall)

Long-term disability insurance (WIA)

EPAM Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESP

Commuting to work - costs reimbursed

Laptop + corporate SIM card + device

Bike lease

Employee Assistance Program

Referral program with rewards

Learning and development opportunities

Job summary

EPAM Systems, Inc. in the Netherlands seeks a Senior AI Architect to design and scale production-grade AI platforms on Microsoft Azure in a hybrid setup. You will shape target-state architectures for AI systems, RAG, agents and AI-native engineering, collaborating with clients and engineering teams.

You will translate business outcomes into architecture, governance, security, FinOps and observability, guiding delivery and mentoring teams while contributing to presales and solution design.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in solution architecture, cloud platforms or platform engineering.
• Strong experience with enterprise AI, GenAI, agentic systems, RAG and AI-native engineering.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Azure and modern cloud-native architecture.
• Knowledge of GitHub workflows (CI/CD, DevOps, IaC) and secure engineering practices.
• Track record of moving AI initiatives beyond PoC to enterprise-grade production environments.
• Hands-on capability to validate prototypes, review code and guide engineering decisions.

Responsibilities

• Define target-state architectures for AI platforms, assistants, RAG systems, agents and AI-native workflows.
• Lead architecture discovery, maturity assessments, roadmaps, platform decisions and delivery governance.
• Design Azure-first architectures using Foundry, Azure OpenAI, Azure AI Search, API Management, AKS, Functions.
• Design AI-native engineering systems using GitHub Copilot, Enterprise, security practices and governance patterns.
• Define governance and operational frameworks for Responsible AI, security, FinOps and observability.
• Translate business outcomes into architecture, narratives and delivery governance.
• Facilitate workshops, hackathons and enablement sessions on AI adoption and Copilot integration.
• Mentor architects and engineers and contribute to presales and solution design initiatives.

Skills

Enterprise AI

GenAI

Agentic systems

RAG

AI-native engineering

Azure

GitHub workflows

CI/CD

DevOps

IaC

Tools

Azure AI services

GitHub Copilot Enterprise

Terraform/IaC

Kubernetes/AKS

Azure Functions

Cosmos DB

Azure Monitor

Key Vault

Job description

We're looking for a Senior AI Architect to join our team in the Netherlands in a hybrid working mode. In this role, you will help clients design and scale production-grade AI platforms and solutions on Microsoft Azure. You will work at the intersection of enterprise architecture, cloud-native engineering, GitHub-enabled software delivery and responsible AI adoption.This position focuses on shaping large-scale AI transformation programs that connect business outcomes with practical architecture design. You will engage in areas such as Azure AI platforms, copilots, RAG, agentic systems, governance, observability, evaluation, security and Responsible AI practices.Unlike roles centered on proofs of concept, this opportunity involves delivering enterprise-grade AI systems embedded into real workflows, including engineering productivity, knowledge retrieval, automation and AI-enabled delivery. The challenges go beyond basic API calls and span AI-native software engineering, GitHub Copilot integration, secure architectures, FinOps and governance at scale.You will collaborate with architects, engineers, Microsoft/GitHub specialists and client leadership teams to drive secure and governed AI adoption.ResponsibilitiesDefine target-state architectures for AI platforms, assistants, RAG systems, agents, AI gateways and AI-native engineering workflowsLead architecture discovery, maturity assessments, technical roadmaps, platform decisions and delivery governanceDesign Azure-first architectures using Microsoft Foundry, Azure OpenAI, Azure AI Search, Azure API Management, AKS, Azure Functions, Application Insights, Azure Monitor, Key Vault, Microsoft Entra ID, Cosmos DB, PostgreSQL and Microsoft Fabric where applicableDesign AI-native engineering systems using GitHub Copilot, GitHub Enterprise, GitHub Advanced Security, agent-ready repositories, secure pull-request practices and AI-assisted delivery patternsDesign harnesses around AI systems, including agent instructions, tool contracts, MCP integrations, retrieval grounding, evaluation suites, telemetry, cost controls, policy controls and human approval gatesDefine governance and operational frameworks for Responsible AI, security, identity, FinOps and observabilityTranslate business outcomes into target architecture, executive narratives, platform decisions and delivery governance across client leadership, architecture, engineering and security teamsFacilitate workshops, hackathons and enablement sessions focused on AI adoption, Copilot integration and engineering excellenceConvert practical experience into reusable patterns, accelerators and architectural blueprintsMentor architects and engineers and contribute to presales and solution design initiativesRequirements10+ years in solution architecture, cloud platforms or platform engineeringStrong experience with enterprise AI, GenAI, agentic systems, RAG and AI-native engineeringProficiency with Microsoft Azure and modern cloud-native architectureKnowledge of GitHub workflows (CI/CD, DevOps, IaC) and secure engineering practicesTrack record of moving AI initiatives beyond PoC to enterprise-grade production environmentsHands-on capability to validate prototypes, review code and guide engineering decisionsAbility to explain how to make AI useful in production, not just impressive in a demoCapability to design platform architecture, governance models, adoption plans and AI delivery workflowsConfidence working across enterprise realities, leveraging Azure and GitHub pragmaticallyStrong communication skills with both executives and technical stakeholdersNice to haveExperience with GitHub Copilot Enterprise adoption, AI-native SDLC transformation, GitHub Actions and GitHub Advanced SecurityFamiliarity with agent frameworks such as Semantic Kernel, LangChain, LangGraph, AutoGen, LlamaIndex, CrewAI or similarKnowledge of Microsoft 365 Copilot, Copilot Studio, Microsoft Graph, Teams, SharePoint or Power Platform integrationUnderstanding of AI gateways, model routing, semantic caching, model abstractions, usage telemetry and AI FinOpsBackground in enterprise infrastructure with Terraform/IaC, Kubernetes/AKS, CI/CD and secure API gateway practicesAwareness of agent reliability and security techniques, including workflow state, recovery, tool-permission boundaries, evaluation gates, prompt-injection defense, audit trails, rollback mechanisms and human approval workflowsFamiliarity with compliance and governance standards such as GDPR, EU AI Act readiness or ISO/IEC 42001Experience in regulated industries such as finance, healthcare, energy, retail, manufacturing or public sectorKnowledge of other AI ecosystems, including AWS Bedrock, Google Vertex AI, Databricks, Snowflake, Anthropic, OpenAI API or Hugging FaceWe offer26 paid holiday daysPension plan schemeDisability insurance (WGA Shortfall insurance)Long-term disability insurance (WIA Top up insurance)EPAM Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP)Commuting to work - costs reimbursementLaptop + corporate simcard + corporate mobile device (subject to certain eligibility requirements)Bike leaseEmployee Assistance ProgramCorporate Programs including Employee Referral Program with rewardsLearning and development opportunities including in-house training and coaching, professional certifications, and courses