AI Architect

SwitchThink Solutions; Phoenix (AZ); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

SwitchThink Solutions, located in Phoenix, seeks an AI Architect to design and lead enterprise AI deployments for clients and internal initiatives. The role partners with business and technology leaders to define AI roadmaps and scalable architectures, enabling measurable business value and rapid innovation.

The candidate will translate strategic objectives into production-grade AI solutions, mentor teams, and establish standards across Copilot Studio, Azure Foundry, and Power Platform

Qualifications

• 8+ years of progressive experience in solutions architecture, AI/ML engineering, or Microsoft cloud consulting.
• 5+ years serving in a technical advisory or client-facing solutions capacity.
• 3+ years hands-on experience with Microsoft Power Platform and conversational AI technologies.
• Experience with Copilot Studio (Power Virtual Agents), Azure AI Foundry and related platforms.
• Experience in financial services or regulated environments preferred.
• Prior consulting/professional services background is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Partner with business and technology leaders to identify AI-driven transformation opportunities and roadmaps.
• Translate business objectives into secure, scalable, production-ready AI solutions using Copilot Studio, Azure AI Foundry, and Power Platform.
• Define AI architecture standards and reusable frameworks to scale across engagements.
• Guide cross-functional teams through discovery, design, implementation, and optimization as a trusted advisor.
• Evaluate emerging AI technologies and platforms for client applicability and risk management.
• Define technical standards, integration patterns, and security/data governance requirements for AI deployments.
• Mentor engineers and developers on AI/automation best practices.

Skills

AI architecture

Solutions architecture

Executive-level communication

Microsoft cloud consulting

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/DS/IS/Engineering

Master's degree preferred

Tools

Power Platform

Copilot Studio

Azure AI Foundry

Azure OpenAI

Power Apps

Power Automate

Dataverse

D365 integration

Job description

Who We Are

SwitchThink Solutions is a fast-growing technology company supporting our parent organization, Desert Financial Credit Union, and more than 175 external credit unions nationwide. Our solutions are built on the Correlation Keystone Platform and complemented by managed services, cloud hosting, disaster recovery, business intelligence, and AI offerings.

Who We Are

SwitchThink Solutions is a fast-growing technology company supporting our parent organization, Desert Financial Credit Union, and more than 175 external credit unions nationwide. Our solutions are built on the Correlation Keystone Platform and complemented by managed services, cloud hosting, disaster recovery, business intelligence, and AI offerings. Our clients trust us. We have maintained zero customer churn for eight years and consistently earn strong client advocacy, with an NPS of 84. Our employees are equally committed, bringing a collaborative, team-oriented mindset and a shared passion for excellence. Backed by the financial strength of Desert Financial Credit Union, we offer stability alongside meaningful growth opportunities.

What you will do here:

The AI Architect designs, builds, and leads the delivery of enterprise-grade AI solutions for SwitchThink and its clients. This role partners with business and technology leaders to identify opportunities for AI-driven transformation, develop AI strategies and roadmaps, and establish scalable AI capabilities that enable organizations to improve member experiences, increase operational efficiency, and accelerate innovation.

As a trusted technical advisor and hands-on architect, the AI Architect translates business objectives into secure, scalable, production-ready solutions. This role is responsible for evaluating emerging technologies, defining AI architecture standards and best practices, creating reusable frameworks and accelerators, and guiding cross-functional teams through discovery, design, implementation, adoption, and optimization. The AI Architect helps shape SwitchThink's AI capabilities while delivering impactful solutions across client environments.

• Partner with business and technology leaders to identify opportunities for AI-driven transformation and develop AI strategies and roadmaps for SwitchThink and its clients.
• Translate business objectives into secure, scalable, production-ready AI solutions across Copilot Studio, Azure AI Foundry, Power Platform, and CAIP, owning architecture decisions for assigned engagements.
• Define AI architecture standards and best practices, and create reusable frameworks and accelerators that establish scalable AI capabilities across engagements.
• Guide cross-functional teams through discovery, design, implementation, adoption, and optimization as a trusted technical advisor and hands-on architect.
• Evaluate emerging AI technologies and platforms for applicability to SwitchThink and its clients.
• Define technical standards, integration patterns, and security/data-governance requirements for AI deployments; assess AI readiness and evaluate technical risk.
• Help shape SwitchThink's internal AI capabilities and mentor engineers and developers on AI/automation best practices.

What you will need:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related field (preferred) OR equivalent combination of education and experience required.
• Advanced degree (Master's in a technical discipline, or MBA) preferred.
• 8+ years of progressive experience in solutions architecture, AI/ML engineering, or Microsoft cloud consulting required.
• 5+ years of experience serving in a technical advisory or client-facing solutions capacity, including solutions architecture, technology consulting, professional services, and/or advising executives and senior stakeholders required.
• 3+ years of hands-on experience with Microsoft Power Platform and conversational AI technologies, including experience with Microsoft Copilot Studio (formerly Power Virtual Agents), Azure AI Foundry/Azure OpenAI, and Power Apps, Power Automate and Dataverse required.
• 1+ years' experience in financial services, banking, or credit unions, or another regulated enterprise environment preferred.
• Prior experience architecting solutions for external clients (consulting/professional services background), given this role's client-facing nature preferred.

AI & Technical Architecture

• Copilot Studio design, including multi-agent orchestration, plugins/actions, and grounding.
• Azure AI Foundry, Azure OpenAI, and RAG pipeline architecture.
• Power Platform architecture (Power Apps, Power Automate, Dataverse, Power Pages) and Dynamics 365 integration patterns.
• API and systems integration architecture across enterprise platforms and data sources.
• Working knowledge of data pipelines and data quality fundamentals required.

Client Advisory & Consulting

• Structured discovery — translating ambiguous client requirements into scoped technical solutions.
• Executive-level communication, framing outcomes in terms of business value, risk, and ROI rather than technical detail.
• Facilitating architecture sessions and leading proof-of-concept efforts with client stakeholders.
• Ability to influence without direct authority across client and internal delivery teams.

Governance & Risk

• AI readiness assessment: data governance, compliance, and infrastructure prerequisites for Copilot/agent deployment.
• Security and multi-tenant data governance for client-facing AI solutions.
• Responsible AI principles, including bias, explainability, and human-in-the-loop design required.

Delivery & Execution

• Building reusable components and frameworks across client engagements, rather than one-off solutions.
• Mentoring engineers and developers in AI/automation best practices.
• Technical documentation and architecture-decision communication to senior client and internal stakeholders
• Hands-on expertise with Microsoft Copilot Studio, Azure AI Foundry, and Power Platform across multiple client environments.
• Microsoft Power Platform Solution Architect (PL-600), Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-305) required (or ability to obtain within 90 days of hire).
• Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Engineer Associate (AI-102), or emerging AI-governance credentials such as ISO/IEC 42001 preferred.

We are proud to be an EEO/AA employer M/F/D/V. We maintain a drug-free workplace and perform pre-employment substance abuse testing.

For additional information about our organization, careers, and benefits visit: http://www.desertfinancial.com/careers.

Location: Phoenix

Job Type: Hybrid (mostly WFH in Phoenix, AZ)