AI Principal Architect

HCLTech; New Jersey; Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Performance-based bonuses

Medical, dental, vision

401(k) retirement plan

Job summary

HCLTech is seeking an AI Principal Architect to lead strategy and delivery of enterprise AI solutions across hybrid environments, blending frontier models with cost-efficient SLMS and edge inference. You will drive architecture across multi-cloud ecosystems, govern RAG/CAG pipelines, memory systems, safety, governance, and GenAI ops while mentoring other architects and engaging C-level stakeholders.

This role requires deep hands-on technical expertise and strong business acumen, with

Qualifications

• 8–10+ years in technical leadership with enterprise-scale cloud architecture.
• Demonstrated GenAI/LLM experience with Azure OpenAI, Vertex AI, or AWS Bedrock.
• Proven ability to advise senior stakeholders on strategy, roadmaps, and governance.
• Experience tuning or fine-tuning LLMs.

Responsibilities

• Define multi-agent architecture patterns and reference architectures.
• Design memory systems and retrieval-augmented generation pipelines with clear lineage and observability.
• Lead cross-cloud integration frameworks and advisory on vendor balance and risk.
• Establish GenAIOps standards including CI/CD, IaC, monitoring, and cost metrics.
• Mentor architects, contribute to industry thought leadership, and engage clients at the C-level.

Skills

Enterprise leadership

Cloud architecture

GenAI & LLM depth

Model fine-tuning

Leadership & advisory

Tools

LangChain

LlamaIndex

Semantic Kernel

Job description

HCLTech is looking for a highly talented and self-motivated AI Principal Architect to join it in advancing the technological world through innovation and creativity.

Job Title: AI Principal Architect

Job ID: 116997, 118455, 131188

Location: Santa Clara and New Jersey - Hybrid

Role Summary

• As an AI Architect, you will guide the strategy and delivery for interoperable, compliant, and economically viable modern AI solutions. You will architectures across a Hybrid AI landscape, blending Frontier Models (Azure OpenAI/Gemini) with Cost-Efficient Small Language Models (SLMs) and Edge Inference.
• You will craft solutions based on advanced AI technologies from OpenAI, NVIDIA, Google, , Microsoft and AWS. This role has a focus on enabling advanced Agentic AI solutions that transform core business functions and enable the future hybrid workforce.
• Working at the highest levels, you will engage AI, Technology and Business leaders in the world’s most successful organizations. You will lead architectural design, establish best practices, for our most complex AI initiatives.
• This role requires a combination of deep hands-on technical expertise in advanced AI with strategic business acumen, serving as both a technical authority and a trusted advisor to clients

What you’ll do

• Multi-Agent Architecture Patterns: Define and govern reference architecture for multi-agent systems, covering hierarchical, peer-to-peer, and sequential (ReAct) orchestration models. Guide teams on pattern selection based on client use cases.
• Memory System Design: Architect the standards for integrated memory systems, including short-term session state, long-term knowledge via vector databases and knowledge graphs, and episodic/audit memory. Ensure coherent retrieval strategies across layers.
• Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) and CAG (Cache Augmented) Architecture: Define architectural patterns for end-to-end RAG pipelines, including chunking, embedding, vector search (e.g., Azure Cognitive Search, pgvector), and reranking. Ensure designs include standards for lineage, observability, and evaluation (e.g., RAGAS).
• Cross-Cloud & Vendor Integration: Create and maintain decision frameworks for platform selection (e.g., Copilot Studio for Teams integration, Vertex AI for GCP workloads). Advise clients on balancing vendor lock-in risks with integration benefits.
• GenAIOps & Observability: Define the architectural standards for GenAIOps, including CI/CD, IaC, and observability. Establish standard metrics to track agent decision traces, latency, token consumption, hallucination, and cost.
• Safety, Security & Governance: Architect enterprise-wide guardrails for safety (hallucination mitigation), security (prompt injection defense, PII masking), and fairness (bias detection). Apply governance frameworks (NIST AI RMF, ISO 42001) and design human-in-the-loop (HITL) workflows.
• Enterprise Integration & Scalability: Architect scalable integration patterns for agentic systems with enterprise platforms (Microsoft Entra ID, Teams, Dynamics/Salesforce, ERPs) and compute (Kubernetes). Ensure patterns address security, data residency, and compliance.
• Technical Leadership & Client Advisory: Combine technical architecture with strategic guidance. Lead C-level workshops on Agentic AI adoption, advise on roadmaps, and shape technology strategy. Mentor other architects and contribute to industry thought leadership.
• Thought leadership and public speaking: Present at industry events and publish articles that advance the AI industry.

Core Qualifications (The Bar)

• Enterprise Experience: 8–10+ years in technical leadership, with a strong background in both software engineering and enterprise-scale cloud architecture.
• Cloud Expertise: Architectural expertise with one primary cloud platform (Azure, GCP, or AWS) and hands-on familiarity with at least one other.
• GenAI & LLM Depth: Demonstrated experience architecting and guiding solutions using GenAI platforms (e.g., Azure OpenAI, Vertex AI, or AWS Bedrock).
• Model Fine-tuning: Experience with instruction tuning or fine-tuning strategies for LLMs.
• Leadership & Advisory Skills: Exceptional communication skills with demonstrated experience advising senior stakeholders (Director/C-Level) on technical strategy, roadmaps, and governance.

Preferred Qualifications (The Differentiators)

• Multi-Agent Systems: Deep understanding of, and experience designing or prototyping, advanced multi-agent systems (e.g., task decomposition, collaborative agents).
• Multi-Cloud Experience: hands-on architectural expertise across all three major clouds (Azure, AWS, GCP).
• GenAI Ops & Governance: Hands-on experience with GenAI Ops tooling. Familiarity with AI governance frameworks (NIST AI RMF, ISO 42001) and their practical application. And AI FinOps & Model Routing
• Framework Expertise: Hands-on development experience with one or more orchestration frameworks (e.g., LangChain, LlamaIndex, Semantic Kernel).
• Thought Leadership & Open Source: Published work (whitepapers, patents), conference speaking engagements, or active contributions to relevant open-source projects.
• Certifications: Professional-level cloud certifications (e.g., Azure Solutions Architect Expert, AWS Solutions Architect Professional, GCP Professional Cloud Architect).

Principal Architect: Portfolio-level ownership across multiple clients and programs. Define enterprise strategy for agentic AI adoption—roadmaps, best practices, architectural standards, and governance frameworks. Influence global partner strategies (Microsoft, Google, AWS) and contribute to HCLTech’ s overall AI/Cloud roadmap. Represent HCLTech as a recognized industry leader through conference speaking, published research, and advisory board participation. Mentor other architects and shape hiring/capability building for the AI architecture practice.

We are looking for professionals who combine deep technical expertise with strong interpersonal and leadership abilities. Specifically:

• Clear, Multi-Level Communication
• Strategic Thinking & Advisory Mindset
• Pragmatic Problem-Solving
• Ownership & Accountability
• Continuous Learning & Adaptability
• Customer Obsession & Trust-Building
• Change Agent Mindset

About Us

HCLTech AI Labs is the global Centre of Excellence, guiding the application of advanced technologies and leading the way for clients and HCLTech employees worldwide.

Pay and Benefits

Base Pay Range Minimum: $180,000 per year

Base Pay Range Maximum: $240,000 per year

HCLTech is an equal opportunity employer, committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees regardless of race, religion, sex, color, age, national origin, pregnancy, sexual orientation, physical disability or genetic information, military or veteran status, or any other protected classification, in accordance with federal, state, and/or local law. Should any applicant have concerns about discrimination in the hiring process, they should provide a detailed report of those concerns to [e-mail] for investigation.

A candidate’s pay within the range will depend on their skills, experience, education, and other factors permitted by law. This role may also be eligible for performance-based bonuses subject to company policies. In addition, this role is eligible for the following benefits subject to company policies: medical, dental, vision, pharmacy, life, accidental death & dismemberment, and disability insurance; employee assistance program; 401(k) retirement plan; 10 days of paid time off per year (some positions are eligible for need-based leave with no designated number of leave days per year); and 10 paid holidays per year

How You’ll Grow

At HCLTech, we offer continuous opportunities for you to find your spark and grow with us. We want you to be happy and satisfied with your role and to really learn what type of work sparks your brilliance the best. Throughout your time with us, we offer transparent communication with senior-level employees, learning and career development programs at every level, and opportunities to experiment in different roles or even pivot industries. We believe that you should be in control of your career with unlimited opportunities to find the role that fits you best.