AI System Design Architect, Vice President

State Street; Quincy (MA); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 218,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401K with company match

Comprehensive benefits package

Paid time off & volunteer days

Employee Assistance Program

Job summary

State Street is seeking an experienced AI System Design Architect (VP) to lead enterprise AI architecture strategy across the full Generative AI platform stack. The role requires deep expertise in Generative AI, cloud platforms, distributed systems, and scalable cloud architectures.

You will define standards, drive modernization, and guide governance forums while partnering with business, product, and security teams to ensure secure, compliant AI systems.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Information Systems, Engineering, Mathematics, or related discipline; Master’s preferred.
• 12–17 years of solution/enterprise architecture or AI/ML architecture leadership experience.
• Hands‑on and architectural experience with Generative AI, LLMs, RAG, model serving and AI integration.
• Proven cloud architecture expertise on AWS, Azure, or GCP and cloud‑native patterns.
• Strong API, microservices, distributed systems, and platform design knowledge.
• Understanding of AI governance, Responsible AI, model risk, and security controls.
• Leadership, cross‑functional collaboration, and effective communication with executives.

Responsibilities

• Own and steer enterprise AI system architecture strategy across the GenAI platform stack.
• Define reference architectures, design standards, and cloud design approaches for AI platforms.
• Provide strategic technical leadership on scalable, secure, and compliant AI systems.
• Lead architecture decisions for cloud and hybrid AI environments with interoperability and cost efficiency.
• Establish reusable patterns for RAG, model serving, prompt orchestration, and AI workflows.
• Chair architecture governance forums and ensure alignment to enterprise standards.
• Partner with business, product, engineering, security and risk teams to align strategy with priorities.
• Ensure AI solutions meet Responsible AI, data controls, testing standards, and regulatory expectations.
• Drive technical due diligence, modernization, and production onboarding of AI systems.
• Guide platform capabilities, build‑vs‑buy decisions, and modernization opportunities.
• Mentor architects and engineering leaders to improve design quality and adoption of standards.
• Represent Architecture in senior governance and leadership forums.

Skills

Generative AI architecture

Cloud architecture

Leadership & stakeholder management

Platform engineering

API architecture & microservices

Education

Bachelor’s degree in CS/Engineering/related field

Master’s degree preferred

Tools

AWS

Azure

Google Cloud Platform (GCP)

Job description

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced AI System Design Architect (VP) to lead enterprise AI system architecture strategy across the full Generative AI platform stack. This role requires deep expertise in Generative AI, enterprise architecture, platform engineering, distributed systems, and scalable cloud architectures on AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform (GCP).

The ideal candidate will define architecture direction, technology standards, and cloud design principles for AI platforms and shared services across the organization. This role will shape modernization priorities, represent Architecture in senior leadership and governance forums, and ensure AI systems are designed for security, resiliency, compliance, interoperability, and long-term scalability.

Key Responsibilities

• Own and drive enterprise-wide AI system architecture strategy across the full GenAI platform stack, including shared services, orchestration layers, model integration, APIs, data flows, and downstream enterprise systems.
• Define and govern reference architectures, design standards, architecture principles, integration patterns, and cloud design approaches for AI platforms and AI-enabled applications.
• Provide strategic technical leadership on scalable, secure, resilient, and compliant AI system design across the organization.
• Lead architecture decisions for cloud and hybrid AI environments on AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud, ensuring interoperability, platform reuse, cost efficiency, and operational excellence.
• Establish reusable enterprise patterns for RAG, model serving, prompt orchestration, agentic AI workflows, AI gateways, and service integration.
• Chair or lead architecture governance forums, reviewing major solution designs, resolving technical trade-offs, and ensuring alignment to enterprise standards.
• Partner closely with business leaders, product teams, engineering, cloud, security, risk, data, and operations teams to align architecture strategy with business priorities.
• Ensure AI solutions comply with Responsible AI, governance, data controls, model risk, testing standards, security requirements, and regulatory expectations.
• Drive architecture assessments, technical due diligence, platform modernization, proof-of-concept direction, and production onboarding standards for AI systems.
• Guide enterprise decisions on platform capabilities, shared services, build‑vs‑buy evaluations, and modernization opportunities.
• Influence and mentor architects and engineering leaders to improve design quality, architectural consistency, and adoption of enterprise AI standards.
• Represent the Architecture function in senior governance and leadership forums.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Information Systems, Engineering, Mathematics, or a related discipline; Master’s degree preferred.
• 12–17 years of experience in solution architecture, enterprise application architecture, platform architecture, or AI/ML architecture, including leadership of large‑scale enterprise initiatives.
• Deep hands‑on and architectural experience with Generative AI, LLMs, ML systems, RAG, vector databases, prompt design/orchestration, and AI application integration.
• Proven expertise in cloud architecture and enterprise solution design on AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
• Strong understanding of cloud‑native architecture including AI/ML services, networking, storage, security, IAM, resilience, and performance optimization.
• Proven experience designing enterprise‑scale, secure, resilient, and high‑performing architectures for AI and data‑driven applications.
• Expertise in API architecture, microservices, distributed systems, event‑driven patterns, enterprise integration, and platform design.
• Strong understanding of AI governance, Responsible AI, model risk, compliance, testing, production controls, and control frameworks.
• Strong understanding of DevSecOps, CI/CD, observability, monitoring, reliability engineering, and platform engineering concepts.
• Demonstrated ability to lead architecture discussions with senior executives and communicate effectively with both technical and non‑technical stakeholders.
• Strong leadership, stakeholder management, problem‑solving, and cross‑functional collaboration skills.

Location & Work Schedule

This role follows a hybrid work model and requires regular on‑site presence in one of the following locations:

• Boston, MA
• Austin, TX
• Princeton, NJ

Salary Range: $120,000 - $217,500 Annual

The range quoted above applies to the role in the primary location specified. If the candidate would ultimately work outside of the primary location above, the applicable range could differ.

Employees are eligible to participate in State Street’s comprehensive benefits program, which includes: our retirement savings plan (401K) with company match; insurance coverage including basic life, medical, dental, vision, long-term disability, and other optional additional coverages; paid-time off including vacation, sick leave, short term disability, and family care responsibilities; access to our Employee Assistance Program; incentive compensation including eligibility for annual performance‑based awards (excluding certain sales roles subject to sales incentive plans); and, eligibility for certain tax advantaged savings plans.

For a full overview, visit https://hrportal.ehr.com/statestreet/Home.

About State Street

Across the globe, institutional investors rely on us to help them manage risk, respond to challenges, and drive performance and profitability. We keep our clients at the heart of everything we do, and smart, engaged employees are essential to our continued success.

We are committed to fostering an environment where every employee feels valued and empowered to reach their full potential. As an essential partner in our shared success, you’ll benefit from inclusive development opportunities, flexible work‑life support, paid volunteer days, and vibrant employee networks that keep you connected to what matters most. Join us in shaping the future.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we consider all qualified applicants for all positions without regard to race, creed, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, age, disability, genetic information, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, citizenship, marital status, domestic partnership or civil union status, familial status, military and veteran status, and other characteristics protected by applicable law.

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