AI Architect

Cloud and Things; New York (NY); On-site; USD 104,000 - 125,000; Part time

Job summary

Cloud and Things seeks a Data & AI Architect to support our NYC client onsite. This hands‑on role will turn ambiguous data and AI needs into production‑ready solutions, defining secure, scalable architectures across data, AI, cloud, and databases while guiding delivery teams.

The candidate will engage stakeholders, translate requirements, and present trade‑offs to governance bodies, driving requirements to formal approval and production deployment. 6‑month project with potential extension.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of overall experience in data engineering, data architecture, software engineering, or a closely related field.
• 6+ years experience in an architecture‑focused role.
• Hands‑on design and delivery experience across at least two major cloud providers (Azure, AWS, GCP).
• Experience across relational, NoSQL, analytical/warehouse, and vector/graph databases.
• Practical experience with multiple AI/ML and generative AI frameworks, models, and platforms (LLMs, ML pipelines, RAG).
• Strong requirements‑gathering and stakeholder‑facing experience.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for non‑technical audiences.
• Hands‑on experience with agentic development tooling and AI‑assisted development workflows.
• Demonstrated experience taking solutions from concept to production.

Responsibilities

• Engage stakeholders across NYC agencies to shape data and AI use cases.
• Translate business needs into actionable requirements and specs for technical and non‑technical audiences.
• Present architectures and business value to governance bodies and drive approvals.
• Architect end‑to‑end data and AI solutions across ingestion, storage, modeling, and serving.
• Design and implement AI solutions with secure, scalable standards across multi‑cloud environments.
• Define reference architectures and patterns for data/AI across platforms.
• Ensure security, privacy, governance, cost efficiency, and regulatory compliance.
• Collaborate with engineering and product teams to move designs into production.
• Mentor engineers and promote enterprise data and AI practices.

Skills

Data architecture

Cloud architecture

Stakeholder communication

AI/ML frameworks

Agentic development tooling

Production deployment

Security & governance

Multi-cloud patterns

Tools

Azure

AWS

GCP

Job description

Back Data / AI Architect

Other Area(s) New York , New York W-2 hourly Aug 14, 2026

Our goal is to solve problems and deliver results for our clients. At Cloud and Things, you can be a part of transforming the public sector’s IT environment. Our team is on the forefront of helping to solve the government’s most complex IT challenges. If you are seeking a role that offers the opportunity to work on rewarding projects, consider a career with Cloud and Things. *This is an exempt position. Salarycommensuratewith experience*

Job Title:

Data / AI Architect

Location:

NY, NY (Onsite)

Duration:

6 Months (with potential for extension)

Start Date:

Estimated - 9/14/2026

W2 Hourly Rate:

$50 - $60/hr

Application Deadline:

8/21/2026

Overview:

We are seeking aData & AI Architect who will support our NYC client. This hands-on architecture role will partner with business and operational stakeholders to turn ambiguous data and AI needs into approved, production‑ready solutions. The architect will define secure, scalable enterprise architectures across data, AI, cloud, and database platforms while guiding delivery teams through implementation.

Duties:

• Engage stakeholders across MTA departments to identify, clarify, and shape emerging data and AI use cases into well‑scoped opportunities.
• Translate business needs into clear, actionable requirements and solution specifications for technical and non‑technical audiences.
• Present proposed architectures, trade‑offs, and business value to stakeholders and governance bodies and drive requirements through formal approval.
• Architect end‑to‑end data and AI solutions spanning ingestion, storage, transformation, modeling, serving, and consumption layers.
• Design and implement solutions using agentic development and AI‑assisted tooling while maintaining quality, security, and maintainability.
• Define reference architectures, patterns, and standards for data and AI across multi‑cloud and multi‑database environments.
• Ensure solutions meet enterprise requirements for security, privacy, data governance, cost efficiency, and regulatory compliance.
• Collaborate with engineering, data science, platform, and product teams to move approved solutions from design into production.
• Mentor engineers and analysts and promote strong enterprise data, AI, and architecture practices across the organization.

Mandatory Qualifications:

• 8+ years of overall experience in data engineering, data architecture, software engineering, or a closely related field
• 6+ years experience in an architecture‑focused role.
• Hands‑on design and delivery experience across at least two major cloud providers, such as Microsoft Azure, AWS, or Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
• Experience across relational, NoSQL, analytical/warehouse, and vector or graph database technologies.
• Practical experience with multiple AI/ML and generative AI frameworks, models, and platforms, including LLMs, ML pipelines, RAG, and model orchestration.
• Strong requirements‑gathering and stakeholder‑facing experience, including the ability to clarify ambiguous needs and produce actionable specifications.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to non‑technical audiences and secure stakeholder buy‑in.
• Hands‑on experience delivering solutions with agentic development tooling and AI‑assisted development workflows.
• Demonstrated experience taking solutions from concept and approval through production implementation.

Desirable Qualifications:

• Recent primary experience with the Microsoft Azure stack, including Azure data services, Microsoft Fabric or Synapse, Azure OpenAI, and Azure Machine Learning.
• Hands‑on development experience with Microsoft Copilot tooling, such as GitHub Copilot, Copilot Studio, or Microsoft 365 Copilot.
• Experience working in large, complex, public‑sector, transit, or infrastructure organizations.
• Relevant cloud or data architecture certifications.
• Familiarity with enterprise data governance, MLOps, and responsible AI practices.

Ready to make a difference?

We’re eager to connect with qualified candidates committed to delivering results and fostering excellence within client projects.

Cloud and Things complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws regarding recruitment and hiring. All qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to race,color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other category protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.

AI‑Assisted Resume Evaluation Notice

Cloud and Things – Talent Management

Notice to Candidates

Cloud and Things utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) tools to assist our recruiting team in evaluating candidate applications for streamlining; consistency, efficiency, and thoroughness. All hiring decisions are ultimately made by our human recruiting professionals.

How AI Is Used

Our AI tools assist by:

• Analyzing resumes against job requirements
• Supporting our recruiters in candidate data evaluation
• Ensuring consistent review standards across all applications
• Important: AI serves as a support tool only. As noted above, all candidate selection and hiring decisions are made by experienced human recruiters. Your unedited resume will be processed by our AI tools as part of this evaluation.

Your Data and Privacy

Cloud and Things Data Handling:

• Your information is processed securely and used exclusively for recruitment purposes
• Cloud and Things may store your resume in our Applicant Tracking System (ATS) indefinitely for future job matching opportunities
• You may opt out of long‑term ATS storage by emailing your name and your request to opt out of storing your resume in the ATS to: [e-mail]
• All personal information is handled confidentially in accordance with our privacy policy

AI Tool Data Processing:

• AI processing data is retained for a maximum of 90 days, after which it is deleted
• All data sent to AI tools is encrypted in transit and at rest
• AI tools comply with applicable privacy laws including GDPR and CCPA
• Personal data is anonymized or minimized wherever possible during AI processing

Your Participation

By submitting your application, you acknowledge this notice and consent to AI‑assisted evaluation as part of our recruitment process. You may opt out only by choosing not to submit your resume for consideration.