Hands-On Forward-Deployed AI Architect

Crowe; Cleveland (OH); Hybrid; USD 102,000 - 204,000; Full time

Job summary

Crowe Studio is seeking a Forward Deployed AI Architect (Manager) to lead the design, development, and delivery of innovative, production‑ready AI solutions for clients. You will own solution architecture, feasibility, and production readiness while remaining hands‑on in coding and prototyping.

You will work with Crowe Studio's Forward Deployed Engineering practice, collaborating with clients and cross‑functional teams to translate complex business challenges into scalable, secure AI

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Data Science, or a related technical field.
• Minimum of 6 years of experience in production software engineering, cloud engineering, AI/ML engineering, or related technical discipline.
• Strong hands-on software engineering experience, including proficiency in modern programming languages, application development, and production‑grade solutions.
• Demonstrated experience architecting cloud-native applications and distributed systems using Azure, AWS, or GCP, including APIs, microservices, enterprise integrations, and data workflows.
• Working knowledge of generative AI and LLM application patterns, including prompt engineering, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), embeddings, vector search, and agentic workflows.
• Ability to travel up to 80%, depending on client and engagement requirements.

Responsibilities

• Architect and develop end‑to‑end applied AI solutions, including generative AI applications, agentic systems, retrieval‑augmented generation (RAG), and AI‑enabled enterprise workflows.
• Lead solution architecture for AI build and proof‑of‑concept engagements, ensuring solutions are technically feasible, scalable, secure, and aligned with client business objectives.
• Remain hands‑on across solution development, including application coding, data integration, prototyping, debugging, and technical implementation.
• Design and implement cloud‑native AI solutions using Microsoft Azure, AWS, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and relevant AI platforms and services.
• Define architecture and integration patterns for large language models (LLMs), vector databases, APIs, microservices, enterprise data platforms, and client systems.
• Take ownership of technical feasibility, solution design decisions, and build quality from initial discovery through production deployment.
• Guide solutions through Architecture Review Board processes, ensuring alignment with enterprise architecture standards, security requirements, responsible AI principles, and production readiness expectations.
• Assess technical feasibility during client discovery sessions, solution scoping, and sales support discussions, clearly communicating technical tradeoffs, risks, and recommended approaches.
• Establish engineering standards, reusable architectural patterns, technical documentation, and development best practices across client engagements.
• Design solutions with appropriate evaluation frameworks, monitoring, observability, guardrails, and performance optimization to support reliable AI operations.
• Collaborate with AI engineering, data engineering, MLOps, DevOps, cloud infrastructure, and security teams to deliver integrated enterprise solutions.
• Evaluate technical tradeoffs among custom development, managed AI services, and low‑code or automation platforms to select appropriate implementation strategies.
• Identify and address technical risks, including performance, scalability, security, reliability, and cost considerations.
• Mentor engineers through architecture reviews, code reviews, technical guidance, and hands‑on problem‑solving to strengthen engineering quality and team capabilities.
• Evaluate emerging AI frameworks, cloud capabilities, and engineering tools to identify opportunities for innovation and continuous improvement.

Skills

Hands-on software engineering

Cloud engineering

AI/ML engineering

Client-facing communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science/Engineering/Data Science or related field

Tools

Azure

AWS

GCP

Kubernetes

Terraform

Job description

Crowe Studio is seeking a Forward Deployed AI Architect (Manager) to lead the design, development, and delivery of innovative, production‑ready AI solutions for clients. You will own solution architecture, feasibility, and production readiness while remaining hands‑on in coding and prototyping.

You will work with Crowe Studio's Forward Deployed Engineering practice, collaborating with clients and cross‑functional teams to translate complex business challenges into scalable, secure AI