Principal Agentic AI Architect

Cognizant; Charlotte (NC); Hybrid; USD 70,000 - 117,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance

Paid holidays + PTO

401(k) plan and contributions

Long-term/Short-term Disability

Paid Parental Leave

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Job summary

Cognizant is seeking a Principal Agentic AI Architect to design and lead enterprise-scale AI platforms, frameworks, and reusable capabilities. You will collaborate with product owners, stakeholders, and engineering teams to deliver scalable, secure, and responsible AI solutions.

The role requires leadership across architecture initiatives, mentorship, and strong experience with Java, Python, Node.js, AWS Bedrock, Claude, and graph/DB technologies.

Qualifications

• Strong experience developing enterprise applications using Java, Python, and/or Node.js.
• Hands-on experience designing and implementing Agentic AI solutions.
• Expertise with AWS cloud services, including AWS Bedrock.
• Experience working with foundation models such as Claude.
• Proficiency with React, GraphQL, Neo4j, and DynamoDB.
• Strong understanding of AI architecture, distributed systems, APIs, and cloud-native application design.
• Experience establishing AI governance, security, observability, and Responsible AI frameworks.
• Proven ability to lead architecture initiatives and mentor engineering teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and development of the enterprise Agentic AI Framework Catalog, defining reusable agent architectures, implementation patterns, and engineering standards.
• Architect and deliver scalable AI solutions leveraging Java, Python, Node.js, React, GraphQL, Neo4j, DynamoDB, AWS Bedrock, Claude, and AWS cloud services.
• Establish standards and best practices for agent orchestration, memory management, context engineering, tool integration, and multi-agent collaboration.
• Drive the development of reusable AI accelerators, SDKs, APIs, templates, and reference implementations to enable rapid solution delivery.
• Lead knowledge graph and data architecture initiatives using Neo4j, DynamoDB, and GraphQL to support contextual retrieval and intelligent decision-making.
• Define and implement Responsible AI practices, including governance, security, observability, auditability, and human-in-the-loop controls.
• Collaborate with business stakeholders, product owners, architects, and engineering teams to translate business requirements into scalable AI capabilities and strategic roadmap initiatives.
• Mentor cross-functional teams, conduct architecture reviews, foster innovation, and drive the successful delivery and adoption of Agentic AI solutions.

Skills

Java

Python

Node.js

AWS Bedrock

React

GraphQL

Neo4j

DynamoDB

AI governance

Leadership

Job description

About the role
As a Principal Agentic AI Architect, you will make an impact by designing and leading the development of enterprise-scale Agentic AI platforms, frameworks, and reusable capabilities that accelerate AI adoption across the organization. You will be a valued member of the AI and Digital Engineering team, collaborating with product owners, business stakeholders, architects, and engineering teams to deliver scalable, secure, and responsible AI solutions.

In this role, you will:

Lead the design and development of the enterprise Agentic AI Framework Catalog, defining reusable agent architectures, implementation patterns, and engineering standards.

Architect and deliver scalable AI solutions leveraging Java, Python, Node.js, React, GraphQL, Neo4j, DynamoDB, AWS Bedrock, Claude, and AWS cloud services.

Establish standards and best practices for agent orchestration, memory management, context engineering, tool integration, and multi-agent collaboration.

Drive the development of reusable AI accelerators, SDKs, APIs, templates, and reference implementations to enable rapid solution delivery.

Lead knowledge graph and data architecture initiatives using Neo4j, DynamoDB, and GraphQL to support contextual retrieval and intelligent decision-making.

Define and implement Responsible AI practices, including governance, security, observability, auditability, and human-in-the-loop controls.

Collaborate with business stakeholders, product owners, architects, and engineering teams to translate business requirements into scalable AI capabilities and strategic roadmap initiatives.

Mentor cross-functional teams, conduct architecture reviews, foster innovation, and drive the successful delivery and adoption of Agentic AI solutions.

Work model

We believe hybrid work is the way forward as we strive to provide flexibility wherever possible. Based on this role’s business requirements, this is a hybrid position requiring 3 days a week in a client or Cognizant office in Charlotte, NC OR Iselin, NJ OR Dallas, TX. Regardless of your working arrangement, we are here to support a healthy work-life balance though our various wellbeing programs.

The working arrangements for this role are accurate as of the date of posting. These may change based on the project you are engaged in, as well as evolving business and client requirements. We will always be transparent about role expectations.

Please note: Some roles may require in‑person interviews at Cognizant offices or client locations based on project needs.

What you need to have to be considered

• Strong experience developing enterprise applications using Java, Python, and/or Node.js.
• Hands-on experience designing and implementing Agentic AI solutions and AI-powered applications.
• Expertise with AWS cloud services, including AWS Bedrock.
• Experience working with foundation models such as Claude.
• Proficiency with React, GraphQL, Neo4j, and DynamoDB.
• Strong understanding of AI architecture, distributed systems, APIs, and cloud-native application design.
• Experience establishing AI governance, security, observability, and Responsible AI frameworks.
• Proven ability to lead architecture initiatives and mentor engineering teams.

This will help you stand out

• Experience architecting multi-agent AI ecosystems at enterprise scale.
• Expertise in knowledge graph architectures and contextual retrieval solutions.
• Experience building reusable AI frameworks, accelerators, SDKs, and developer platforms.
• Familiarity with AI/LLM observability, model governance, and operational best practices.
• Experience leading AI transformation initiatives across large, complex organizations.
• Strong stakeholder management and executive communication skills.
• Experience working in Agile environments and leading geographically distributed teams.

Salary and Other Compensation

The annual salary for this position is between $70,000 to $117,000 depending on experience and other qualifications of the successful candidate.
This position is also eligible for Cognizant’s discretionary annual incentive program, based on performance and subject to the terms of Cognizant’s applicable plans.

Benefits

Cognizant offers the following benefits for this position, subject to applicable eligibility requirements:

• Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance
• Paid holidays plus Paid Time Off
• 401(k) plan and contributions
• Long-term/Short-term Disability
• Paid Parental Leave
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Disclaimer

The salary, other compensation, and benefits information is accurate as of the date of this posting. Cognizant reserves the right to modify this information at any time, subject to applicable law.

*Please note, this role cannot offer visa transfer or sponsorship now or in the future*