Principal AI Architect

Youraidept; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 200,000 - 350,000; Full time

Job summary

Youraidept in the Bay Area is seeking a Principal AI Architect for a remote-flexible, full-time role. You will set the technical direction across client engagements, define service boundaries, data flows, and robust model infrastructure strategies.

This role demands 6+ years in software architecture with production AI/ML, deep LLM deployment knowledge, and the ability to articulate architectural choices to engineers and CEOs.

Qualifications

• 6+ years in software architecture or senior engineering roles.
• Deep understanding of LLM deployment patterns and agent orchestration.
• Experience integrating with enterprise environments (legacy databases, ERPs, multi-cloud).
• Strong build-vs-buy judgment with real-world tradeoffs.
• Ability to communicate architectural decisions to engineers and CEOs.
• Track record of setting technical standards that teams actually follow.

Responsibilities

• Set and maintain architectural standards across engagements.
• Lead system design for complex client work, define boundaries and data flows.
• Evaluate off-the-shelf vs custom solutions and make buy/build decisions.
• Design agent architectures decomposing workflows into autonomous vs human units.
• Own the model infrastructure: deployment, monitoring, and model swapping.
• Conduct technical due diligence during audits and flag risks.

Skills

LLM deployment patterns

Agent orchestration

Build vs Buy

Enterprise integration

Architectural communication

Technical standards

Tools

MCP-based integrations

Job description

# Principal AI ArchitectBay Area (Remote-Flexible)Full-timeArchitectureWe are seeking a senior technical leader who operates at the intersection of AI systems design, enterprise architecture, and model infrastructure. The ideal candidate sets the technical direction for how we build across all client engagements and ensures every system we ship is built to last, not just built to demo.This role requires deep architectural judgment. We architect using universal standards so our clients can swap models as the market evolves. You own that architectural philosophy and evolve it as the field moves.## What You'll Do* •Set and maintain the technical architecture standards across all YAID engagements. Every Cog we build should reflect a coherent, future-proof design philosophy* •Lead system design for the most complex client engagements. You define service boundaries, agent orchestration patterns, and data flow architecture before the team starts building* •Make build-vs-buy decisions. We are vendor-neutral general contractors. You evaluate off-the-shelf solutions, determine what to customize, and decide when custom-built is the only viable path* •Design agent architectures that decompose workflows into atomic units, determining which units require human judgment and which can be fully autonomous* •Own the model infrastructure layer. You decide how we deploy, monitor, and swap models across client environments, ensuring no engagement is locked to a single provider* •Conduct technical due diligence on client systems during the audit phase. You assess whether their infrastructure can support what we're proposing and flag risks before we commit## You Should Have* •6+ years in software architecture or senior engineering roles, with at least 3 years focused on AI/ML systems in production* •Deep understanding of LLM deployment patterns, agent orchestration frameworks, and the practical tradeoffs between different model architectures* •Experience designing systems that integrate with enterprise environments (legacy databases, ERPs, heterogeneous cloud setups)* •Strong opinions on build-vs-buy, backed by experience making those calls and living with the consequences* •The ability to communicate architectural decisions to both engineers and CEOs. You can explain why a decision matters technically and financially in the same conversation* •A track record of setting technical standards that other engineers actually follow, not because they have to, but because the standards are good## Your Candidacy Is Stronger If* •You've held a Staff+ or Principal engineering role at a FAANG-tier company (Google, Meta, Amazon) where you set architectural direction across multiple teams* •You have experience in consulting or professional services where you designed systems for clients with wildly different technical environments* •You've built and deployed MCP-based or similar protocol-level integrations in production* •You have opinions about the future of agent architectures that go beyond what's in the latest blog posts## This Probably Isn't For You If* •You want to focus on model research or training. We deploy and orchestrate models. We don't train them* •You prefer working in a single, stable codebase. Every client is a new environment* •You're looking for a people management role. This is a senior IC position with architectural authority* •You think the right answer to most problems is "build it from scratch"## About UsOur team is former tech CEOs, exited founders, and AI engineers from Google, Meta, and Coinbase. We've built AI systems serving billions of users at large tech companies and scaled our own startups from zero. We understand constraints, P&Ls, and what it takes to make AI work inside companies that weren't born digital.You'll work on real problems at real companies. Every system you build has a measurable dollar impact.## CompensationCompetitive base + performance-based comp tied to client outcomes.## Apply for this roleFill out the form below and we'll be in touch.