Principal AI Architect - Azure Ecosystem

Thunderhawk Technology Partners

Pennington (NJ)

On-site

USD 100,000 - 170,000

Full time

14 days+

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Job summary

A leading technology firm is seeking a hands-on AI Architect in Pennington, NJ to develop an enterprise-grade AI ecosystem for a Banking and Financial Services client. This mid-senior level contract role requires 8+ years of experience in AI/ML and cloud architecture, leading cross-functional teams and delivering impactful AI solutions. Compensation is competitive, based on experience.

Qualifications

8+ years of experience in AI/ML, data engineering, or cloud architecture.
Proven expertise with Azure AI Foundry, Databricks, and Microsoft Fabric.
Strong experience deploying AI solutions in production environments.
Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

Define and execute the firm’s AI roadmap aligned with strategic business goals.
Lead cross-functional teams to deliver impactful AI solutions.
Champion AI adoption through education and innovation.
Architect agentic AI systems using multi-agent orchestration.

Skills

AI/ML experience

Data engineering

Cloud architecture

Stakeholder management

Azure AI Foundry

Databricks

Microsoft Fabric

Job description

Duration: 12-18 months with a possibility of contract to hire

We are seeking a hands-on AI Architect to spearhead the development of an enterprise-grade AI ecosystem for a Banking and Financial Services client's global wealth management advisory team. This role is ideal for a senior hands-on resource with deep technical expertise to build and scale AI capabilities that drive client engagement, operational efficiency, and investment intelligence. The client’s firmwide AI transformation is focused on embedding intelligent agents and agentic systems across the enterprise to create a connected, insight-driven ecosystem. They are a Microsoft 365 E5 and M365 Copilot-enabled, Azure-native enterprise actively building our own Copilot through Azure AI Foundry.

Key Responsibilities

Define and execute the firm’s AI roadmap aligned with strategic business goals.
Lead cross-functional teams across data science, engineering, and product to deliver impactful AI solutions.
Champion AI adoption through education, governance, and innovation.
Architect agentic AI systems using multi-agent orchestration, cross-model workflows, and autonomous goal-seeking behaviors.

Technical Architecture & Delivery

Design and implement scalable AI platforms using Azure AI Foundry, Databricks, Genie, and Microsoft Fabric.
Deploy machine learning models for portfolio optimization, client segmentation, and risk analytics.
Ensure robust data engineering practices, model lifecycle management, and compliance with financial regulations.
Integrate Azure OpenAI services to power natural language search, agent-guided product discovery, and personalized recommendations.

AI & Advanced Analytics:

Customize and implement Microsoft Copilot solutions (e.g., Copilot for Power Platform, Fabric).
Work with GPT models and prompt engineering via Azure OpenAI Service.
Build RAG (retrieval augmented generation) pipelines and hybrid search architectures.
Ensure responsible AI practices and governance.

Required Skills & Experience:

8+ years of experience in AI/ML, data engineering, or cloud architecture.
Proven expertise with Azure AI Foundry, Databricks, and Microsoft Fabric.
Strong experience deploying AI solutions in production environments with measurable business impact.
Deep understanding of agentic AI principles and multi-agent systems.
Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
Experience in financial services or wealth management is a plus.

Seniority level