Senior AI Architect

Sia; New York (NY); On-site; USD 131,000 - 136,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental & vision insurance

401(k) with company match

Paid parental leave

Job summary

Sia seeks an experienced Solution Architect for the AI Platforms team in the United States. You will translate complex business requirements into robust data and AI architectures across cloud and generative AI domains, collaborating with CIOs, CISOs, and engineering leads.

Responsibilities include leading architectural governance, scoping solutions for pre-sales, and mentoring teams, with part-time embedded roles on cross-functional project teams and a path to engineering management.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in computer science, engineering, or related field.
• 4–7 years of solution/ cloud architecture experience with significant design responsibilities.
• Deep expertise in at least two ecosystems: AWS, Azure, GCP, Databricks, OpenAI, Anthropic, NVIDIA.
• Strong cloud architecture patterns: networking, security, compute, storage, and managed AI/ML services.
• Experience engaging with senior client stakeholders and translating business needs into technical solutions.
• Fluent in French; professional English proficiency.

Responsibilities

• Define end-to-end technical architecture for data and AI projects across cloud, ML/DL, and generative AI domains.
• Serve as primary technical contact for client stakeholders, aligning decisions with security and regulatory requirements.
• Lead architecture reviews, design sessions, and governance forums across workstreams.
• Remove impediments for engineering teams and provide hands-on guidance.
• Oversee advisory, assessments, prototyping to production deployment lifecycle.
• Ensure production-ready designs addressing scalability and cost optimization.
• Support pre-sales with technical scoping, proposals, and effort estimation.
• Mentor junior consultants and contribute to internal IP and accelerators.

Skills

French fluency

English proficiency

Problem solving

Communication skills

Senior architecture experience

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Master’s degree in computer science/engineering

Tools

AWS

Azure

Google Cloud

Databricks

OpenAI

Anthropic

NVIDIA

Job description

Sia is a next-generation, global management consulting group. Founded in 1999, we were born digital. Today our strategy and management capabilities are augmented by data science, enhanced by creativity and driven by responsibility. We’re optimists for change and we help clients initiate, navigate and benefit from transformation. We believe optimism is a force multiplier, helping clients to mitigate downside and maximize opportunity. With expertise across a broad range of sectors and services, our 3,000 consultants serve clients worldwide from 48 locations in 19 countries. Our expertise delivers results. Our optimism transforms outcomes.

Sia’s AI & Data Business Unit is the powerhouse of our firm’s innovation—merging cutting-edge Data Science, Generative AI, and advanced digital solutions to transform industries. With over 350 experts worldwide, we tackle projects from proof-of-concept to large-scale deployment, always pushing the boundaries of AI capabilities. Our 12 R&D labs in Europe and North America drive continuous research in areas like computer vision, MLOps, and deep learning, partnering closely with our business consultants for real-world impact. By joining Sia’s AI & Data team, you’ll step into a vibrant, collaborative environment that nurtures professional growth and empowers you to shape the future of AI-driven consulting.

Job Description

We are looking for an experienced Solution Architect to join our AI Platforms team. In this role, you will be the technical authority on client engagements — translating complex business requirements into robust, scalable data and AI architectures across cloud, machine learning, and generative AI domains.

You will work directly with senior client stakeholders (CIO, CISO, Engineering leads) to define technical vision, remove impediments for delivery teams, and ensure that architectural choices align with security, compliance, and cost constraints. You will also contribute to pre-sales activities by scoping solutions, estimating effort, and building technical proposals that win new business.

This is a staff-level individual contributor role embedded part-time in cross-functional project teams, with a clear path toward engineering management for those who choose it.

Client Architecture & Technical Leadership (~70%)

• Define and own the end-to-end technical architecture for data and AI projects — covering cloud infrastructure, data pipelines, ML/DL model serving, generative AI applications, and agent-based systems.
• Act as the primary technical point of contact for client stakeholders, aligning architectural decisions with business objectives, security policies, and regulatory requirements (GDPR, EU AI Act).
• Lead architecture reviews, design sessions, and technical governance forums to ensure quality and coherence across workstreams.
• Remove technical impediments for engineering teams and provide hands‑on guidance when needed.
• Oversee the full project lifecycle: from advisory and assessments through prototyping (POC/MVP) to full-scale production deployment.
• Ensure solutions are designed for production readiness — addressing scalability, reliability, observability, and cost optimization.

Pre-Sales & Business Development (~30%)

• Support business development by contributing to technical scoping, architecture proposals, and effort estimations during the sales cycle.
• Participate in client presentations and workshops to demonstrate Sia’s technical capabilities and build trust.
• Identify expansion opportunities within existing accounts by surfacing new use cases and technical needs.
• Mentor junior consultants and engineers, helping them grow their architectural thinking and client‑facing skills.
• Contribute to building internal IP, accelerators, and reference architectures that leverage frontier technological developments.
• Stay current on the evolving landscape of cloud services, AI frameworks, and industry best practices.

Qualifications

Required

• Master’s degree in computer science, engineering, or a related field.
• 4 to 7 years of experience in solution architecture, cloud architecture, or a senior engineering role with significant design responsibilities.
• Deep expertise in at least two of the following technology ecosystems: AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, Databricks, OpenAI, Anthropic, NVIDIA.
• Strong command of cloud architecture patterns — networking, security, compute, storage, and managed AI/ML services.
• Solid understanding of the data and AI landscape: classical ML, deep learning, generative AI, autonomous agents, and data engineering.
• Proven ability to engage with senior client stakeholders (CIO, CISO, VP Engineering) and translate business needs into technical solutions.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills — able to convey complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Strong problem‑solving skills and ability to make sound architectural trade‑offs under uncertainty.
• Fluent in French; professional proficiency in English.

Nice to Have

• Hands‑on coding ability (Python, Terraform/IaC, or similar) for prototyping and technical validation.
• Experience with MLOps / LLMOps tooling and production deployment pipelines.
• Professional‑level certifications (e.g., AWS Solutions Architect Professional, Azure Solutions Architect Expert, Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect, Databricks Professional Data Engineer).
• Experience in management consulting or client‑facing delivery environments.
• Familiarity with AI compliance frameworks and responsible AI practices.

Additional Information

Sia invests in total rewards that support how our people work, live, and grow.

Compensation

• Base Salary: $130,600-135,700Actual compensation within this range will bedeterminedbased on experience, qualifications, geographic location, and other job-related factorspermittedby applicable law.
• Annual Performance Bonus
• Medical, dental, and vision; company‑paid life and AD&D; voluntary supplemental insurance and EAP
• 401(k) with company match and immediate vesting; HSA and FSA options
• College savings and student loan repayment programs
• Paid parental leave; generous PTO, nine company holidays, and one floating holiday
• Cell phone stipend; well‑being and professional development programs

Benefits are subject to applicable plan terms and eligibility requirements.

Workplace
Sia values in‑person collaboration. When serving clients, consultants maybe requiredto work onsite at a client location based on engagement needs. Between client engagements, consultants are expected to work from a Sia office or approved coworking location at least three days per week. Candidates shouldresidewithin a reasonable commuting distance of a Sia office or approved coworking location. Sia maintains offices and coworking arrangements across multiple U.S. markets,includingNew York City, Charlotte, Greater Seattle, San Francisco Greater Bay Area,Los Angeles,Houston, Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago,Washington D.C.

Work Authorization

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States at the time of application and throughout their employment. This position is not eligible for employment visa sponsorship now or in the future.

At Sia, we believe in fostering a diverse,equitable,and inclusive culture where our employees and partners are valued and thrive in a sense of belonging.

Sia is an equal opportunity employer. All aspects of employment, including hiring, promotion, remuneration, or discipline, are based solely on performance, competence, conduct, or business needs.