Senior AI Architect

Banyan Software; United States; Remote; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Next Chapter Technology, an operating company of Banyan Software, seeks a Senior AI Architect to lead NCT’s move to an AI-first platform. This hands-on role combines building with leadership, ideal for a top-tier engineer energized by legacy transformation.

You will design and ship the first AI-driven capability, then scale the team and codify modern workflows while maintaining strict compliance with government-adjacent rules (HIPAA, CJIS).

Qualifications

• 8+ years of hands-on software engineering with modernizing architectures and cloud-native/ DevSecOps practices.
• Proven history shipping AI/ML systems end-to-end to real users (data pipelines, modeling, deployment, monitoring).
• Founding or first AI engineer who delivers baseline architecture independently.
• Excellent judgment on build-vs-buy decisions for a 15-year-old Microsoft-stack platform.

Responsibilities

• AI-First Modernization: design and build foundational AI capabilities (RAG systems, code generation, LLM orchestration, multi-agent workflows).
• Platform Modernization: refactor legacy components into scalable cloud-native services with AI automation.
• Safe, Compliant Execution: deploy features with feature flags, shadow mode, monitoring under HIPAA/CJIS rules.
• Partnership with Banyan Ecosystem: collaborate with central AI initiatives to accelerate local product value.

Skills

Deep Software Breadth

Production AI Experience

Build-Solo Appetite

Refactoring Judgment

Humility & Commercial Acumen

Job description

Banyan Software is the best permanent home for software businesses that serve specialized industries, their employees, and their customers. With a buy-grow-and-hold-for-life approach and a permanent capital base, Banyan acquires and grows companies worldwide, honoring founder legacies and helping portfolio companies modernize through shared AI expertise and operational discipline. Founded in 2016, Banyan operates more than 120 portfolio companies across North and South America, Europe, and APAC, and has appeared on the Inc. 5000 list for six consecutive years. The Banyan Software Foundation, endowed with $100 million in Banyan stock, leverages technology to build a greener and more equitable world.

Senior AI Architect

Company: Next Chapter Technology (An Operating Company of Banyan Software)

Location: US-Based (Remote) — Must meet federal-adjacent compliance eligibility Reports To: Chief Executive Officer

About Next Chapter Technology (NCT)

Next Chapter Technology builds CaseWorks, a mission-critical content and workflow management platform embedded in county-level Health and Human Services operations across the United States. With a 15-year engineering history, a captive install base, and structured operational data, NCT sits at an inflection point to become an AI-first platform. As a Banyan Software operating company, we combine the agility of an independent business with the permanent backing of a global enterprise that buys, holds, and grows software companies for life.

The Opportunity

We are seeking a Senior AI Architect to spearhead NCT’s transition into an AI-first platform. This is an intensely hands-on, builder-to-leader role designed for an elite engineer who is energized by complex, legacy transformation.

You will lead from the front with a strict "build-solo-first" mandate. Your initial mission is to personally design, build, and prove the first version of NCT's AI-driven capability, shipping measurable customer value before expanding headcount. Once the AI factory framework is successfully established, you will take on the people-management responsibility of scaling and upskilling the engineering team to adopt these modern workflows. We are not looking for a hands-off manager or a slide-deck architect—anyone who has left day-to-day technical execution behind will not be a fit.

What You Will Own

• AI-First Modernization (Hands-On): Personally design and build NCT's foundational AI capabilities (RAG systems, code generation, LLM orchestration, and multi-agent workflows) to analyze legacy code and generate production-ready services.
• Platform Modernization: Pragmatically refactor legacy components into scalable, cloud-native services and replace manual workflows with AI-driven automation without succumbing to the temptation of a wholesale platform rewrite.
• Safe, Compliant Execution: Safely deploy features (utilizing feature flags, shadow mode, and monitoring) while strictly operating within government-adjacent and public-sector compliance frameworks (HIPAA, CJIS).
• Banyan Ecosystem Partnership: Act as the core technical partner to the CEO while collaborating with Banyan's centralized AI initiatives to accelerate localized product value.

What We Are Looking For

• Deep Software Breadth: 8+ years of hands‑on software engineering with a proven track record of modernizing complex architectures and establishing cloud‑native/DevSecOps practices.
• Production AI Experience: Documented history of shipping functional AI/ML systems end-to-end to real users (data pipelines, modeling, deployment, and monitoring). You treat AI tooling as the core foundation of engineering productivity.
• The "Build-Solo" Appetite: Experience as a founding or first AI engineer who is completely comfortable delivering baseline architecture independently before relying on a large team.
• Pragmatic Refactoring Judgment: Exceptional judgment regarding build-vs‑buy decisions and the patience required to guide a 15-year-old Microsoft‑stack platform through a modernization step‑change.
• Radical Humility: Non‑negotiable at Banyan. You possess strong commercial acumen and