Senior AI Architect - VertexAI & Google Cloud (Remote)

Unikon IT, Inc.; Richmond (VA); Remote; USD 124,000 - 207,000; Full time

Job summary

Unikon IT, Inc. seeks an experienced AI Architect to lead an enterprise-grade Vertex AI and Google Cloud Platform solution in Richmond.

You will define the end-to-end architecture, select AI processors, and ensure API-first design across multiple Google services. The role demands deep cloud expertise, strong Java/Spring background, and a track record of handling large data migrations and secure, scalable platforms.

Qualifications

• 15 years in software engineering with 5 years in hands-on lead role.
• Deep Google Cloud Platform experience including at least one large-scale production system.
• Strong Java Spring Boot background able to review and write production code.
• Proven experience with large-volume data or content platforms and complex data migrations.
• Strong relational data modelling and performance tuning PostgreSQL/AlloyDB; working knowledge of MongoDB.
• Event-driven and asynchronous design Pub/Sub API gateway patterns Apigee containerization and Kubernetes GKE.
• Enterprise security and identity experience Okta or equivalent.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; defend design decisions with senior stakeholders.
• Proven experience architecting AI/ML-enabled applications on cloud Vertex AI Document AI or equivalent model/service selection integration patterns and cost-aware design at volume.

Responsibilities

• Define and own the end-to-end solution across GCS, Cloud Run, GKE, Pub/Sub, AlloyDB, Vertex AI, Document AI, Apigee and Storage Transfer.
• Design an API-first platform with contracts, OpenAPI versioning, and integration patterns for consuming systems.
• Plan partitioning, indexing, and search performance for hundreds of millions of metadata rows in AlloyDB.
• Lead migrations: bucket-to-bucket, file movement, and MongoDB to AlloyDB metadata migration with restartable workflows.
• Lead security activities: OIDC, SAML, IAM, service accounts, encryption, and compliance controls.
• Own AI enrichment, select processors/models, define integration patterns and event-driven flows with reprocessing.
• Define AI cost and performance model, batching strategy, tiering by document complexity and SLAs.
• Produce and review artifacts: HLD/LLD, ADRs.
• Provide technical governance, design reviews, code reviews, and mentoring of juniors/senior engineers.

Skills

Java

Spring

VertexAI

Google Cloud Platform

Tools

GKE

PostgreSQL

MongoDB

Pub/Sub

Apigee

OpenAPI

Storage Transfer Service

Job description

Unikon IT, Inc. seeks an experienced AI Architect to lead an enterprise-grade Vertex AI and Google Cloud Platform solution in Richmond.

You will define the end-to-end architecture, select AI processors, and ensure API-first design across multiple Google services. The role demands deep cloud expertise, strong Java/Spring background, and a track record of handling large data migrations and secure, scalable platforms.