Sr AI Architect - Conversational AI

Twilio; United States; Remote; USD 324,000 - 406,000; Full time

Job summary

Twilio Inc. is seeking a Sr AI Architect - Conversation AI to shape the future of our customer engagement platform by advancing AI capabilities and production ML/AI systems at scale.

You will define long‑term ML/AI architectural vision, own the ML Ops roadmap, mentor engineers, and partner with Product Management to deliver milestone‑driven, high‑impact AI solutions across the company. Your work will require deep technical leadership, cross‑functional collaboration, and a commitment to

Qualifications

• 15+ years in software engineering, with 6+ years building production‑grade ML systems at a platform scale.
• Experience with ML Ops and LLM Ops patterns and metrics, retraining loops, and monitoring at scale.
• Deep expertise in design/architecture/deployment of production‑grade ML/AI systems incl. transformers, embedding models, and vector stores.
• Context Engineering lifecycle knowledge including semantic retrieval and multi‑turn context management.
• Cloud-based services using AWS, GCP, or Azure with high‑volume data.
• Exceptional communication and collaboration, mentoring engineers and shaping tech strategy.
• Master's or Ph.D. in CS/ML/DS/Statistics or related field.
• Publications in ML conferences and enterprise-scale ML/AI Ops platforms (desired).
• Distributed work experience (desired).

Responsibilities

• Define and drive a long‑term AI/ML architectural vision aligned with business goals.
• Own roadmap for ML/AI Ops platform and tooling for model development to lifecycle management.
• Evaluate modern LLM architectures, RAG systems, and inference optimization techniques.
• Lead architecture for agentic AI systems including orchestration and grounding.
• Stay current with LLMs, agent frameworks, and AI infra advancements.
• Bridge high‑level strategy with deep code reviews and pair programming.
• Partner with Product Management to translate roadmaps into milestones.
• Provide hands‑on technical leadership while mentoring the team.

Skills

Software engineering

ML systems design

ML Ops

LLM Ops

Context engineering

Cloud platforms

Mentoring engineers

Executive communication

Education

Master's or PhD in CS/ML/DS/Statistics

Tools

AWS

GCP

Azure

LLM frameworks

Job description

Who we areAt the company, we’re shaping the future of communications, all from the comfort of our homes. We deliver innovative solutions to hundreds of thousands of businesses and empower millions of developers worldwide to craft personalized customer experiences.

Our dedication to remote-first work, and strong culture of connection and global inclusion means that no matter your location, you’re part of a vibrant team with diverse experiences making a global impact each day. As we continue to revolutionize how the world interacts, we’re acquiring new skills and experiences that make work feel truly rewarding. Your career at the company is in your hands.

.Hiring and how we workWe use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help make our hiring process efficient. That said, every hiring decision is made by real Twilions!

Also, while we are a remote-first company, you may be asked to report in person on an ad-hoc basis for team gatherings, functional off-sites or customer meetings.

.See yourself at the companyJoin the team as the company’s next Sr AI Architect - Conversation AI.

About the jobThis position is critical to leveraging the company’s massive data ecosystem and unmatched communication scale to build our customer facing AI capabilities, such as the company Conversational Memory, Enterprise Knowledge, Behavioral Data Intelligence and many more to power the future of our customer engagement platform.

As a Sr. AI Architect for the company Platform, you will also influence the design and evolution of our company-wide ML/AI Ops foundation. You will set the long-term technical vision, establish architectural guardrails, and ensure strict adherence to responsible AI principles. You will drive cross-organizational initiatives, solve complex technical challenges, and elevate the technical standards across all of the company. Transitioning AI/ML concepts from cutting‑edge research to resilient, compliant, and cost-effective production systems will be your core mission.

As a Sr AI Architect, you will lead the company as the Distinguished Engineer and AI Contextual Engineering SME, serving as the guiding authority to our Architects, driving company-wide impact, and steering the company's overarching technical direction for conversational AI. In this pivotal leadership role, you will also influence the design and evolution of our company-wide ML/AI Ops foundation. You will set the long-term technical vision, establish architectural guardrails, and ensure strict adherence to responsible AI principles. By driving cross-organizational initiatives and solving complex technical challenges, you will elevate the technical standards across all the company. Transitioning AI/ML concepts from cutting‑edge research to resilient, compliant, and cost-effective production systems will be your core mission.

ResponsibilitiesIn this role, you’ll:

• Define and drive a long-term AI/ML architectural vision that aligns with the company’s business goals, specifically focusing on how data and memory power the next generation of customer engagement.
• Own the strategic roadmap for the company’s ML/AI Ops platform and tooling, ensuring a unified approach to model development, deployment, and lifecycle management across all platform capabilities.
• Evaluate and implement modern LLM architectures, RAG systems, MCP/tooling frameworks, and inference optimization techniques.
• Lead architecture for agentic AI systems including orchestration, reasoning, tool usage, and contextual grounding.
• Stay current with rapidly evolving advancements in LLMs, agent frameworks, reasoning systems, and AI infrastructure.
• Transition seamlessly from high‑level strategic communication with executives to deep‑dive code reviews and pair programming with engineers.
• Partner closely with Product Management to turn a roadmap into a sequence of technical milestones, ensuring that technical investments always map to customer value.
• Have a 'player-coach' mentality, and contribute hands‑on technical expertise while providing strategic direction and mentorship to the team.

Qualifications the company values diverse experiences from all kinds of industries, and we encourage everyone who meets the required qualifications to apply. If your career is just starting or hasn't followed a traditional path, don't let that stop you from considering the company. We are always looking for people who will bring something new to the table!

Required:

• 15+ years of experience in software engineering, with at least 6+ years specifically focused on building and scaling production‑grade ML systems at a platform level.
• Extensive experience with ML Ops and LLM Ops patterns, including designing and implementing rigorous evaluation metrics, automated retraining loops, and monitoring for non‑deterministic AI features at scale.
• Deep expertise in the design, architecture, and deployment of production‑grade ML/AI systems, including deep knowledge of transformer models, LLM orchestration, embedding models, inference optimization and vector stores.
• Deep understanding of the Context Engineering lifecycle, including semantic retrieval, contextual compression, state management across multi‑turn conversations.
• Strong background in building cloud‑based services using AWS, GCP, or Azure, with experience managing high‑volume data and various data stores.
• Exceptional communication and collaboration skills, with a proven ability to mentor engineers, influence company wide technical strategy, product direction, and drive results across the company.
• A Master's or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Data Science, Statistics, or a closely related quantitative field.

Desired

• A track record of relevant publications at top ML conferences or significant open-source contributions.
• Experience designing evaluation frameworks that specifically measure context quality
• Track record of designing and implementing enterprise-scale ML/AI Ops platforms
• Experience working in a geographically distributed environment.

LocationThis role will be

Travel We prioritize connection and opportunities to build relationships with our customers and each other. For this role, approximately 5% travel is anticipated to help you connect in‑person in a meaningful way.

What We OfferWorking at the company offers many benefits, including competitive pay, generous time off, ample parental and wellness leave, healthcare, a retirement savings program, and much more. Offerings vary by location.

CompensationPlease note this role is open to candidates outside of California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Vermont, Washington D.C., and Washington State. The information below is provided for candidates hired in those locations only.

The estimated pay ranges for this role are as follows:

• Based in Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Vermont or Washington D.C. : $275,840.00 - 344,800.00.
• Based in New York, New Jersey, Washington State, or California (outside of the San Francisco Bay area): $292,080.00 - 365,100.00.
• Based in the San Francisco Bay area, California: $324,480.00 - 405,600.00.
• This role may be eligible to participate in the company’s equity plan and corporate bonus plan. All roles are generally eligible for the following benefits: health care insurance, 401(k) retirement account, paid sick time, paid personal time off, paid parental leave.

The successful candidate’s starting salary will be determined based on permissible, non-discriminatory factors such as skills, experience, and geographic location.

Application deadline information Applications for this role are intended to be accepted until August 30, 2026 but may change based on business needs.

the company thinks big. Do you?We like to solve problems, take initiative, pitch in when needed, and are always up for trying new things. That's why we seek out colleagues who embody our values — something we call the company Magic. Additionally, we empower employees to build positive change in their communities by supporting their volunteering and donation efforts.

So, if you're ready to unleash your full potential, do your best work, and be the best version of yourself,

.Stay alert to recruitment fraudWe care about your safety. Scammers sometimes impersonate the company recruiters through fake job postings, emails, websites, or messages. Please ensure you are engaging with an official @ email address. We will never ask for payment, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or banking information during the recruiting process. We do not make job offers without a formal interview process or conduct interviews exclusively through text-based messaging apps.

the company is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, reproductive health decisions, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, genetic information, political views or activity, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act. Additionally, the company participates in the E-Verify program in certain locations, as required by law.