Principal AI Solutions Architect – Lead Scalable AI

Placements24; Durban; On-site; ZAR 1,800,000 - 3,000,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Executive compensation package

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Retirement savings plan

Professional development opportunities

Durban office with amenities

Career progression to leadership

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Principal AI Solutions Architect to lead the design and execution of scalable AI/ML solutions from Durban. The role blends deep technical expertise with strong business acumen to translate client needs into robust AI strategies.

You will guide engineering and data science teams, ensure production-grade systems, and contribute to pre-sales with architectural proposals. This senior position requires exceptional leadership and vision in emerging technologies.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's in CS/Engineering or related field; PhD preferred.
• 10+ years in software architecture, 5+ years AI/ML focus.
• Deep understanding of ML algorithms and data science methods.
• Experience with cloud AI/ML services (AWS/Azure/GCP).
• Proficient in Python, Java, or Scala; strong data engineering skills.
• Experience with Spark/Hadoop and data warehousing.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and architecture of end-to-end AI/ML solutions.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to define requirements and translate to technical specs.
• Evaluate AI/ML technologies, tools, and platforms.
• Develop proofs-of-concept to demonstrate value of AI solutions.
• Provide technical leadership to engineering and data science teams.
• Ensure scalability, reliability, and performance of AI systems.
• Define best practices for AI model development and MLOps.
• Stay current with AI trends and present designs to stakeholders.
• Contribute to pre-sales with technical proposals.

Skills

AI/ML architecture

Cloud platforms

Programming (Python/Java/Scala)

MLOps

Data privacy & security

Communication & stakeholder mgmt

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Engineering

Master's degree (preferred)

PhD (preferred)

Tools

AWS

Azure

GCP

Spark

Hadoop

Data warehousing

Job description

Placements24 is seeking a Principal AI Solutions Architect to lead the design and execution of scalable AI/ML solutions from Durban. The role blends deep technical expertise with strong business acumen to translate client needs into robust AI strategies.

You will guide engineering and data science teams, ensure production-grade systems, and contribute to pre-sales with architectural proposals. This senior position requires exceptional leadership and vision in emerging technologies.