Data & AI Solutions Architect

About the Role

We are seeking a seasoned Data & AI Solutions Architect with 12+ years of experience to lead the design and integration of a cutting-edge, scalable data platform. This role requires deep expertise in Azure technologies, data architecture, and modern AI capabilities. The ideal candidate will define the platform’s strategic roadmap, oversee the seamless integration of ingestion, processing, storage, and AI/ML layers, and provide technical leadership across teams. You will be architecting robust, intelligent data ecosystems that power enterprise-grade AI solutions

Key Responsibilities

• Define the architectural blueprint and strategic roadmap for the Data Platform, integrating data ingestion, processing, storage, and AI/ML layers
• Design optimal data models for OneLake Delta Tables (Raw, Silver, Gold) and define strategies for data storage solutions (Graph Database, Vector Database, Elastic Search)
• Oversee the seamless integration of all platform components, including Azure Data Factory, OneLake, Azure AI services (Document Intelligence, OpenAI, AI Search), and the Data Store
• Ensure the scalability, performance, security, and cost-effectiveness of the entire data platform
• Define data governance, quality, and retention policies across the platform
• Collaborate with development teams and stakeholders to ensure data is optimized for AI/ML consumption and vectorization processes
• Provide technical leadership, guidance, and mentorship to engineering teams.
• Stay current with emerging trends and technologies in data architecture, big data, cloud-native services, and AI/ML

Candidate Requirements

• 12–15 years of overall relevant experience
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Data Engineering, Software Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, or a related field
• Proven experience as a Solutions/Data Architect designing and implementing large-scale data platform
• Hands-on experience with Microsoft Azure cloud services, especially in Data Factory, OneLake, Delta Lake, ADLS Gen2, Azure AI/OpenAI, and Azure AI Search
• Experience with data modeling (Raw/Silver/Gold), Medallion architecture, and data governance
• Track record in integrating AI/ML layers into data platforms and building data pipelines ready for cognitive services or search-based applications
• Familiarity with graph databases, vector databases, Elastic Search, AKS, and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) framework
• Additional certifications in cloud architecture, data engineering, or AI/ML (e.g., Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert, Azure Data Engineer, or Azure AI Engineer) are a strong plus

Disclaimer:

This job posting is not open to recruitment agencies. Any candidate profile submitted by a recruitment agency will be considered as being received directly from an applicant. Contango reserves the rights to contact the candidate directly, without incurring any obligations or liabilities for payment of any fees to the recruitment agency.