Principal AI Platform Architect

The Company STACK INFRASTRUCTURE (STACK) provides digital infrastructure to scale the world’s most innovative companies. We are an award-winning industry leader in building, owning, and operating highly efficient, cost-effective wholesale, colocation, and cloud data centers. Each of our national facilities meets or exceeds the highest industry standards in all operational categories of availability, security, connectivity, and physical resilience. STACK offers the scale and geographic reach that rapidly growing hyperscale and enterprise companies need. The world runs on data. Data runs on STACK. The Position The Manager, Azure Infrastructure & AI Platform Engineering owns the strategic technology vision and enterprise architecture for STACK’s AI and digital transformation program. This is a cross‑cutting leadership role that spans data architecture, AI platform strategy, enterprise integration, and long‑term technology scaling—reporting directly to the VP of Global IT Delivery. Unlike a delivery‑only role, this position carries ownership of where the organization is heading technologically: which AI models and frameworks to adopt, how the data platform evolves, which integrations to prioritize, and how the entire technology stack scales from proof‑of‑concept to enterprise‑grade production. The leader architects the Azure‑based AI platform (RAG, agentic frameworks, multi‑model orchestration), defines the data and integration strategy across NetSuite, Workday, Procore, Freshworks, SharePoint, and M365, and builds the roadmaps that translate business needs into delivered capabilities. This role requires someone who can operate at the whiteboard with executives and at the terminal with engineers—equally comfortable presenting a three‑year platform strategy to leadership as they are reviewing Terraform modules or debugging a RAG retrieval pipeline. Technology Strategy & AI Direction Define and own the enterprise AI and technology strategy—setting the direction for platform architecture, model selection, automation priorities, and multi‑year scaling across AMER, EMEA, and APAC. Evaluate and select AI models (LLM/SLM), orchestration frameworks (Semantic Kernel, LangGraph, AutoGen), and platform components based on cost, capability, latency, and enterprise fit. Build and maintain the technology roadmap that aligns AI, data, automation, and integration initiatives with business objectives and ROI targets. Serve as the primary technology advisor to executive leadership—translating complex technical decisions into business impact and investment recommendations. Lead build‑vs‑buy and vendor evaluation decisions for platform components, integration tools, and AI services. Enterprise Architecture & Platform Design Architect the end‑to‑end AI platform on Azure: Azure AI Foundry, Azure AI Search, Databricks, Cosmos DB, ADLS Gen2, and Semantic Kernel across dual EA subscriptions with environment isolation. Design the multi‑model orchestration layer enabling plug‑and‑play integration of any LLM or SLM (OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, Mistral, Llama, Phi) optimized by use case. Own the data architecture strategy: data lakehouse design (Delta Lake, Unity Catalog, medallion architecture), vector/semantic search infrastructure, and data governance frameworks. Define the integration architecture connecting NetSuite, Workday, Procore, Freshworks, SharePoint, and M365 through APIs, event‑driven patterns, and enterprise SSO/SCIM. Establish architecture standards, design patterns, and technical governance that the engineering team follows across all initiatives. Cross‑Functional Execution & Delivery Leadership Lead and mentor the Cloud Infrastructure & Automation Engineer and the Data & Platform Integration role, driving execution across all active workstreams. Architect flagship initiatives including the HR Project Manager Agent (interactive project support, meeting facilitation, status reporting, task tracking, and Teams/email communications) and document intelligence pipelines for contracts, POs, and invoices. Drive automation and integration delivery with clear ROI milestones—targeting quick wins in the first 90 days and progressive value delivery each quarter. Collaborate with the M365 transformation program to align AI capabilities with Copilot strategy, SharePoint re‑architecture, and Entra ID optimization. Build business cases with projected cost savings, FTE equivalents recovered, and efficiency metrics for each initiative. The Details Location: Denver, CO or Dallas, TX Travel required (if applicable) Benefits: Healthcare, Dental Care, Vision Insurance, Life Insurance, Paid Time Off, and Paid Leave Programs Must be eligible to work in the United States Must pass comprehensive background and drug screening Must‑have Qualifications 10+ years of technology experience with at least 4 years in architecture or strategy leadership roles spanning AI/ML, data platforms, and enterprise integration. Deep Azure expertise: AI Foundry, Azure OpenAI Service, Databricks, Azure AI Search, Cosmos DB, Azure Functions, ADLS Gen2, and Azure Networking. Strong hands‑on architecture skills: RAG systems, agentic frameworks, multi‑model orchestration, vector/semantic search, and data lakehouse design. Experience defining enterprise integration strategies across SaaS platforms (NetSuite, Workday, Procore, or similar ERP/HR/Construction systems). Proficiency with Entra ID (SSO, SCIM, conditional access, OAuth 2.0) and API architecture (REST, GraphQL, event‑driven patterns). Proven ability to build and present technology roadmaps, business cases, and investment recommendations to executive leadership. Track record of leading cross‑functional technical teams and delivering complex programs with measurable ROI. Strong understanding of enterprise security, compliance (SOX), and data governance frameworks. Preferred Qualifications Experience with M365 ecosystem (Graph API, SharePoint, Teams, Copilot extensibility, Power Platform). Background in construction, data center, real estate, or utility industry verticals. Azure certifications: AZ‑305, AI‑102, DP‑203, or SC‑300. Experience with MLOps, responsible AI governance, and model lifecycle management. Familiarity with iPaaS platforms (MuleSoft, Boomi, Workato) and document intelligence / OCR pipelines. Compensation Range $128,260.00 – $146,017.59 This Might Be Right For You If You are a strong communicator, persuasive and clear, blending analytics with experience in decision‑making. You do not get flustered easily. You can juggle multiple priorities while balancing urgent requests with shifting timelines and deliverables. You are a team builder. You take the time to understand and develop the strengths of your resources while formulating long‑term plans for the growth and success of the team. You are naturally curious and driven toward continual improvement. While you celebrate your successes, you take time to review and analyze campaigns for future learning.

WHY STACK?

We offer a competitive compensation package with strong benefits, including medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401(K) program, flexible spending accounts, and even a cell phone subsidy. We foster a culture of appreciation, including peer‑to‑peer recognition and rewards programs. Fun is part of our DNA, with events, game nights, happy hours, and barbecues. We’re growing – this is a great time to join and make an impact! STACK is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, national origin, mental or physical disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local law. #J-18808-Ljbffr STACK Infrastructure