Principal AI Architect (Naperville)

Ecolab Digital is seeking a commercial solutions focused Principal AI Architect to scale the value of AI / DS intelligence to deliver unique offerings for customers via digital software solutions with embedded AI. In this role, you will collaborate with the AI development teams, E2E solution architects, and technical engineering owners to design AI architecture within the larger solution architecture. You will own the strategic advancement of the AI tech stack and understand industry changes and opportunities to maximize solution design. You will partner with AI development teams to review adherence and navigate new solution challenges through the development process. This role is aligned with a dynamic team at the forefront of technological innovation creating cutting‑edge AI for intelligent solutions that transform how our customers operate for enhanced efficiency and sustainability.

Position Details

• Location: The desired location for this role is either Naperville, IL or St. Paul, MN with a hybrid schedule.
• Travel: Up to 10% of the time.

What you will do

• Define enterprise architecture across GenAI, agentic workflows, ML platforms, and data engineering ecosystems.
• Serve as a technical voice in leadership discussions, influencing strategy and navigating organizational challenges.
• Architect and implement scalable AI solutions including agentic ecosystems, advanced pipelines, and AI model integrations with larger end-to-end SAAS solutions.
• Evaluate and understand technologies that meet needs in support of cost‑optimized, multi‑cloud solutions including aspects of Databricks, Snowflake, Azure and beyond.
• Elevate governance standards covering security, compliance, and responsible AI/data use.
• Mentor engineering teams, fostering autonomy, technical excellence, and architectural discipline.
• Evaluate emerging AI/data tooling and integrate reusable architectural patterns to accelerate delivery.
• Ensure alignment of architecture with business goals, scalability requirements, and innovation roadmaps.
• Provide clear, consistent communication and presentation to various stakeholders related to AI architecture strategy and implementation to drive alignment, education, and impact‑based decisions.
• Work within an agile global resource model, planning for and delivering against initiatives.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelors Degree in Computer Science or related field and 10 years of experience in progressive architecture and AI/DS design and engineering.
• Enterprise Architecture: AI + data ecosystem design, multi‑agent orchestration (LangChain, LangGraph, Haystack), enterprise‑wide AI/ML standards.
• AI/ML Platforms: LLM APIs (OpenAI, Hugging Face, Anthropic, MosaicML), transformer architectures, RAG workflows, LLMOps frameworks (prompt lifecycle, monitoring).
• LLMOps frameworks (prompt lifecycle, monitoring, context engineering, harness engineering).
• Data & Cloud Infrastructure: Databricks (Delta Lake, Spark SQL, PySpark, MLflow), Snowflake (enterprise‑scale warehousing), Azure (AKS, Synapse, EventHub, Logic Apps).
• Programming & Integration: Python (Transformers, LangChain, PyTorch), API integration (REST, GraphQL, gRPC), microservices/event‑driven systems.
• Governance & Security: Responsible AI frameworks, privacy/compliance, OAuth2, JWT, TLS, RBAC.
• DevOps & Delivery: CI/CD (Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions), containerization (Docker, Kubernetes), observability (Prometheus, Grafana, ELK stack).
• Leadership & Strategy: Influence technical strategy, mentor engineers, simplify complex concepts for diverse stakeholders.
• Ability to thrive in an ambiguous environment, embracing change and utilizing proven reasoning in balancing practical business needs and architectural rigor.
• No immigration sponsorship is available for this role at this time.

Preferred Qualifications

• Exposure to multi‑cloud architectures (Azure, AWS, GCP).
• Strong understanding of token‑efficient AI consumption with an ability to surface FinOps tradeoffs.
• Experience with data mesh and federated AI systems.
• Familiarity with knowledge graphs and semantic search.
• Hands‑on with MLOps orchestration tools (Kubeflow, MLflow, Vertex AI).
• Understanding of edge AI deployment and IoT integration.
• Experience in enterprise architecture frameworks (TOGAF, Zachman).
• Knowledge of AI ethics frameworks and regulatory compliance (EU AI Act, ISO standards).
• Demonstrated interconnected disciplinary knowledge of digital solution development.

Annual or Hourly Compensation Range

The base salary range for this position is $166,300.00 - $249,600.00. This position is eligible for annual bonus pay based on performance, per plan terms. Many factors are taken into consideration when determining compensation, such as experience, education, training, geography, etc. We comply with all minimum wage and overtime laws.

Benefits

Ecolab strives to provide comprehensive and market‑competitive benefits to meet the needs of our associates and their families. Click here to see our benefits.

Potential Customer Requirements Notice

To meet customer requirements and comply with local or state regulations, applicants for certain customer‑facing roles may need to:

• Undergo additional background screens and/or drug/alcohol testing for customer credentialing.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Ecolab will provide reasonable accommodation (such as a qualified sign language interpreter or other personal assistance) with our application process upon request as required to comply with applicable laws. If you have a disability and require accommodation assistance in this application process, please visit the Recruiting Support link in the footer of each page of our career website.

Our Commitment to a Culture of Inclusion & Belonging

At Ecolab, we believe the best teams are inclusive. We are on a journey to create a workplace where every associate can grow and achieve their best. We are committed to fair and equal treatment of associates and applicants and recruit, hire, promote, transfer and provide opportunities for advancement based on individual qualifications and job performance. In all matters affecting employment, compensation, benefits, working conditions, and opportunities for advancement, we will not discriminate against any associate or applicant for employment because of race, religion, color, creed, national origin, citizenship status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expressions, genetic information, marital status, age, disability, or status as a covered veteran.

In addition, we are committed to furthering the principles of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) through affirmative action (AA).

We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles' Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, and the New York City Fair Chance Act.