Principal Data & AI Architect

Role: Principal Data & AI Architect

Location: Dallas, TX - Remote (Locals Preferred)

We are open to considering both contractor and full-time candidates. However, resumes showing a pattern of numerous short-duration projects may not be considered, as we are looking for candidates with more sustained experience and continuity in their roles or projects.

Role Overview

We are looking for a highly experienced Principal Data & AI Architect with strong enterprise architecture capabilities, deep hands-on expertise in Data Engineering and Data Architecture, and proven experience implementing AI/GenAI solutions.

The ideal candidate will operate at both strategic and technical levels - translating complex business challenges into scalable architecture and practical, production-ready solutions. This role requires someone who can drive enterprise-level architecture decisions while actively engaging in solution design, technology evaluation, prototyping, and implementation.

The candidate will lead complex Data & AI initiatives, work closely with senior business and technology stakeholders, and ensure that architectural vision translates into measurable business outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

Enterprise Architecture: Define and drive enterprise-level architecture across Data, Analytics, AI and GenAI initiatives, ensuring scalability, security, performance and alignment with business objectives.

Data Architecture & Engineering: Provide deep technical leadership across modern data platforms, data architecture, data integration, engineering patterns, data modelling and large-scale data processing.

AI & GenAI Implementation: Architect and drive hands-on implementation of AI/GenAI solutions, including practical applications of LLMs, RAG, intelligent automation and AI-enabled enterprise solutions.

Business-to-Technology Translation: Understand complex business problems, identify appropriate technology opportunities, and translate them into pragmatic architectures and working solutions.

Technical Leadership: Lead architecture and engineering teams through solution design, technology choices, proof of concepts and implementation of complex Data & AI programmes.

Hands-on Execution: Remain technically engaged, providing architectural guidance while actively contributing to critical design decisions, prototypes and implementation challenges.

Stakeholder Management: Engage directly with senior stakeholders, communicate architectural recommendations effectively, influence technology decisions and build alignment across business and engineering teams.

Innovation & Technology Leadership: Evaluate emerging technologies, identify opportunities for innovation and establish architecture patterns, standards and engineering best practices.

Required Experience & Expertise

Extensive experience in enterprise or principal-level architecture roles, preferably across Data, Analytics and AI domains.

Strong hands-on experience in Data Engineering and Data Architecture.

Demonstrated experience designing and implementing AI/GenAI solutions in real-world enterprise environments.

Strong understanding of modern data platforms, cloud architectures, data integration and distributed data processing.

Proven ability to translate business requirements into scalable technical architectures and production-ready solutions.

Experience leading large, complex, cross-functional Data & AI initiatives.

Ability to balance enterprise-level architectural vision with hands-on technical problem-solving.

Excellent communication, stakeholder management and executive engagement skills.

Key Success Attributes

Enterprise-level architectural thinking combined with strong engineering depth.

Proven implementation experience rather than strategy-only exposure.

Strong business acumen and solution-oriented mindset.

Ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive technical decisions.

A hands-on technology leader who can take an initiative from business problem definition through architecture and implementation.