Principal AI Architect

Role Description

We are currently seeking a Principal AI Architect - HCLS to join our team in Plano, Texas (US-TX), United States (US). The AI Solution Architect designs fit-for-purpose AI solutions for qualified opportunities, aligned to client requirements, NTT DATA offering standards, commercial expectations, and delivery capabilities. This role owns the practical translation of client needs into solution blueprints, scope, work estimates, phasing, timelines, pricing inputs, SOW content, and delivery handoff materials. The AI Solution Architect partners closely with AI Consultants, Principal Architects, FDE, Delivery, Finance, Commercial, Sales, and ecosystem partners.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design AI solutions aligned to client requirements, NTT DATA standards, and delivery capabilities.
• Define scope, approach, solution blueprints, technical architectures, assumptions, dependencies, risks, and success criteria.
• Build work estimates across roles, effort, skills, locations, tooling, platforms, and delivery dependencies.
• Define workplan timelines, delivery phases, milestones, and MVP-to-scale implementation paths.
• Partner with delivery, finance, and commercial teams to shape pricing inputs, deal economics, margin assumptions, and commercial options.
• Support SOW development by defining scope boundaries, deliverables, acceptance criteria, dependencies, and change-control considerations.
• Validate feasibility, implementation approach, resourcing model, integration complexity, data readiness, security, governance, and operational support requirements.
• Incorporate partner platforms and models into solution designs where relevant.
• Support technical Q&A, client demos, solution walkthroughs, proposal defense, and transition from pursuit to delivery.
• Contribute reusable estimates, patterns, BOMs, workplans, solution artifacts, and lessons learned into the global AI GTM knowledge base.

Success Measures:

• Pursuit deal volume, measured as total TCV value of AI deals where the AI Solution Architect supported.
• Pursuit win rate for AI deals where the AI Solution Architect supported.
• Utilization or billability against target.
• Estimate quality, solution feasibility, commercial accuracy, and successful handoff into delivery.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of experience in solution architecture, technology consulting, software engineering, data engineering, systems integration, presales, or delivery roles.
• 3+ years of experience designing or delivering AI, data, analytics, ML, GenAI, agentic AI, or automation solutions.
• 1+ year of hands-on or solutioning experience with GenAI, LLMs, RAG, AI agents, or enterprise AI platforms.
• Ability to travel 25%.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience.

Requirements

• Experience with Azure, AWS, GCP, OpenAI, Anthropic, Mistral, Google/Gemini, Databricks, Snowflake, vector databases, orchestration frameworks, and MLOps/LLMOps tooling.
• Experience supporting large pursuits, proposal development, pricing reviews, or delivery mobilization.
• AI/ML, cloud, data platform, architecture, or security certifications.
• Strong analytical thinking, commercial judgment, written communication, cross-functional collaboration, and client-facing presentation skills.
• Ability to travel as required for client and internal engagements.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance with an employer contribution.
• Flexible spending or health savings account.
• Life and AD&D insurance.
• Short and long term disability coverage.
• Paid time off.
• Employee assistance program.
• Participation in a 401k program with company match.
• Additional voluntary or legally-required benefits.