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AI & Tech
Senior AI Architect
550 California Street, 94108 San Francisco, United States
Company description
Sia is a next-generation, global management consulting group. Founded in 1999, we were born digital. Today our strategy and management capabilities are augmented by data science, enhanced by creativity and driven by responsibility. We’re optimists for change and we help clients initiate, navigate and benefit from transformation. We believe optimism is a force multiplier, helping clients to mitigate downside and maximize opportunity. With expertise across a broad range of sectors and services, our 3,000 consultants serve clients worldwide from 48 locations in 19 countries. Our expertise delivers results. Our optimism transforms outcomes.
Sia’s AI & Data Business Unit is the powerhouse of our firm’s innovation—merging cutting-edge Data Science, Generative AI, and advanced digital solutions to transform industries. With over 350 experts worldwide, we tackle projects from proof-of-concept to large-scale deployment, always pushing the boundaries of AI capabilities. Our 12 R&D labs in Europe and North America drive continuous research in areas like computer vision, MLOps, and deep learning, partnering closely with our business consultants for real-world impact. By joining Sia’s AI & Data team, you’ll step into a vibrant, collaborative environment that nurtures professional growth and empowers you to shape the future of AI-driven consulting.
Job description
We are looking for an experienced Solution Architect to join our AI Platforms team. In this role, you will be the technical authority on client engagements — translating complex business requirements into robust, scalable data and AI architectures across cloud, machine learning, and generative AI domains.
You will work directly with senior client stakeholders (CIO, CISO, Engineering leads) to define technical vision, remove impediments for delivery teams, and ensure that architectural choices align with security, compliance, and cost constraints. You will also contribute to pre-sales activities by scoping solutions, estimating effort, and building technical proposals that win new business.
This is a staff-level individual contributor role embedded part-time in cross-functional project teams, with a clear path toward engineering management for those who choose it.
Client Architecture & Technical Leadership (~70%)
- Define and own the end-to-end technical architecture for data and AI projects — covering cloud infrastructure, data pipelines, ML/DL model serving, generative AI applications, and agent-based systems.
- Act as the primary technical point of contact for client stakeholders, aligning architectural decisions with business objectives, security policies, and regulatory requirements (GDPR, EU AI Act).
- Lead architecture reviews, design sessions, and technical governance forums to ensure quality and coherence across workstreams.
- Remove technical impediments for engineering teams and provide hands-on guidance when needed.
- Oversee the full project lifecycle: from advisory and assessments through prototyping (POC/MVP) to full-scale production deployment.
- Ensure solutions are designed for production readiness — addressing scalability, reliability, observability, and cost optimization.
Pre-Sales & Business Development (~30%)
- Support business development by contributing to technical scoping, architecture proposals, and effort estimations during the sales cycle.
- Participate in client presentations and workshops to demonstrate Sia’s technical capabilities and build trust.
- Identify expansion opportunities within existing accounts by surfacing new use cases and technical needs.
Knowledge Building & Mentoring
- Mentor junior consultants and engineers, helping them grow their architectural thinking and client-facing skills.
- Contribute to building internal IP, accelerators, and reference architectures that leverage frontier technological developments.
- Stay current on the evolving landscape of cloud services, AI frameworks, and industry best practices.
Qualifications
Required
- Master’s degree in computer science, engineering, or a related field.
- 4 to 7 years of experience in solution architecture, cloud architecture, or a senior engineering role with significant design responsibilities.
- Deep expertise in at least two of the following technology ecosystems: AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, Databricks, OpenAI, Anthropic, NVIDIA.
- Strong command of cloud architecture patterns — networking, security, compute, storage, and managed AI/ML services.
- Solid understanding of the data and AI landscape: classical ML, deep learning, generative AI, autonomous agents, and data engineering.
- Proven ability to engage with senior client stakeholders (CIO, CISO, VP Engineering) and translate business needs into technical solutions.
- Excellent communication and presentation skills — able to convey complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
- Strong problem-solving skills and ability to make sound architectural trade-offs under uncertainty.
- Fluent in French; professional proficiency in English.
Nice to Have
- Hands-on coding ability (Python, Terraform/IaC, or similar) for prototyping and technical validation.
- Experience with MLOps / LLMOps tooling and production deployment pipelines.
- Professional-level certifications (e.g., AWS Solutions Architect Professional, Azure Solutions Architect Expert, Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect, Databricks Professional Data Engineer).
- Experience in management consulting or client-facing delivery environments.
- Familiarity with AI compliance frameworks and responsible AI practices.
Additional information
Compensation & Benefits
Sia invests in total rewards that support how our people work, live, and grow.
Compensation
- Base Salary: $117,300-$121,400 Actual compensation within this range will be determined based on experience, qualifications, geographic location, and other job-related factors permitted by applicable law.
- Annual Performance Bonus
Benefits
- Medical, dental, and vision; company-paid life and AD&D; voluntary supplemental insurance and EAP
- 401(k) with company match and immediate vesting; HSA and FSA options
- College savings and student loan repayment programs
- Paid parental leave; generous PTO, nine company holidays, and one floating holiday
- Cell phone stipend; well-being and professional development programs
Benefits are subject to applicable plan terms and eligibility requirements.
Workplace
Sia values in-person collaboration. When serving clients, consultants may be required to work onsite at a client location based on engagement needs. Between client engagements, consultants are expected to work from a Sia office or approved coworking location at least three days per week. Candidates should reside within a reasonable commuting distance of a Sia office or approved coworking location. Sia maintains offices and coworking arrangements across multiple U.S. markets, including New York City, Charlotte, Greater Seattle, San Francisco Greater Bay Area, Los Angeles, Houston, Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Washington D.C.
Work Authorization
Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States at the time of application and throughout their employment. This position is not eligible for employment visa sponsorship now or in the future.
At Sia, we believe in fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture where our employees and partners are valued and thrive in a sense of belonging.
Sia is an equal opportunity employer. All aspects of employment, including hiring, promotion, remuneration, or discipline, are based solely on performance, competence, conduct, or business needs.