AI Platform Architect

Description

The company needs an AI Platform Architect to lead design, build and running of an enterprise AI workflow management platform that supports the Department of the Air Force.

The platform will run in an Azure IL-5 cloud enclave, connect to DISA-compliant networks and ServiceNow instances, and let technical and non-technical users build AI-driven workflows for mission-critical government services.

You will evaluate and integrate several AI tools, including third-party agentic platforms, Microsoft AI Foundry, and other systems still to be determined, and help build a team that delivers production-ready AI services to government customers.

This is a full-time role, requiring up to 10% local travel, and the position requires an active Secret clearance to start.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement cloud infrastructure for AI workflow platforms in Azure IL-5 environments.
• Architect containerized solutions, such as on Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) or similar, with security controls that meet IL-5 compliance.
• Design data architecture, including PostgreSQL solutions, tuned for AI workloads.
• Set up integration patterns for Azure OpenAI services, ServiceNow APIs, and cross-boundary connections through DISA BCAP.
• Evaluate AI development tools and fold them into one unified platform architecture.
• Build API gateways, authentication and authorization frameworks, and service mesh architectures.
• Establish RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) pipelines, vector databases and embedding strategies.
• Create reference architectures for agentic workflows, document generation and ML model deployment.
• Set up monitoring, logging and alerting procedures for platform health and AI service performance.
• Put MLOps practices in place, including model versioning, A/B testing and automated retraining pipelines.
• Track AI model performance, drift and data quality across production workflows.
• Design disaster recovery and business continuity plans for mission-critical AI services.
• Work with ServiceNow and Azure cloud engineers to resolve complex integration issues across Azure, ServiceNow and government networks.
• Keep the platform scalable and cost-effective within government budget limits.
• Help build and lead a team of AI/ML engineers, directing them toward agreed objectives and overseeing their technical work.
• Take part in technical screening and onboarding of AI/ML talent.
• Set engineering standards, best practices and documentation for AI development.
• Bring together AI engineers, ServiceNow developers and government stakeholders.
• Run design reviews and give architectural guidance to engineering teams.
• Encourage innovation, experimentation and continuous improvement.
• Support cybersecurity colleagues with Department of the Air Force regulations, Authority to Operate (ATO) requirements and compliance frameworks.
• Work within DISA Security Technical Implementation Guides (STIGs) and Impact Level 5 requirements.
• Coordinate with security teams on accreditation and continuous monitoring.
• Implement controls for CUI (Controlled Unclassified Information) and data classification rules.
• Work with government customers to understand their mission needs and turn them into technical solutions.
• Assess LLM options, including GPT-5+ and IL-5-approved alternatives, for RAG, document generation and agentic workflow use cases.
• Build prototypes and proofs of concept for real government use cases.
• Set up QA frameworks covering model testing, integration testing and user acceptance testing for AI services.
• Oversee QA processes or manage QA specialists to keep AI output accurate and reliable.
• Define success metrics and evaluation criteria for AI-driven workflows.

Requirements

• US citizenship is required.
• You must be eligible for access to classified information and be able to obtain a DoD Secret clearance, and pass all relevant background checks.
• An active DoD clearance is preferred but not required.
• You need 15+ years of relevant experience. A bachelor's degree in a relevant field can replace 5 years of that experience.
• You have turned real-world use cases into deployable AI/ML solutions.
• You have strong expertise in Azure cloud services, including AI Foundry, DevOps, PostgreSQL, API Management and networking.
• You have worked with containers (Docker, Kubernetes), microservices and VMs.
• You have deep knowledge of LLM technologies, RAG architectures, vector databases and prompt engineering.
• You have hands-on experience with AI/ML frameworks such as LangChain, LlamaIndex, TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn or others.
• You understand API design, integration patterns and enterprise service buses.
• You have experience with MLOps tools and practices, including model versioning, monitoring and CI/CD for ML.
• You communicate well and can explain technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
• You have worked directly with customers and understand their mission requirements.
• You are proficient in Python and/or other languages common in AI development.
• You understand workflow orchestration tools and business process automation.
• Nice to have: an active Secret clearance, with Top Secret eligibility preferred.
• Nice to have: experience in government cloud environments such as Azure Government, AWS GovCloud or similar.
• Nice to have: familiarity with DoD compliance frameworks such as IL-4/IL-5, FedRAMP, NIST 800-53 and STIGs.
• Nice to have: understanding of DISA network architectures and cross-boundary connection requirements.
• Nice to have: experience with ATO processes and security accreditation.
• Nice to have: experience with the ServiceNow platform, including integration, Flow Designer or development.

Conditions

Salary depends on factors such as location, Federal Government contract labor categories and wage rates, prior experience, skills, education and certifications. The proposed range is $114,600-$252,100, shown as the national average because the role can be based in more than one location.

The company offers competitive pay, benefits, and learning and development, including healthcare, wellness, financial, retirement, family support, continuing education and flexible time off.

The company is an equal opportunity employer.

Benefits

• Flexible time off and access to learning resources.
• Healthcare, wellness, financial, retirement, family support, continuing education and time off benefits.