AI Scientist / AI Architect

Work Arrangement

• Onsite: Yes
• 2 3 days per week in the client's Irvine office.
• 1 day per week in the client's Downtown Los Angeles office.
• 1 day remote.

We are seeking a hands-on AI Scientist / AI Architect with 8+ years of experience in AI/ML, Data Science, or Software Engineering to design and deliver scalable, enterprise-grade AI solutions. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience building LLM-enabled applications, agent-based systems, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) architectures, and cloud-native AI platforms while collaborating with business stakeholders to drive AI innovation.

Mandatory Areas

• AI/ML Solution Architecture
• LLM & Generative AI Development
• Agent-Based Systems
• Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)
• Enterprise AI Integration

Must-Have Skills

• Python & Backend Development
• LLM / Generative AI Application Development
• Agent-Based AI Systems
• RAG, Vector Databases & Embeddings
• API Development & System Integration
• AWS Cloud-Native Development
• CI/CD & DevOps Practices
• Observability (Logging, Monitoring & Tracing)

Key Responsibilities

• Design and develop scalable AI/ML pipelines and intelligent enterprise applications.
• Build agent-based AI workflows, automation systems, and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) solutions.
• Architect and implement LLM orchestration layers supporting content generation, drafting, and editing workflows.
• Integrate AI solutions with enterprise platforms, APIs, backend systems, and data platforms.
• Lead solution architecture for large engagements and define architecture principles, patterns, and technology roadmaps.
• Ensure architecture governance, technical quality, scalability, security, and compliance across projects.
• Conduct architecture reviews, design reviews, technical audits, and Proof of Concepts (POCs).
• Translate business requirements into AI-driven technical solutions and collaborate with product, marketing, and business stakeholders.
• Provide architectural leadership, mentor architects and engineering teams, and support offshore delivery.
• Support pre-sales activities, technical proposals, project estimation, and solution consulting.
• Identify technical risks, define mitigation strategies, and ensure successful project delivery.
• Drive innovation through reusable assets, architecture patterns, knowledge sharing, and technology best practices.

Required Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in AI/ML, Data Science, or Software Engineering.
• Strong Python backend development experience.
• Hands-on experience with LLM-enabled applications and Generative AI.
• Experience building agent-based AI systems.
• Strong expertise in RAG architectures, vector databases, embeddings, and indexing.
• Experience with API development and backend integrations.
• AWS cloud-native development experience.
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines and environment management.
• Strong understanding of observability, including logging, monitoring, and tracing.
• Experience deploying machine learning models into production.
• Experience with enterprise AI workflows, automation, and governance.

Architecture & Delivery Expectations

• Define architecture for large, multi-technology engagements and serve as the design authority.
• Ensure adherence to architecture principles, design standards, and non-functional requirements.
• Develop reusable architecture patterns and enterprise AI solution models.
• Guide technical teams on architecture, design, and technology adoption.
• Support project planning, estimation, governance, and stakeholder management.
• Mentor architects and engineers while contributing to technical capability development.

Domain Experience

• AI-enabled enterprise workflows.
• Marketing/content generation platforms (Nice to Have).
• Financial/Investment domain (Preferred).

Certifications

• AWS, Machine Learning, or AI certifications are good to have but not mandatory.