AI Solutions Architect / AI Subject Matter Expert (SME)

Job Title: AI Solutions Architect / AI Subject Matter Expert (SME)

Client: State of SC

Location: Remote Location: 4430 Broad Rd, Columbia, South Carolina, USA, 29210

Contract Duration:12 months

Interview Type: Online

Tentative Start Date: 08/24/2026

Project Overview As an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Subject Matter Expert, this position will support the Office of Technology and Information Services (OTIS) and the State''''s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Center of Excellence by providing technical expertise for the evaluation, design, and responsible implementation of AI solutions. The role will assist state agencies and other government entities in assessing AI use cases, products, platforms, tools, models, services, risks, and opportunities while developing secure architectures, reusable technical patterns, prototypes, feasibility assessments, and technical approaches. The position will also evaluate emerging AI technologies and support the development of scalable, secure, and responsible AI solutions that align with statewide priorities. The position will contribute to the development of statewide AI strategies, guidance, validation, and approval processes for AI use cases and vendors, ensuring alignment with organizational goals, governance, security, privacy, and statewide standards. Additionally, the role will support agencies in identifying AI opportunities, understanding implementation risks, and adopting AI technologies through secure, reusable, and standardized approaches. By collaborating with stakeholders across the State, the position will help establish best practices, promote responsible AI governance, and drive the successful adoption of artificial intelligence solutions across government agencies.

Duties/Responsibilities:

• Support the development and implementation of statewide AI strategies aligned with organizational goals and business objectives.
• Contribute to the review, evaluation, and approval of AI use cases, products, and vendors, ensuring compliance with governance, security, privacy, and operational standards. • Promote the adoption of standardized AI processes, frameworks, and best practices across state agencies. Plenium Provide technical expertise to the State''''s AI Center of Excellence by designing secure AI architectures, developing reusable technical patterns, building prototypes, conducting feasibility assessments, and supporting responsible AI implementation.
• Develop and maintain expertise in AI technologies, platforms, models, and emerging trends to position the Office of Information Technology Services as a leader in secure and innovative AI solutions.

Education and Certifications: • Undergraduate degree in computer science, data science, artificial intelligence or related field required; advanced degree preferred.

Required Skills:

• 1 year of experience establishing proof-of-concept (POC) success criteria and evaluating AI solutions against defined business and technical requirements.
• 2 years of hands-on experience with ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and other generative AI platforms for productivity, automation, and solution development.
• 2 years of experience designing, developing, and implementing AI agents and Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) solutions.
• 1 year of experience using AI-assisted coding tools to accelerate software development, testing, debugging, code generation, and documentation.
• 1 year of experience defining AI use case success criteria, key performance indicators (KPIs), and production monitoring metrics to measure AI solution effectiveness.
• 1 year of experience developing dashboards and reports to track AI adoption, performance, cost, risk, and operational outcomes.
• 1 year of hands-on experience integrating AI capabilities with Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud platforms.

Preferred Skills:

• Background in a variety of programming languages, software development principles, and modern application architectures.
• Familiarity with the fundamentals of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs), Transformer models, Natural Language Processing (NLP), computer vision/image classification, and time-series data analysis.
• Experience using data management tools and techniques for data collection, storage, retrieval, preparation, cleansing, and transformation to support AI and analytics solutions.

Additional Skills:

• Strong communication and knowledge-transfer skills.
• Advanced report writing ability.
• Excellent communication skills and relevant public speaking.
• Experience working on complex projects.