Azure Cloud Architect – AI/ML & Data Services

Azure Cloud Architect – AI/ML & Data Services

Hybrid – 2-3 days in Niles, (ONLY LOCAL CANDIDATES / NO RELOCATION ALLOWED)

Work Authorization: EAD, USC

Key Responsibilities

• Architect, design, and implement end-to-end Azure cloud solutions with a focus on AI/ML workloads, data engineering pipelines, and platform infrastructure.
• Lead the adoption and integration of Azure AI/ML services including Azure Machine Learning, Azure OpenAI Service, Cognitive Services, and Snowflake.
• Define and enforce cloud architecture standards, patterns, and best practices across development teams.
• Design secure, scalable data platforms using Azure Synapse Analytics, Azure Data Factory, Azure Data Lake Storage, and related services.
• Collaborate with data scientists and ML engineers to operationalize ML models through MLOps practices (CI/CD for models, monitoring, retraining pipelines).
• Drive infrastructure-as-code (IaC) adoption using Terraform, Bicep, or ARM templates.
• Conduct architecture reviews, cloud readiness assessments, and provide technical guidance on migrating on-premises workloads to Azure.
• Ensure compliance with security, governance, and cost management requirements (Azure Policy, RBAC, Defender for Cloud, FinOps).
• Mentor and upskill engineering teams on Azure best practices and AI/ML service capabilities.
• Engage with stakeholders to present architecture proposals, roadmaps, and technical recommendations.

Required Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in cloud architecture and engineering, with at least 5 years focused on Microsoft Azure.
• Proven experience architecting and deploying AI/ML solutions on Azure at scale.
• Deep hands-on expertise with Azure ML, Azure OpenAI, Azure Databricks, Synapse Analytics, Data Factory, and Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS).
• Strong proficiency in infrastructure-as-code using Terraform, Bicep, or ARM templates.
• Solid understanding of MLOps, DevOps, and CI/CD pipelines (Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions).
• Experience with cloud networking, security architecture, identity management (Entra ID / AAD), and compliance frameworks on Azure.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to translate technical concepts for non-technical stakeholders.
• Microsoft Azure certifications (e.g., Azure Solutions Architect Expert – AZ-305, Azure AI Engineer – AI-102).

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Azure AI Foundry, Prompt Flow, or LLM orchestration frameworks (LangChain, Semantic Kernel).
• Familiarity with multi-cloud or hybrid cloud architectures (Azure Arc).
• Background in data mesh, data lakehouse, or modern data architecture patterns.
• Experience with real-time data streaming using Azure Event Hubs or Azure Stream Analytics.
• Prior experience in a consulting, pre-sales, or solutions architecture capacity.
• Knowledge of responsible AI practices and AI governance frameworks.