RIS AI Architect Associate Director

Project Role Description: Support at the intersection of technical depth and client engagement, owning the end-to-end design of cloud-native and AI-powered solutions for mid-to-large transformation engagements. Operating with greater autonomy than a senior architect, this role leads pursuit teams, shapes proposals, and translates complex requirements into compelling, commercially grounded solution narratives — while remaining hands-on in validating architecture decisions.

Key Responsibilities

1. Lead solution architecture for cloud-native and AI engagements in the $3M–$20M range — from discovery through proposal, orals, and transition-to-delivery — with Director oversight on larger bids.
2. Support and contribute to application modernisation initiatives including microservices decomposition, API-led integration, event-driven architectures, and serverless patterns.
3. Architect multi-cloud and hybrid solutions leveraging platform-native AI services (SageMaker, Azure AI Foundry, Vertex AI) and open-source frameworks.
4. Define and validate non-functional requirements — security, resilience, observability, cost optimisation, and responsible AI/governance — across proposed solutions.
5. Engage client technical stakeholders (architects, engineering leads, CTOs) to build credibility, uncover requirements, and co-shape solution vision.
6. Produce high-quality proposal artefacts including solution overviews, architecture diagrams, technical sections of RFP responses, and executive summaries.
7. Mentor and guide senior and mid-level architects within the practice; contribute to reusable assets, accelerators, and thought leadership.
8. Coordinate with delivery leads and practice principals to ensure smooth handover from pre-sales to delivery.

Technical Experience: Deep expertise across AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform—services, pricing, well-architected frameworks, and partner programs Cloud-native architecture: Kubernetes (EKS, AKS, GKE), containerisation (Docker), service mesh (Istio/Linkerd), GitOps, Helm Infrastructure as Code: Terraform, Pulumi, CDK; CI/CD toolchains: GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps, Jenkins Private cloud and hybrid architectures: VMware Tanzu, Azure Arc, AWS Outposts, OpenShift

Professional Attributes: Strong client-facing presence — able to engage senior technical stakeholders and translate architectural decisions into business value clearly and confidently. Proven ability to contribute meaningfully to winning technology deals; comfortable owning the technical narrative on mid-market pursuits. Excellent written and verbal communication; adept at crafting architecture diagrams, solution narratives, and proposal content under deadline pressure. Commercially aware — can balance technical idealism with delivery pragmatism, scope management, and client constraints. Collaborative team member who can lead a small pursuit team, manage ambiguity, and coordinate across functions (sales, delivery, SMEs). Continuous learner with genuine curiosity about emerging AI and cloud technologies; actively builds and shares knowledge within the practice.