AI Architect - 1683
- Compensation
- Not disclosed
- Location
- Colorado Springs, CO, US
- Work setup
- Not specified
- Seniority
- Not specified
- Employment
- Contract
- Experience
- 5+ years
- Category
- Architecture
- Posted
Skills
Must have
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, or a related field
- 8 – 10 years of professional experience in AI, software engineering, data science, enterprise systems, or a related technical field
- 5+ years of experience leading complex technical initiatives, including architecture and delivery responsibilities
- Demonstrated hands-on experience deploying, integrating, and maintaining AI systems
- Proven ability to deliver and support systems beyond proof-of-concept
- Strong understanding of LLMs and generative AI concepts, capabilities, limitations, and architectural tradeoffs
- Experience with: LLM deployment using open-source and/or proprietary models RAG architectures, embedding models, and vector databases AI infrastructure in on-premises, private cloud, or hybrid environ
- Proficiency in Python or another programming language used to build AI applications and integrations
- Familiarity with AI tooling ecosystems such as Open WebUI, LangChain, or LlamaIndex
- Familiarity with MCP and client-server architecture
- Familiarity with model lifecycle management and the maintenance of RAG data sources and retrieval pipelines
- Familiarity with authentication and security technologies such as JWT, OAuth, LDAP, and API key management
- Understanding of GPU infrastructure, inference performance, capacity planning, and cost tradeoffs
- Strong data governance and security awareness
- Ability to collaborate with another senior architect, align on shared standards, and independently execute assigned initiatives
- Strong communication skills across technical and non-technical audiences
- U.S. citizen with the ability to obtain and maintain a DoD security clearance
- May require moderate physical effort, including standing, sitting, use of hands while performing duties, and carrying or lifting up to 50 pounds
- Working environment is indoor, moderately quiet, reasonably clean, well-lighted and well-ventilated; moderate physical hazards may exist
Nice to have
- Master’s degree or higher in a related field
- 10 – 12 years of relevant professional experience, including substantial experience deploying and maintaining AI systems
- Experience deploying onsite or air-gapped AI systems
- Background in Government Contracting and/or environments involving sensitive or proprietary information
- Experience delivering AI solutions across multiple business or engineering functions
- Experience with cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or GCP
- Experience with high-level IT network and systems architecture
- Experience with automated testing, CI/CD, and repeatable deployment practices for AI application
- AI product management or AI platform ownership experience
Full description
Scientific Applications & Research Associates, Inc. (SARA) is a world-class Defense Research and Development enterprise, with a charter to create new and emerging technological innovations in support of Commercial & Government organizations. We have expertise in RF, EMP, Pulsed Power, Acoustics and Threat Warning Systems, and we prioritize partnering with our customers to address real-world problems with cost-effective solutions… that work.
The SARA High Power Electromagnetics Division (HPEM) is looking for a remarkably talented, motivated, and imaginative AI Architect to join our growing enterprise AI capability at our Colorado Springs, CO location. Working alongside our current AI Architect, this individual will help expand and accelerate the adoption of secure, practical AI solutions across business and technical functions.
The role combines hands-on architecture and implementation with technical leadership, focusing on secure onsite/private LLM deployments, enterprise data integration, and production-ready AI workflows. The AI Architect will contribute to shared platform architecture, governance, evaluation standards, and production lifecycle management while taking ownership of assigned initiatives from requirements definition through deployment and ongoing improvement.
The AI Architect will collaborate with our current AI Architect, executive leadership, IT, cybersecurity, data owners, engineering teams, and external partners to deliver AI-enabled workflows that improve decision-making, automate routine analysis, and increase efficiency. Success will be measured by adoption, business value realization, and reliable, sustainable production operations.
Key Responsibilities
- Partner with the current AI Architect to advance the enterprise AI strategy, roadmap, and architectural standards
- Lead assigned AI initiatives from discovery and requirements definition through implementation, deployment, and ongoing support
- Work with business and technical stakeholders to identify, prioritize, and deliver high-value AI use cases
- Architect, implement, and maintain secure onsite and private LLM deployments.
- Evaluate and select AI tools, models, platforms, and architectures based on capability, security, maintainability, and cost
- Design and implement Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) pipelines, enterprise data integrations, model hosting, and inference workflows
- Develop secure integrations with enterprise applications, databases, and services, including Model Context Protocol (MCP) interfaces where appropriate
- Contribute to reusable platform capabilities, integration patterns, and deployment practices that enable adoption across additional business areas
- Partner with IT and cybersecurity to ensure AI systems meet applicable security, privacy, access control, and governance requirements