Role Overview
We are looking for an experienced Lead AI Engineer to lead the design and articulation of enterprise-grade AI solutions, with deep hands-on knowledge of Microsoft Azure AI and modern generative and agentic AI capabilities. This role focuses on understanding customer business needs, shaping AI-driven transformation strategies, presenting compelling solution designs, and supporting successful delivery execution.
The ideal candidate combines strong technical expertise with consulting skillsable to guide customers, recommend prudent AI approaches, and communicate clear value propositions that align with business outcomes.
Key Responsibilities
1. Customer Engagement & Requirements Discovery
- Lead customer workshops to understand goals, processes, challenges, and expected outcomes.
- Translate business requirements into structured AI use cases with clear feasibility, ROI, and prioritization.
- Conduct current-state assessments covering data readiness, integration needs, compliance, and security.
2. AI Solution Architecture & Design
- Design end-to-end AI solutions using:
- Azure OpenAI Service, Azure AI Studio, Azure Machine Learning, Azure Cognitive Services, Azure Data Platform (ADLS, Fabric, Databricks, Synapse)
- Vector search, embeddings, and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG)
- Develop architecture diagrams, data flows, integration patterns, and system component definitions.
- Define solution options, trade-offs, and best-fit recommendations based on business value and risk.
- Ensure solutions adhere to enterprise standards for scalability, performance, privacy, and governance.
3. Consulting & Thought Leadership
- Act as a trusted advisor to customers on AI adoption, roadmap planning, and responsible AI practices.
- Provide clear guidance on MLOps/LLMOps, data governance, security, and deployment strategies.
- Share knowledge on Azure AI capabilities, innovations, and Microsoft's product roadmap.
4. Proposal Development & Presales Support
- Prepare high-quality proposals, solution decks, and value proposition statements.
- Respond to RFP/RFI documents with accurate, clear, and competitive solution descriptions.
- Conduct customer presentations, demos, POCs, and technical deep dives.
- Partner with sales teams to articulate solution differentiation and business value.
5. Delivery Handover & Execution Support
- Provide technical oversight during project initiation and design phases.
- Support delivery teams with clarifications, design governance, and risk mitigation.
- Participate in review sessions to ensure solution integrity throughout implementation.
6. Reusable Assets & Knowledge Creation
- Create reusable frameworks, solution accelerators, demo environments, and reference architectures.
- Contribute to internal playbooks, best practices, and industry-specific AI templates.
- Stay updated with Azure AI advancements, enterprise AI trends, and generative AI patterns.
Required Skills & Experience
Technical Skills
- 7+ years in AI/ML, cloud architecture, or solution design; at least 3 years with Azure AI.
- Strong hands-on expertise with:
- Azure OpenAI (GPT models, embeddings, chat orchestration)
- Azure Machine Learning (pipelines, model registry, deployment)
- Cognitive Services (vision, language, speech)
- Azure Data services (Fabric, ADLS, Databricks)
- API integration, microservices, and serverless architectures
- Experience designing RAG architectures, conversational agents, document intelligence, predictive models, or enterprise automation solutions.
- Understanding of enterprise security, identity, compliance, and responsible AI guidelines.
Consulting & Presales Skills
- Ability to translate technical concepts into business-friendly narratives.
- Strong presentation, negotiation, and client-facing communication skills.
- Experience in writing proposals, solution briefs, and architecture documents.
- Ability to guide CXO-level stakeholders and handle technical deep-dive discussions.
Soft Skills
- Strategic thinker with strong problem-solving and analytical abilities.
- Confident communicator with excellent articulation skills.
- Team collaborator, proactive, detail-oriented, and customer-obsessed.
Preferred Qualifications
- Microsoft certifications:
- Azure AI Engineer Associate
- Azure Solutions Architect Expert
- Azure Data Engineer Associate
- Experience in enterprise data modernization, analytics, or cloud transformation.
- Exposure to domain-specific AI use cases (banking, insurance, retail, government, manufacturing).
