AI Architect

Job Description – AI Platform Architect (Technology Scouting & Roadmap)
Experience: 12+ Years

Company: Cognizant
Role Overview
Cognizant is seeking an experienced AI Platform Architect with 12+ years of experience to lead AI technology evaluation, platform innovation, and strategic roadmap planning. The ideal candidate will continuously scout emerging AI capabilities across Microsoft and OpenAI ecosystems, assess their business value, and drive adoption through proof-of-concepts (PoCs) and platform integration. This role requires close collaboration with solution owners, enterprise architects, and engineering teams to build scalable, enterprise-grade AI platforms that accelerate business transformation.
Key Responsibilities

• Monitor, evaluate, and benchmark the latest AI innovations across Azure AI Foundry, Azure OpenAI Service, OpenAI platform, Microsoft Copilot ecosystem, Microsoft Fabric, GitHub Copilot, and the broader AI landscape.
• Identify emerging AI capabilities, foundation models, agentic AI features, multimodal AI, and automation opportunities relevant to enterprise digital transformation and industry use cases.
• Collaborate with Solution Owners, Enterprise Architects, Product Managers, and Engineering teams to assess, prioritize, and incorporate new AI capabilities into the enterprise AI platform roadmap.
• Conduct technology assessments, feasibility studies, architecture reviews, and technical due diligence for new AI services and products.
• Design and develop Proof of Concepts (PoCs), prototypes, and reference implementations to validate emerging AI technologies before enterprise adoption.
• Define architecture patterns, best practices, reusable components, and governance standards for AI platform capabilities.
• Evaluate AI platforms based on scalability, security, responsible AI, compliance, operational readiness, and business value.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to translate business requirements into scalable AI platform solutions.
• Drive innovation workshops, technology demonstrations, and knowledge-sharing sessions across internal stakeholders.
• Stay current with industry trends, analyst reports, Microsoft roadmap updates, OpenAI releases, and competitive AI offerings.
• Contribute to strategic planning for enterprise AI adoption, platform modernization, and AI enablement initiatives.
• Support AI platform governance by ensuring adherence to security, privacy, Responsible AI, and enterprise architecture standards.

Required Skills

• 12+ years of overall IT experience with significant expertise in enterprise architecture, cloud platforms, and AI solutions.
• Strong hands-on experience with Azure AI Foundry, Azure OpenAI Service, Azure AI Services, Microsoft Copilot technologies, and OpenAI APIs.
• Experience evaluating and implementing Generative AI, Large Language Models (LLMs), Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), AI Agents, multimodal AI, prompt engineering, and AI orchestration frameworks.
• Strong understanding of AI platform architecture, cloud-native design, APIs, microservices, and integration patterns.
• Experience building PoCs and validating emerging technologies for enterprise adoption.
• Knowledge of AI governance, Responsible AI principles, security, compliance, and model lifecycle management.
• Familiarity with Azure cloud services including Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), Azure Functions, Logic Apps, Azure Storage, Event Hub, API Management, and DevOps practices.
• Strong stakeholder management, technology consulting, and solution evaluation skills.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and documentation abilities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with Microsoft AI ecosystem and Copilot extensibility.
• Knowledge of AI agent frameworks such as Semantic Kernel, LangChain, LangGraph, AutoGen, or Microsoft Agent Framework.
• Exposure to MLOps, AI observability, vector databases, knowledge graphs, and enterprise search solutions.
• Experience in regulated industries such as Energy, Utilities, Banking, Healthcare, or Manufacturing.
• Microsoft Azure AI, Azure Solutions Architect, or AI Engineer certifications are highly desirable.

What You'll Bring

• Strategic thinking with the ability to identify emerging AI opportunities.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
• Passion for innovation and continuous technology exploration.
• Ability to influence technical roadmaps and executive stakeholders.

Collaborative mindset with experience working across global delivery teams.