AI Solution Architect

About the role

Are you an architect who can see both the big picture and the detail of how artificial intelligence should be designed, governed and adopted, and would like to shape how a world-leading university puts AI to work safely and well?

As AI Solution Architect, you will act as a cross-cutting design authority for AI across all of ICT and more widely across Imperial, shaping how generative AI, machine learning and data-driven capabilities are designed into our products and platforms. Working within Architecture & Technology Operations, you will partner with product and platform teams, engineering, data and research colleagues to design secure, scalable and responsible AI solutions aligned to Imperial's Digital Strategy, enterprise architecture standards and our commitment to responsible AI, data governance and ethics.

What you would be doing

Lead AI solution architecture: Lead the development of AI and data solution architectures across ICT product lines and Imperial, aligned to enterprise architecture principles, technology standards and the Digital Strategy.

Design end-to-end AI solutions: Design AI solutions spanning generative AI and large language models, machine learning, and the data pipelines and MLOps needed to deploy and operate them responsibly and at scale.

Set guardrails for AI agents: Define reference architectures and guardrails for AI agents, including tool access, permissions, autonomy levels and human oversight.

Champion responsible AI: Ensure solutions meet responsible AI, data governance, security and regulatory obligations, and uphold cybersecurity, data protection and technology standards.

Lead in governance: Contribute to the Technical Design Authority, technology working groups and communities of practice, reviewing and assuring solution designs across the ICT portfolio.

Provide technical leadership: Guide delivery teams to implement approved designs and champion modern engineering practices, including API-first, cloud-native, DevOps, platform-based architecture and MLOps.

Be the AI design authority: Act as a cross-cutting AI design authority, advising and enabling product lines across ICT and teams across Imperial on the responsible adoption and integration of AI.

Support research: Support research groups adopting AI tools and platforms, balancing academic freedom with security and data obligations.

What we are looking for

• Experience designing complex digital or enterprise solutions within large, diverse or federated organisations
• Experience designing and delivering AI, machine learning or data-driven solutions, and integrating AI capabilities across multiple systems, product lines or domains
• A strong understanding of AI and machine learning concepts, including generative AI and large language models, and how they are applied in enterprise solutions
• Understanding of the data architecture, pipelines and MLOps needed to build, deploy and operate AI solutions, and of AI and ML platforms, tooling and services (cloud AI/ML services, LLM frameworks and vector data stores)
• The ability to design responsible, secure and ethical AI solutions, embedding guardrails, evaluation and human oversight, and to assess and apply AI responsibly, weighing value, risk, ethics, security and compliance
• A strong grasp of modern architecture approaches, including cloud, integration platforms, APIs, microservices and secure-by-design, across multiple technology domains
• Experience across the full product or platform lifecycle, from discovery and design through to live service and decommissioning
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to engage audiences from senior stakeholders through to technical teams and suppliers, and to advise and enable teams on responsible AI adoption
• Desirable: awareness of AI-specific security and risk and of emerging AI regulation, experience of architecture governance or design assurance, and experience in the Higher Education sector

What we can offer you

• The opportunity to shape how AI is designed, governed and adopted across a world-leading university
• A central, cross-cutting role in Architecture & Technology Operations, with influence over enterprise architecture standards and strategic technology decisions
• The chance to work at the forefront of generative AI, machine learning and MLOps in a complex research and education environment
• A supportive and collaborative environment focused on learning, knowledge sharing and professional development
• Flexible and hybrid working arrangements
• Access to Imperial's wider staff benefits and development opportunities
• The opportunity to continue your career at a world-leading institution and be part of our mission to use science for humanity.
• Benefit from a sector-leading salary and remuneration package (including 43 days' annual leave and generous pension schemes).

Further information

This is a full-time, open-ended position.