Principal AI Architect (Chicago)

As an AI Architect within Thoughtworks' Data & AI Service Line, you will be at the forefront of helping our clients design, build, and scale enterprise-grade AI systems. You will operate as a trusted technical leader and advisor — shaping AI strategy, establishing architectural patterns, and delivering impactful solutions that create measurable business value.

Thoughtworks is a global technology consultancy that integrates strategy, design and engineering to drive digital innovation. Our Data & AI Service Line partners with forward‑thinking organizations to harness the power of data and artificial intelligence — building the foundations, capabilities, and solutions needed to compete in an AI‑native world. Our practice spans the full AI lifecycle: from data strategy and modern data platforms to machine learning engineering, generative AI, responsible AI, and MLOps.

• Architect scalable, production‑ready AI and ML systems, including LLM‑powered applications, agentic frameworks, and real‑time inference platforms
• Define and deliver end‑to‑end technical blueprints covering model development, data pipelines, serving infrastructure, monitoring, and governance
• Lead the design of Retrieval‑Augmented Generation (RAG) systems, fine‑tuning pipelines, and model evaluation frameworks
• Evaluate and recommend AI/ML platforms, cloud‑native services (AWS, GCP, Azure), vector databases, and open‑source tooling

• Act as a strategic AI advisor to C‑suite and senior technical stakeholders, translating business challenges into AI‑driven solutions
• Lead architecture discovery workshops, technical due diligence, and capability assessments
• Shape and present compelling technical proposals, RFP responses, and point‑of‑view documents
• Navigate complex client organisations, managing stakeholder expectations and building lasting trust

• Lead and mentor cross‑functional teams of engineers, data scientists, and ML practitioners on client engagements
• Define engineering standards, architectural principles, and best practices for AI systems
• Champion responsible AI practices including fairness, explainability, privacy, and security by design
• Drive hands‑on delivery — this is not a purely advisory role; you will write code, review designs, and unblock teams

• Contribute to Thoughtworks’ AI practice development: thought leadership, internal accelerators, reusable frameworks, and IP
• Represent Thoughtworks at conferences, publish articles, and engage with the broader AI community
• Mentor and grow the next generation of AI practitioners within the firm

• 8+ years of experience in software engineering, data engineering, or ML engineering, with at least 3 years in a senior architecture or technical leadership role
• Deep expertise in designing and deploying ML and AI systems at scale — spanning classical ML, deep learning, and generative AI
• Strong command of LLM ecosystems: prompt engineering, fine‑tuning, RLHF, RAG architectures, LangChain, LlamaIndex, or equivalent frameworks
• Proficiency in Python and familiarity with ML frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow, Hugging Face, scikit‑learn)
• Solid grounding in data architecture: streaming (Kafka, Spark), lakehouses, feature stores, and vector databases (Pinecone, Weaviate, pgvector)
• Hands‑on experience with cloud AI services across AWS (SageMaker, Bedrock), GCP (Vertex AI), or Azure (Azure ML, OpenAI Service)
• Familiarity with MLOps and LLMOps practices: CI/CD for ML, model registries, A/B testing, drift detection, and observability

• Demonstrated experience operating in a consulting or professional services environment, managing client relationships and delivering on commercial commitments
• Ability to communicate complex AI concepts clearly to both technical and non‑technical audiences
• Proven track record of leading delivery teams in agile environments, with experience across the full software development lifecycle
• Comfortable operating with ambiguity — adept at framing problems, structuring workstreams, and driving clarity

• Experience with autonomous AI agents, multi‑agent systems, or AI orchestration frameworks
• Contributions to open‑source AI/ML projects or published research
• Domain expertise in one or more verticals: financial services, healthcare, retail, or the public sector
• Familiarity with AI governance frameworks, EU AI Act, or responsible AI toolkits (e.g. IBM AI Fairness 360, Microsoft Responsible AI)

There is no one‑size‑fits‑all career path at Thoughtworks; your career is supported by interactive tools, numerous development programmes, and teammates who want to help you grow.

Thoughtworks uses AI tools to support administrative tasks such as drafting communications, scheduling interviews, and writing job descriptions. No AI system screens, assesses, ranks, or makes hiring decisions. All applications are reviewed by our team and selection decisions are made exclusively by interviewers and hiring managers.

Thoughtworks is an equal‑opportunity employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind and are dedicated to providing a work environment free from discrimination and harassment. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training. Thoughtworks is also an affirmative action employer of veterans and individuals with disabilities. For additional information, please see the Thoughtworks, Inc. Equal Employment Opportunity & Affiliation Statement.

Applicants for employment in the US must have work authorization that does not now or in the future require sponsorship of a visa for employment in the United States.

Thoughtworks is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants with disabilities or sincerely held religious beliefs, practices, or observances, in accordance with applicable law. Accommodation requests are handled in a timely, confidential, and respectful manner and will not negatively affect consideration for employment.

Annual salary range: $197,000—$337,000 USD. Benefits details can be found at https://www.thoughtworks.com/en-us/careers/benefits. The actual salary depends on location, role responsibilities, experience, and performance.