Principal Architect - Data & AI

Define and drive enterprise scale AI first delivery strategies, aligned to customer business vision and executive priorities. Lead end-to-end technical accountability for mission critical, multiprogram engagements, ensuring strategic alignment, architectural integrity, and measurable business outcomes. Establish delivery models that scale intelligent automation, autonomous systems, and AI native execution across programs and portfolios. Act as the executive technical authority during escalations, guiding recovery, transformation, or exit strategies for high-risk or underperforming engagements. Partner with CIO/CTO/CDO leadership to balance innovation, governance, cost, security, and speed at enterprise scale. Shape forward-looking architecture visions for customers, leveraging emerging AI, data, and platform capabilities. Engage in executive level discussions to influence technology roadmaps, operating models, and innovation investments. Lead creation of reusable assets, reference architectures, accelerators, and IP that scale across customers and industries. Represent GCID as a thought leader in architecture, AI adoption, and largescale transformation. 22+ years of experience in software, data, and platform engineering with 15+ years in enterprise architecture and technical leadership roles. Proven track record of influencing and delivering transformation outcomes at CXO level. Deep expertise in modern delivery methodologies and gotomarket acceleration models. Exceptional executive communication, stakeholder influence, and decision-making skills. Bachelor's degree in engineering, Computer Science, or equivalent experience; advanced certifications preferred. Enterprise Data Architecture & Modern Platforms Define and govern enterprise wide data and analytics architectures aligned to business strategy. Partner with customer CIO/CDO organizations on modernization, platform consolidation, and cost optimization. Drive accountability for operational stability, scalability, and long term sustainability. Lead executive level solutioning during complex deals, renewals, and strategic pursuits. Influence multiyear transformation programs from vision through execution. Act as a trusted advisor to internal leadership on strategic accounts and investments. Enterprise full stack and platform thinking across data, AI, application, and cloud layers. Lead rapid ideation, pilots, and scaled production deployments with executive sponsorship. Outcomesdriven execution focused on measurable business impact. Comfortable operating with CEO/CIO/CTO stakeholders in high stakes environments. Passionate about innovation, scale, and continuous learning. Ensure production grade quality through architecture reviews, performance benchmarks, security controls, observability, and operational readiness. Build trusted relationships with senior customer stakeholders, enabling influence at boardroom and executive steering committee levels. Guide customers through complex tradeoffs involving cost, risk, performance, compliance, and speed to value. Ensure all solutions meet enterprise security, compliance, reliability, and Responsible AI standards. Provide executive oversight to design governance, quality gates, and production readiness for critical workloads. Provide architectural guidance on transactional, analytical, and AI-driven database workloads. Ensure cost efficient, predictable performance at enterprise scale. Ensure AI systems meet executive expectations for trust, transparency, performance, and value realization.