Principal Architect/Engineer Manager

Principal Architect / Engineering Manager C2H Position Preferred IL location Candidates. Looking for a Principal Architect / Engineering Manager to lead the design, delivery, and operation of production AI systems on Microsoft Azure. You'll own the architecture end to end, from reference architectures and security posture down to the code and pipelines that implement them. You'll also own the data foundation that powers these systems, from SQL Server and Azure SQL through Microsoft Fabric. And you'll build and lead the engineering team that brings it all to life. This is a hybrid leadership role. You'll spend roughly half your time setting technical direction and staying hands\-on in architecture and code. The other half goes to hiring, developing, and managing a team of engineers. You'll work closely with executive leadership to decide where AI can create real business value, especially in regulated or security\-sensitive environments. What You'll Do Architecture \& Technical LeadershipDesign and own the reference architecture for AI solutions built on Azure AI Foundry, Azure OpenAI, Microsoft Copilot Studio, and Azure AI Search. Architect retrieval\-augmented generation (RAG) platforms using vector, hybrid, and semantic search across data sources with different trust boundaries and access controls. Lead development of agentic AI solutions, including tool\-calling agents and integrations using Model Context Protocol (MCP) and Agent\-to\-Agent (A2A) patterns. Guide the design, training, evaluation, and deployment of machine learning models using Azure Machine Learning and Fabric Data Science. Establish MLOps practices, including model versioning, automated retraining, monitoring for drift, and responsible AI evaluation. Define cloud infrastructure and security posture for regulated workloads, using infrastructure\-as\-code (Bicep, ARM, Terraform). Set technical standards, run architecture and design reviews, and drive down technical debt across the platform. Stay hands\-on with C\#/.NET, Python, and CI/CD pipelines (Azure DevOps YAML, GitHub Actions) where it matters most. Data Platform \& Analytics Architect data solutions on Microsoft Fabric, including OneLake, Lakehouse, Data Warehouse, Data Factory pipelines, and Real\-Time Intelligence. Design data ingestion and transformation pipelines that feed AI and RAG workloads with clean, governed, well\-modeled data. Lead SQL Server architecture and performance work, including schema design, query tuning, indexing strategy, and high availability/disaster recovery. Plan and execute migrations from on\-premises SQL Server and legacy data warehouses to Azure SQL and Fabric. Define data governance, security, and access controls using Microsoft Purview, row\-level security, and Entra ID integration. Partner with analytics teams on Power BI semantic models and reporting built on Fabric. People \& Team Management Hire, manage, and develop a team of \[8–15] engineers, including senior developers, AI/ML engineers, data engineers, QA, and analysts. Run regular 1:1s, set clear goals, conduct performance reviews, and build career growth paths for direct reports. Build a strong engineering culture around code quality, testing (TDD/BDD), DevSecOps, and continuous delivery. Plan team capacity, prioritize work, and manage delivery across multiple concurrent projects using Agile/SAFe practices. Mentor engineers on modern .NET, cloud\-native design patterns, and responsible AI practices. Manage vendor and contractor relationships where needed, and contribute to budget planning for tooling and cloud spend. Stakeholder \& Business Partnership Advise executive and client leadership on AI strategy, feasibility, risk, and ROI. Translate business goals into technical roadmaps with clear milestones and measurable outcomes. Communicate architecture decisions, tradeoffs, and progress to both technical and non\-technical audiences. What You Bring Required 12\+ years of software engineering experience, with 5\+ years in an architect\-level role on the Microsoft stack. 3\+ years of people management experience, including hiring, performance management, and developing engineers. Proven experience designing and running production AI systems on Azure (Azure OpenAI, Azure AI Search, Azure AI Foundry, or similar). Hands\-on experience with RAG architectures, embeddings, vector/hybrid search, and agentic AI patterns. Working knowledge of machine learning fundamentals, including supervised and unsupervised learning, model evaluation, and feature engineering. 8\+ years of hands\-on SQL Server experience, including T\-SQL development, performance tuning, query optimization, and database design. Experience with SQL Server high availability and disaster recovery (Always On availability groups, replication, backup/restore strategy). Hands\-on experience with Microsoft Fabric (Lakehouse, Data Warehouse, Data Factory, or OneLake) in a production environment. Deep expertise in Azure services such as Functions, AKS, App Services, Cosmos DB, Service Bus, Event Hub, and API Management. Strong proficiency in C\# and .NET, plus working knowledge of Python. Experience with microservices, event\-driven architecture, and Domain\-Driven Design. Track record of building CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices across teams. Excellent communication skills and experience advising senior leadership. Preferred Microsoft certifications such as Azure Solutions Architect Expert, Azure AI Engineer Associate, Agentic AI Business Solutions Architect, Fabric Analytics Engineer Associate (DP\-600\), or Fabric Data Engineer Associate (DP\-700\). Hands\-on experience with Azure Machine Learning, MLflow, or similar platforms for building and operationalizing models. Familiarity with Python ML libraries such as scikit\-learn, PyTorch, or TensorFlow. Experience with LLM evaluation, fine\-tuning, or prompt optimization for production systems. Experience with Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Managed Instance, or Synapse Analytics. Familiarity with medallion (bronze/silver/gold) architecture, Delta Lake, and Spark notebooks. Experience with Power BI data modeling and DAX. Experience in regulated industries such as public sector, healthcare, or financial services. Familiarity with MCP, A2A, Microsoft Copilot Studio, and Power Platform. Experience managing distributed or cross\-functional teams of 20\+ people. Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field (or equivalent experience). Pay: $127,870\.64 \- $153,994\.75 per year Benefits: * Health insurance Work Location: Remote