Senior Data & AI Architect

Senior Data & AI Architect - Remote

What to expect when you join the Sikich family

Team members at Sikich have a lot in common while also being part of a rich and diverse group of contributors, creating a distinct and thriving culture. Chief among our commonalities is a desire for growth and a shared unity of purpose in our professional lives. We believe that through diverse perspectives, challenging the status quo and rewarding action, we accelerate innovation and drive growth - for our clients, for ourselves and for our communities.

The professional services landscape continues to evolve. For Sikich, this means we have an opportunity to further cement our leadership position in this industry and continue to grow our organization in increasingly exciting ways. This growth is meaningful for every team member at our company because larger companies simply see more interesting client opportunities and can attract impressively talented individuals like you. Through a dedicated focus on key business priorities and intentionally creating a rewarding employee experience, Sikich has developed into a highly regarded provider of professional services and a sought-after employer of choice.

Do you want to work with other skilled practitioners and serve clients in a way that makes a difference? Are you seeking a supportive environment backed by a deep and extensive set of skillsets? Are you ready to make an impact and be acknowledged for your contributions? If you answered yes to these questions, we see a mutually beneficial and gratifying relationship on the horizon!

Are you ready to grow with us?

Position Summary

Sikich is seeking an experienced AI & Data Architect to lead enterprise-wide AI and data transformation initiatives for our clients. This manager-level role bridges strategic consulting and technical implementation, requiring someone who can build trusted executive-level relationships while designing and delivering sophisticated AI and data solutions. You'll be responsible for client engagements end-to-end - from initial strategy development through implementation and optimization - leading multi-disciplinary teams to drive measurable business outcomes.

This is not a pure engineering role, nor is it purely advisory. We need a proven leader who can articulate complex technical concepts to executives, design enterprise architecture, write compelling statements of work, and roll up their sleeves to guide implementation teams. If you thrive at the intersection of business strategy and technical execution, this role offers the opportunity to shape how mid-market and enterprise organizations leverage AI and data for competitive advantage.

What will you do in this role?

• Manage client relationships, serving as a trusted advisor on AI and data transformation initiatives
• Lead discovery sessions to understand business objectives, opportunities, and organizational readiness for AI and data initiatives
• Develop comprehensive Data and AI strategies aligned to business goals, including use case identification, prioritization frameworks, and ROI analysis
• Build enterprise data strategies that establish foundational capabilities for analytics, reporting, and AI applications
• Facilitate workshops and, form and lead steering committees, and ensure stakeholder alignment and program governance throughout engagements
• Identify expansion opportunities within existing accounts and contribute to new business development

• Design modern data architectures including Lakehouse implementations, medallion architectures, and cloud data platforms (Azure, AWS, GCP)
• Develop AI solution architectures spanning traditional ML, predictive analytics, and generative AI applications
• Create technical design documentation, architectural diagrams, and solution blueprints for complex data and AI initiatives
• Define data governance frameworks, including policies, stewardship models, data quality standards, and metadata management strategies
• Design master data management solutions to establish single sources of truth across enterprise systems
• Architect data integration patterns and pipelines supporting real-time and batch processing requirements
• Establish MLOps, DataOps, and DevOps practices to operationalize AI and analytics capabilities

• Lead cross-functional project teams at client sites, coordinating data engineers, analysts, and subject matter experts
• Write and be responsible for statements of work (SOWs), project plans, and engagement proposals that define scope, deliverables, timelines, and success criteria
• Conduct current state assessments and gap analyses to inform future state recommendations and transformation roadmaps
• Facilitate business process design and re-engineering initiatives to optimize workflows and embed data-driven decision-making
• Oversee implementation of data cataloging solutions, data quality frameworks, and governance operating models
• Guide clients through organizational change management, including operating model design, role definition, and capability building
• Present findings, recommendations, and project updates to executive stakeholders with clarity and confidence

• Establish AI governance frameworks addressing model risk management, ethical AI principles, bias detection, and regulatory compliance
• Define model validation procedures, monitoring protocols, and model inventory management processes
• Advise clients on responsible AI practices, explainability requirements, and transparency standards
• Design controls and audit trails for AI systems to meet regulatory and internal policy requirements

What do you need to succeed in this role?

• 10+ years of progressive experience in data management, analytics, and AI implementation roles
• 5+ years leading client-facing consulting engagements with demonstrated success owning strategic relationships
• Proven track record designing and implementing enterprise data platforms and AI solutions at scale
• Practical industry experience (Insurance, Manufacturing, Healthcare, Financial Services, Banking, etc)
• Must be a U.S. Citizen due to client requirements and potential work with regulated industries

• Expert-level knowledge of data governance, data management, and data stewardship principles and frameworks
• Extensive experience with data engineering practices, including ETL/ELT development, data pipeline orchestration, and data modeling
• Proficiency with modern data cataloging tools (Collibra, Alation, Purview, etc.)
• Strong understanding of master data management (MDM) strategies and metadata management solutions
• Hands-on experience designing and implementing lakehouse architectures and medallion data patterns (Bronze/Silver/Gold layers)
• Deep knowledge of AI/ML technologies including traditional predictive modeling, deep learning, and generative AI (LLMs, RAG architectures, etc.)
• Understanding of MLOps practices, model lifecycle management, and AI operationalization
• Familiarity with DataOps and DevOps principles and tooling
• Experience with cloud platforms (Azure, AWS, or GCP) and cloud-native data services
• Knowledge of data integration patterns and tools (Azure Data Factory, Informatica, Talend, etc.)

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with ability to translate technical concepts for business audiences
• Proven ability to write compelling proposals, SOWs, and business cases that win client confidence
• Strong facilitation skills for executive workshops, requirements sessions, and design thinking exercises
• Experience with ROI analysis, business case development, and use case prioritization frameworks
• Ability to develop actionable roadmaps with realistic timelines, dependencies, and resource requirements
• Understanding of organizational change management principles and change adoption strategies
• Track record of building trusted advisor relationships with senior executives

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Data Science, or related technical field.
• Master's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, or Business Intelligence preferred.

In addition, specific skills/experience required are as follows: .....

• Servant Leader - You are hyper focused on engaging employees, fostering their development, and building a positive culture.
• Solutions Focused - You see opportunities in every business problem and can develop, articulate, and implement solutions.
• Collaboration - You are a relationship builder across all levels of the organization and across all business units.
• Instills Trust - You do what you say, and you follow through on commitments, you act with integrity, you are consistent and are perceived as credible.
• Impact & Influence Thinking - You gain support for ideas, proposals, and solutions, and get others to act, with or without formal authority, to advance initiatives/objectives.

About Sikich

Sikich is a global company specializing in Accounting, Advisory, and Technical professional services. With employees across the globe, Sikich ranks as one of the largest professional services companies in the United States. Our comprehensive skillsets, obtained over decades of experience as entrepreneurs, business owners and industry innovators, allow us to provide insights and transformative strategies to help strengthen every dimension of our clients' businesses.

Sikich Total Rewards

Our team members enjoy expansive benefits ranging from competitive compensation and insurance options to wellness programs and a flexible time off policy, to name only a few. Sikich also takes pride in prioritizing team members' health, total wellbeing and time spent with family, friends and in the pursuit of personal goals, hobbies, and endeavors.

In compliance with this state's pay transparency laws, thebase salary range for this role is $180,000. This is not a guarantee of compensation or salary, as final offer amount may vary based on factors including but not limited to experience, commission, and geographic location.

Some examples of our many benefits:

• Sikich maintains a Flexible Time Off (FTO) Policy. We encourage every full-time employee, as your role permits, to utilize paid time off (personal time, mental/physical health care, vacation, sick leave, etc.). Waiting for time off to accrue is common at other companies. At Sikich, you do not have to wait for this benefit to kick in. FTO is activated on your first day with our organization.
• Sikich will also recognize paid holidays during the year and strives to permit employees to have time off the last week of the calendar year when client and project work permits.
• Sikich offers a comprehensive wellness program to engage, challenge and empower team members to take responsibility for their wellbeing. Activities can be tracked through our wellness provider to obtain gift cards and other rewards.

We also offer:

• Flexible work arrangements
• Health, dental, vision, life, and accident/death/disability insurance options
• HSA employer contribution
• Nine (9) paid holidays annually.
• A robust paid Parental Bonding Leave program covering birth, adoption, and foster children.
• 401(k) with employer contributions
• CPA bonus with four (4) paid exam days & four (4) paid study days.
• Tuition reimbursement
• Generous employee referral bonus program
• Client referral bonus program
• Pet insurance
• FORCE - Sikich community volunteer program enabling each team member to use up to four hours of paid time annually to volunteer and make a difference in their local communities.

Want to learn more? Visit our Careers website or Glassdoor profile.

Sikich is an Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V

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Sikich currently practices in an alternative practice structure in accordance with the AICPA Professional Code of Conduct and applicable law, regulations, and professional standards. Sikich CPA LLC is a licensed CPA firm that provides audit and attest services to its clients. Sikich LLC has a contractual arrangement with Sikich CPA LLC under which Sikich LLC provides Sikich CPA LLC with professional and support personnel and other services to support Sikich CPA LLC's performance of its professional services, and Sikich CPA LLC shares certain client information with Sikich LLC with respect to the provision of such services.