Data & AI Architect

Job description

Servent is a Microsoft Solutions Partner helping organisations harness the power of Cloud, Data, Security and AI to drive transformation and business growth. We specialise in designing and delivering modern Microsoft technology solutions that enable customers to become secure, data-driven and AI-enabled enterprises.

As part of our continued growth, we are seeking an experienced Data and AI Architect to help customers unlock the value of their data, accelerate AI adoption and shape the evolution of Servent's Data and AI capability.

ROLE OVERVIEW

As Servent continues to expand its Data and AI capability, we are seeking an experienced Data and AI Architect to help grow our Data and AI practice and deliver transformative customer outcomes.

This is a hands-on role combining customer advisory, solution architecture, technical leadership and business growth responsibilities. You will work with customers, Microsoft and Servent delivery teams to design modern Data and AI solutions, support pre-sales opportunities and deliver successful customer outcomes.

You will lead discovery workshops, define solution architectures, support the evolution of Servent's Data and AI offerings and help establish Servent as a recognised leader in Azure Data, Analytics and AI transformation.

KEY OBJECTIVES

The successful candidate will:

• Develop innovative Data and AI offerings aligned to Microsoft's strategic priorities.
• Support the growth of Data and AI revenue through customer engagement and pre-sales activity.
• Support Servent's Advanced Specialisation, Solution Partner Designation and marketplace growth objectives.

SUCCESS IN ROLE

Success in role will be measured by:

• Support the growth of qualified Data and AI pipeline and revenue.
• Creation of repeatable Data and AI service offerings and accelerators.
• Successful delivery of high-quality, profitable customer engagements.
• Positive customer outcomes, advocacy and repeat engagement.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Data and AI Practice

• Support the development and growth of Servent's Data and AI practice, ensuring alignment with business objectives, market opportunities and Microsoft's strategic direction.
• Define and evolve Servent's Data and AI service offerings, methodologies, accelerators and delivery frameworks.
• Establish architectural standards, governance principles and quality frameworks to ensure consistent delivery excellence across customer engagements.
• Act as a trusted technical leader, mentoring consultants, engineers and architects while promoting knowledge sharing and continuous improvement.

Customer Advisory and Consulting

• Engage with customer stakeholders to understand business objectives, challenges and strategic priorities.
• Carry out data maturity assessments to help clients map out their data strategy.
• Facilitate discovery workshops, envisioning sessions and architecture reviews to help customers develop Data and AI roadmaps.
• Translate business requirements into scalable, secure and cost-effective Data and AI solutions.
• Provide strategic guidance on data transformation, analytics modernisation, governance and AI adoption.
• Develop trusted relationships with senior customer stakeholders and become a recognised advisor on Data and AI strategy.

Solution Architecture and Delivery

• Architect and oversee the delivery of enterprise-scale Data and AI solutions on Microsoft Azure.
• Design modern data platforms using technologies including Microsoft Fabric, Azure Databricks, Azure Data Factory, Azure Data Lake, Microsoft Purview, Azure Data Explorer, Synapse Analytics and Power BI.
• Apply data and semantic modelling best practices including dimensional modelling to deliver consistent, trusted and high-performing analytics solutions.
• Design and govern end-to-end architectures that deliver scalability, resilience, security, compliance and operational supportability.

AI and Modern Data Innovation

• Design AI-ready data platforms that support advanced analytics, machine learning and Generative AI workloads.
• Architect solutions leveraging Azure AI Services, Microsoft Foundry, Copilot Studio, Azure OpenAI and Microsoft Fabric capabilities where appropriate.
• Design Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) architectures, knowledge discovery solutions and intelligent data-driven applications.

Business Development and Pre-Sales

• Support sales and account management teams in identifying, qualifying and developing Data and AI opportunities.
• Contribute to proposal development, bid responses, solution estimates and Statements of Work.
• Help shape customer business cases and articulate the value of Data and AI solutions.
• Support the growth of the Data and AI practice through pipeline generation, customer expansion opportunities and strategic account development.
• Represent Servent in customer engagements, industry events and Microsoft-led initiatives.

Microsoft Partnership and Market Engagement

• Support the attainment and renewal of Microsoft Solution Partner Designations and Advanced Specialisations relevant to Data and AI.
• Contribute to joint Microsoft and customer engagements, workshops and go-to-market activities.

Internal Data and Business Enablement

• Support the evolution of Servent's internal data and reporting capabilities.
• Identify opportunities to leverage data, automation and AI to improve operational effectiveness and decision-making.

SKILLS

Professional Experience

We are seeking an experienced Data and AI Architect with a proven track record of designing, delivering and leading enterprise-scale Data and AI solutions within consulting, professional services or customer-facing technology environments.

The successful candidate will demonstrate experience across the following areas:

Consulting and Customer Engagement

• Proven experience leading customer workshops, discovery sessions and strategic advisory engagements.
• Ability to translate business objectives into practical Data and AI roadmaps and technical solutions.
• Strong consulting skills with the ability to influence decisions, challenge assumptions and guide customers through technology transformation initiatives.

Solution Architecture

• Significant experience architecting and delivering modern Azure-based Data and AI platforms.
• Experience leading complex transformation programmes from strategy and design through to implementation and operational handover.
• Ability to provide technical leadership across multiple projects whilst ensuring consistent quality and delivery excellence.

Data and AI Expertise

• Demonstrable experience designing modern data platforms supporting analytics, reporting, machine learning and AI workloads.
• Strong understanding of data architecture, data modelling, master data management, governance and data lifecycle management.
• Experience implementing scalable and secure data solutions capable of supporting advanced analytics and AI-enabled business outcomes.
• Understanding of emerging AI technologies and their practical application within enterprise environments.
• Advise customers on data governance and AI adoption, including ownership, quality, lineage, privacy, responsible AI controls, data readiness assessments and operationalisation.

Leadership and Collaboration

• Experience mentoring, coaching and supporting the development of engineers, consultants and architects.
• Strong written, verbal and presentation skills with the ability to communicate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Experience leading technical discussions and presenting to executive-level stakeholders.

Commercial and Business Awareness

• Experience supporting business development activities including workshops, proposals, solution design and customer presentations.
• Understanding of project commercials, solution estimation and the delivery of profitable consulting engagements.
• Experience contributing to service development, go-to-market initiatives and business growth is highly desirable.

Technical Experience

The successful candidate will possess strong experience across several of the following technology areas:

Core Experience

• Microsoft Fabric and/or Azure Databricks
• Azure data platform architecture
• Modern data platform design and delivery
• Customer-facing consulting and advisory services

Desirable

• Azure Data Factory
• Azure Data Lake Storage
• Azure Synapse Analytics
• Azure Data Explorer
• Microsoft Purview
• Power BI
• Azure SQL and SQL Server platforms

Data Engineering and Analytics

• Data integration and ETL/ELT design
• Data warehousing methodologies
• Medallion architecture and modern Lakehouse design
• Data modelling and information architecture
• Streaming and near real-time data platforms
• Advanced analytics and reporting solutions
• Machine Learning and Large Language Models

Azure AI and Modern Data Solutions

• Azure AI Services
• Microsoft Foundry
• Azure OpenAI Service
• Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) architectures
• AI-ready data platform design
• Intelligent document processing and knowledge discovery
• Responsible AI and AI governance principles

Development and DevOps

• Python and/or C#
• Azure DevOps
• GitHub
• CI/CD pipelines and automation
• Infrastructure as Code principles
• Software engineering and DevOps best practices

Architecture and Governance

• Azure Well-Architected Framework
• Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework
• Azure Landing Zones
• Security, compliance and governance best practices
• Enterprise architecture and solution governance methodologies

Certifications

Candidates should hold one or more relevant Microsoft certifications and demonstrate a commitment to continuous learning and professional development. Desirable certifications include:

• Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer Associate
• Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Engineer Associate
• Microsoft Certified: Fabric Data Engineer Associate
• Microsoft Certified: Fabric Analytics Engineer Associate
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Scientist Associate

Equivalent certifications, demonstrable experience and proven expertise will also be considered.

****NO RECRUITERS PLEASE****