Principal Solutions Architect – AI Systems

Systems Planning and Analysis • El Segundo, CA

20h • Hybrid

About The Position

SPA is seeking a Principal Solutions Architect – AI Systems to lead the architecture of an AI-enabled decision-support system integrated into an existing operational environment. This role owns how AI reasoning, deterministic logic, data, and human decision authority work together in a production system where trust, auditability, and mission impact matter. This is not a data science or model-development role. It is a systems architecture role that requires deep AI systems literacy. Key responsibilities include but are not limited to the following: Own end-to-end architecture for an AI-augmented operational system. Define how AI inference is bounded by constraints, validated, and surfaced for human decision-making. Design agent-based and workflow-driven architectures that combine probabilistic and deterministic reasoning. Lead integration into existing platforms using API-first, zero-trust, container-native patterns. Establish architectural patterns for traceability, auditability, and responsible AI. Serve as the senior technical authority across delivery increments This is a remote/hybrid position. You will be expected to work on-site at least 2 days per work in either Colorado Springs, CO or El Segundo, CA due to the fast pace, quick-turn nature of the job and the persistent need to access secure networks. Thus, residing in comfortable driving distance of either Colorado Springs, CO or El Segundo, CA should be considered.

Requirements

• US Citizen and current active DoD Secret clearance
• Minimum 8 years of experience designing complex distributed systems
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field
• Possession of at least one of the following certifications: Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-305) Azure DevOps Engineer Expert (AZ-400) Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) or equivalent
• Demonstrated experience architecting production AI-enabled systems
• Experience integrating AI into existing enterprise or mission platforms
• Strong understanding of AI failure modes, uncertainty, and validation at the system level
• Experience designing systems with human-in-the-loop authority
• Deep proficiency with the following tools & technologies: Distributed systems, APIs, containers (Docker/Kubernetes) Cloud platforms (AWS/Azure/GCP) AI integration patterns (model APIs, orchestration layers, tool-calling) Observability and system monitoring

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end architecture for an AI-augmented operational system.
• Define how AI inference is bounded by constraints, validated, and surfaced for human decision-making.
• Design agent-based and workflow-driven architectures that combine probabilistic and deterministic reasoning.
• Lead integration into existing platforms using API-first, zero-trust, container-native patterns.
• Establish architectural patterns for traceability, auditability, and responsible AI.
• Serve as the senior technical authority across delivery increments

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees