Senior AI Solution Architect

Staples Inc. • Framingham, MA

13h • $129,000 - $180,000

About The Position

Staples is building practical, AI-enabled solutions for its Marketplace organization, which works across product, commercial strategy, operations, and technology. The Senior AI Solution Architect is a business-embedded technical leader who identifies, shapes, and rapidly delivers AI-enabled solutions to high-value operational and commercial challenges. This is a hands-on builder role focused on solving real-world inefficiencies, rather than a traditional roadmap-bound engineering, sales, or demo function.

The architect works with Marketplace leaders, product managers, commercial teams, Technology, and Data/AI partners to understand workflows and operational nuances, turn ambiguous problems into structured technical approaches, and develop solution pathways that can be validated, scaled, and operationalized. The role is preferred to be based at Staples’ Framingham, Massachusetts headquarters, with 100% remote work also available and travel as needed.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Data Science, a related technical field, or equivalent work experience.
• 10+ years of overall experience in software engineering or technical solution development.
• Experience building and deploying AI, machine learning, automation, or data-driven solutions in a business or enterprise environment.
• Experience writing code and delivering working prototypes using modern programming languages such as Python, Java, or similar.
• Experience translating business requirements into technical solutions in partnership with business stakeholders.
• Experience delivering solutions from concept through prototype validation.
• Experience integrating or working with structured and unstructured data sources.
• Experience managing multiple complex projects or initiatives simultaneously.
• Strong problem-framing and critical-thinking skills, particularly in ambiguous environments.
• A builder mindset, with curiosity and ownership to move from problem discovery to a working solution quickly.
• Ability to connect technical solutions to business outcomes and communicate impact in practical terms.
• Effective stakeholder engagement across technical and non-technical audiences.
• Adaptability and comfort working in rapidly evolving technology and business environments.
• Collaborative approach and ability to influence without direct authority.
• Clear, concise communication skills across organizational levels, including with senior leadership.
• Business acumen and judgment to balance value, feasibility, scalability, and adoption.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree or advanced technical training.
• Experience in eCommerce, marketplaces, retail, or adjacent industries.
• Experience implementing AI or automation solutions within large, matrixed enterprise environments.
• Familiarity with enterprise data platforms, cloud environments, and modern AI/LLM tooling ecosystems.
• Experience working at the intersection of business units and centralized technology or data organizations.
• Experience contributing to or enhancing reusable platforms, frameworks, or internal tools.
• Prior experience in forward-deployed engineering, solutions engineering, or a similar business-embedded technical role.
• Experience quantifying and communicating the business impact of technical solutions.

Responsibilities

• Embed within Marketplace operations, product, and commercial teams to understand workflows, undocumented processes, edge cases, and operational nuances.
• Identify, define, and prioritize AI and automation opportunities based on business impact, scalability, and feasibility.
• Translate ambiguous business problems into structured technical approaches, solution hypotheses, and build plans.
• Develop and deploy rapid prototypes or proofs of concept using internal platforms, enterprise data, and modern AI/ML and large language model tools.
• Validate solutions using real-world data and workflows to demonstrate measurable business value.
• Partner with Technology and Data/AI teams to transition validated prototypes into scalable, production-ready solutions.
• Bridge business stakeholders and technical teams to ensure clear requirements and continuity of context.
• Support adoption of deployed solutions through rollout, iteration, and performance measurement.
• Establish and track success metrics tied to business outcomes, including efficiency gains, cost reduction, revenue impact, and user adoption.
• Contribute reusable learnings, frameworks, and enhancements to enterprise platforms based on field insights.
• Lead or coordinate multiple concurrent, high-impact initiatives with cross-functional stakeholders.
• Mentor less experienced team members and contribute to capability building within the forward-deployed function.

Benefits

• 22 days of PTO and a holiday schedule with 7 observed paid holidays and 1 floating holiday.
• Online and retail discounts.
• Company match 401(k).
• Physical and mental health wellness programs.
• Associate-led Business Resource Groups and an inclusive culture.
• May be eligible for bonuses or other forms of variable compensation.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior