Solution Architect - Data & AI

Job description

Principal data architects at Thoughtworks play a key part in developing modern data architecture approaches to meet business objectives and provide end-to-end data solutions. They enable clients and Thoughtworks teams to align on outcomes that support the vision painted by data strategists. They lead the design and architecture of the initiatives that are key to delivering solutions to budget and timelines, and they guide and mentor delivery teams on the architectural decisions that bring those solutions to life. This role leans strategic: it pairs strong architecture leadership with the advisory, commercial and consulting instincts of a data strategist. This is a client-facing, builder's leadership role. You will start with a small, senior team and grow it through technical depth, delivery excellence and thought leadership, rather than inheriting a large organisation to manage. The role is based in India and requires regular travel to client sites, up to approximately 50% of your time. This role is pivotal to the India market, responsible for driving complex Data and AI solutions for both existing and prospective clients. You will primarily engage with C-level stakeholders to lead high-impact, thought-leadership-driven initiatives focused on delivering tangible business outcomes. While this role carries revenue targets, the core emphasis is on strategic solutioning and establishing market thought leadership Job responsibilities • You will provide client-facing technical leadership and guidance on data architecture, engineering and analytics to advise clients on bringing their data strategy to life. • You will collaborate with sales and pre-sales to clarify requirements, design viable solutions and drive complex pursuits with technical and executive stakeholders. • You will lead complex data programs, navigating architectural concerns and enabling delivery teams to deliver on accepted standards within time and budget. • You will interact with client counterparts from the enterprise architecture group and lead the delivery, alignment and sign-off of key architectural decisions, trade-offs and ways of working. • You will communicate both high- and low-level technical details of data architecture to engineers and business stakeholders, including C-level. • You will collaborate, influence and guide at the intersection of analytical and operational architecture. • You will be responsible for the technical design of data governance, data security and data privacy to fulfill compliance requirements, and incorporate data quality frameworks and processes. • You will create differentiated assets in data architecture and strategy to take to market. • You lead through influence rather than headcount: growing capability and raising delivery standards inside the organisation, while building our presence in the market through thought leadership, ecosystem initiatives and client-facing points of view. • You will understand the client's business problem and create data oriented solutions. You would be presenting the solution to Thoughtworks leaders and client stakeholders. • You would utilize AI tools (like Claude, Copilot) to fast track understanding client requirements, solution preparation, estimation, and other pre-sales and solutioning activities. Job qualifications Technical Skills • You have experience defining and implementing different types of data architecture, analyzing trade-offs and defining technology stacks for each. • You have experience designing application system architecture based on big data, artificial intelligence and related technologies. • You have rich experience in building, maintaining and tuning data platforms, as well as data warehouse design, data modeling, data monitoring and operations. • You have experience with common design patterns, application frameworks and foundational knowledge (for example distributed systems and data-intensive applications). • You are conversant in common open-source distributed computing and storage technologies (for example Spark, Kafka, Flink) and can reason clearly about their trade-offs. Deep day-to-day coding in these is welcome but not essential for this strategy-leaning role, provided you stay hands-on in at least one or two relevant technologies. • You have deep experience in solutioning and implementation of data platforms, data mesh, data modernization, data as a product, data quality, data governance. • You have experience defining, developing and enabling data-driven techniques, advanced analytics and ML/AI applications in the enterprise, including a view on productionizing machine learning. • You have experience in building high-level solution frameworks, leveraging paradigms such as data-as-a-product and federated governance where needed. • Experience of one of the following technologies - Snowflake / Databricks / AWS data platform & services / Azure data platform & services. Consulting and commercial track record • You have worked in a consultancy or professional-services environment within the last five years, driving data and AI engagements end to end (recent examples matter more than historical ones). • You can point to data and AI pursuits you helped win and shape within the last three to five years, including deals from around €3M upwards, and you can speak concretely to their commercial shape, trade-offs and delivery. • You have grown a practice, capability or go-to-market asset, for example a reusable accelerator taken to market, combining solutioning, sales and deli