Azure Solution Architect, Data and AI

Acuity is looking for an experienced Azure Solution Architect specialising in Data and AI to join our growing architecture team. This role will work with prospective and existing clients to understand business and technical requirements, shape high-value Microsoft Azure solutions, identify opportunities to apply Acuity accelerators, and provide technical ownership from presales through to successful delivery. 

Our solution architects balance their time across client delivery, presales, and innovation: approximately 50% billable client work, 25% presales engagement, and 25% proposition development, market insight, thought leadership, and continuous learning. 

Responsibilities 

• Partner with Sales, Technical Leads, Delivery Managers, and client stakeholders to shape and deliver innovative data and AI solutions. 

• Explore customer needs from both technical and functional perspectives, translating business objectives into secure, scalable Azure architectures. 

• Lead end-to-end presales solution architecture for cloud data platforms, analytics, AI, governance, and supporting technologies. 

• Design elegant, pragmatic solutions that are commercially viable, deliverable, and aligned to client outcomes. 

• Contribute to the evolution of Acuity’s data, analytics, and AI accelerators, reference architectures, and reusable propositions. 

• Provide technical oversight during delivery to ensure the agreed architecture is realised effectively. 

• Create and present compelling proposals that clearly communicate business value, return on investment, and delivery approach. 

• Evaluate emerging technologies, monitor market trends, and help incorporate relevant advances into Acuity’s architecture practice. 

• Develop and maintain strong relationships with senior stakeholders, including C-suite decision makers. 

• Manage client expectations, support delivery confidence, and help ensure high levels of client satisfaction. 

Ideal qualifications and skills 

• Proven experience as an Azure Solution Architect with a strong focus on Microsoft Data and AI solutions. 

• Current, hands-on experience with Azure data and AI technologies such as Microsoft Fabric, Azure Synapse Analytics, Azure Databricks, Spark, Python, GitHub, Azure Data Factory, Azure Data Lake, Power BI, Azure AI services, and Microsoft Purview. 

• Strong data analysis, modelling, integration, governance, and architecture skills. 

• Good understanding of Azure infrastructure, security, identity, networking, monitoring, and operational considerations. 

• Experience with CI/CD practices, automated testing, DevOps ways of working, and modern engineering standards. 

• Commercial Agile delivery experience, ideally across consulting, enterprise, and mid-market environments. 

• Ability to estimate, cost, and shape solutions while understanding the impact of architectural choices on project delivery. 

• Experience working with organisations ranging from small and medium-sized customers to large enterprises. 

• Excellent verbal, written, and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate clearly with technical and non-technical audiences. 

• Microsoft certification is preferred, particularly Azure Solutions Architect Expert or relevant Data and AI certifications.