AI Solution Architect - San Mateo (Hybrid) - ONLY 6 Weeks Project

Job Title: AI Solution Architect
Location: San Mateo, CA (Hybrid)
Duration: 6 Weeks Contract

Seeking an AI Architect in San Mateo, CA who can design and drive end-to-end AI-powered solutions from data engineering and model architecture to full-stack integration and deployment. This role bridges data platforms, AI/ML systems, and application development, ensuring solutions are scalable, secure, and production-ready.

Requirements
10+ years in software/solution architecture, with 4+ years specifically in AI/ML architecture.
AI/ML: Strong understanding of LLMs, RAG architectures, agentic AI systems, prompt engineering, model fine-tuning, and MLOps.
Databricks: Hands-on experience with Databricks Lakehouse (Delta Lake, Unity Catalog, MLflow, Databricks Workflows), Spark-based data processing.
Full-Stack Development: Working knowledge of front-end (React/Angular) and back-end (Node.js/.NET/Python) development, API design (REST/GraphQL), and microservices architecture.
Cloud Platforms: Experience with Azure (AI Foundry, Cognitive Services) and/or AWS/Google Cloud Platform AI & data services.
Data Engineering: Familiarity with ETL/ELT pipelines, data modeling, and data governance.
Programming: Python (mandatory), plus exposure to SQL, and at least one full-stack language (JavaScript/TypeScript, C#, or Java).
Architecture: Proven experience designing scalable, distributed systems; solid grasp of system design principles, security, and DevOps/CI-CD practices.
Strong stakeholder communication skills ability to translate technical architecture into business value for both technical and non-technical audiences.

Nice to Have
Experience with vector databases (Pinecone, Weaviate, Snowflake Cortex).
Exposure to containerization (Docker/Kubernetes) and infrastructure-as-code (Terraform/Bicep).
Prior experience in a client-facing or pre-sales/solutioning capacity.
Certifications in Azure/AWS AI or Databricks (Databricks Certified Data Engineer/ML Associate).