[Hiring] Principal AI Architect @Innovation Associates, Inc.

Role Description

As Principal AI Architect, you will be the senior hands-on technical leader advancing AI adoption and platform modernization across every division. We are moving beyond AI experimentation to establish AI as a durable, governed capability while modernizing the platform that supports it. You will architect and build production-grade AI agents and Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers, own the agentic AI architecture, and drive modernization projects. Your accountability extends beyond delivery: you will help make AI a lasting part of how our teams and customers work. This cross-divisional role combines hands-on execution with real technical decision-making authority—not solely architectural review. With a clear mandate, executive visibility, and ownership of key performance indicators (KPIs), you will turn AI capabilities into measurable business impact: stronger margins, improved performance against customer service-level agreements (SLAs), and sustained improvements in how our teams work every day.

How You’ll Contribute

• Agentic AI architecture for iA: agent frameworks, tool and integration patterns, evaluation and guardrail standards, model and vendor selection, and the governed path from prototype to production.
• Production-grade AI agents and MCP servers: designing and building the agents that automate high-value workflows across divisions, and the Model Context Protocol servers that expose NEXiA data, tools and operations to them securely, with the reliability, observability and access controls production demands.
• Retained Workflow Adoption across divisions: the company KPI that >80% of a team’s high-value recurring workflows with an AI-assisted step remain in routine use 60+ days after introduction. You will define how it is measured, publish it, and drive it.
• Platform modernization roadmap: sequencing the retirement or re-platforming of legacy NEXiA components to shift R&D spend toward the >40% innovation target.
• AI governance framework in partnership with Security and Compliance: HIPAA/PHI data handling, FDA software boundaries, DEA requirements, and customer/government security obligations, built so teams can ship without a bespoke review each time.
• AI-assisted customer support capabilities (triage, telemetry analysis, self-healing patterns) that improve On-Time Resolution, Mean Time to Resolve, and Resolution Rate.
• Upgradability and backward-compatibility standards that keep customers on NEXiA N-2 or newer.

What You Will Deliver in Your First Year

• A published agentic AI reference architecture and shared component library adopted by every division, with no new AI workload shipping outside it.
• At least two production-grade AI agents live in divisional workflows, backed by MCP servers for core NEXiA capabilities, with evals, guardrails and monitoring in place.
• A quarterly division-level AI adoption scorecard, with Retained Workflow Adoption at or above 80% in the top three divisions.
• An approved and funded modernization roadmap with at least two legacy components retired or re-platformed.
• At least one AI-assisted support capability in production with measured MTTR improvement.
• Zero Critical or High severity field defects attributable to AI features, enforced through eval and guardrail release gates.
• An architecture guild and AI pattern library that measurably raise AI fluency across engineering and operations.

How You Will Work

• Partner daily with division engineering leads, Product, Support, Cloud Engineering, Data/Analytics, and Security/Compliance.
• Make and document architecture decisions (ADRs), build/buy/partner analyses, and option memos that leadership can act on.
• Prototype when it de-risks a decision; delegate and coach when it scales a pattern.
• Mentor senior engineers into the architect track and build succession depth for AI and architecture roles.
• Brief executives and the board on AI direction, progress against KPIs, and risk.

Qualifications

• 12+ years in software engineering with 5+ years in architecture leadership across multiple teams or business units.
• Hands-on experience designing and shipping LLM-based or agentic systems to production, including tool/function calling, MCP or equivalent tool-integration protocols, evaluation, observability, guardrails, and cost/latency management.
• Track record of modernizing a large, revenue-bearing platform (monolith decomposition, re-platforming, API and event architecture) while it stayed in service.
• Experience in a regulated domain (healthcare, pharmacy, medical devices, financial services) and fluency in what HIPAA/PHI, FDA software, or equivalent constraints mean for architecture.
• Demonstrated ability to drive adoption of standards across teams you do not manage, and to measure whether adoption persisted.
• Clear written and verbal communication with engineers, executives, and customers alike.

Even Better If You Bring

• Pharmacy automation, supply chain, robotics/PLC integration, or industrial software background.
• Experience with .NET and cloud-native modernization (Azure or AWS), and with data platforms that feed AI workloads.
• Prior ownership of a company-level AI governance program or AI center of excellence.
• Experience with Microsoft 365 Copilot, Claude, OpenAI, or similar enterprise AI platforms and their governance tooling.

Compensation Details

The estimated base annual salary range for this position is $170,850 to $231,150, though a candidate’s base annual salary shall be determined on a range of factors, including, but not limited to, qualifications and experience. This position may additionally be eligible for an annual discretionary bonus.

Benefits

• Work-Life Balance: Generous time-off, paid volunteer days, and wellness programs to support your well-being.
• Comprehensive Benefits: Medical, dental, vision insurance, 401(k) with match, up to 12 weeks of 100% paid parental leave, pet insurance, and more.
• Career Growth: Invest in your future through iA University, tuition reimbursement for eligible degree programs and certifications, professional development funding, and ongoing opportunities to learn and grow.
• Culture of Ownership: At iA, we empower our employees to take charge and drive change.
• Impactful Work: Be part of a team that is transforming the pharmacy industry and improving patient care every day.
• Collaborative Environment: Work alongside passionate, like-minded individuals in a company that values teamwork and creativity.

Company Description

iA is not just a technology company – we're a pharmacy fulfillment partner that provides software-enabled solutions and modular hardware to improve operational efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance the patient-pharmacist relationship. Our products and solutions streamline the prescription process from start to finish, allowing pharmacists to focus on what matters most: their patients.