Data & AI Architect

K.L. Scott & Associates

$120K — $160K *
Information Technology
15+ years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Engineering, or related field required.
  • Master's or PhD in a quantitative discipline preferred.
  • Certifications such as Cloud Data Specialty (AWS/Azure/GCP), TOGAF, DAMA/CDMP, and Security+ are preferred.
  • 20+ years in data architecture, analytics, or platform engineering, with 3+ years in AI/ML for production use cases.
  • Extensive experience with enterprise data platforms and cloud environments, particularly in AI/ML systems.
  • Leadership experience in security-conscious environments is essential.
  • Capable of obtaining and maintaining Top Secret clearance.

Responsibilities

  • Implement data quality checks and access controls aligned with governance needs.
  • Create and maintain curated datasets for knowledge retrieval.
  • Optimize indexing and retrieval pipelines to enhance user experience.
  • Ensure operational monitoring and data refresh procedures for release cycles are established.
  • Build secure ingestion pipelines for structured data sources and critical documents.
  • Develop data and AI product architecture according to federal security standards.
  • Collaborate with executive stakeholders and maintain professional project delivery.

Benefits

  • Health, dental, and vision insurance
  • 401K plan
  • Discretionary PTO
  • Opportunities for professional development
  • Dynamic and collaborative work environment
Full Job Description
Project Team Roles

The following position comprises a multidisciplinary delivery team responsible for planning, building, integrating, deploying, and operating an AI-enabled chatbot capability using an iterative, sprint-based approach with security and risk management embedded throughout.

Data & AI Architect

KL Scott and Associates is seeking a Data & AI Architect. This role serves as the technical authority for enterprise data, analytics, and AI architecture supporting the chatbot platform. The position combines strategic data architecture leadership with hands-on oversight of data engineering, AI enablement, governance, and evaluation frameworks to ensure secure, scalable, and auditable AI operations. The ideal candidate will reside in or within commutable distance to Washington DC.

Responsibilities:
  • Implement data quality checks, validation rules, versioning, lineage, and access controls aligned to governance requirements.
  • Create and maintain curated datasets and searchable knowledge artifacts to support retrieval and response grounding.
  • Optimize indexing and retrieval pipelines to improve response relevance, latency, and overall user experience.
  • Support release cycles by ensuring data refresh procedures, rollback plans, and operational monitoring are in place.
  • Build secure ingestion and processing pipelines for documents, guidance, SOPs, and approved structured data sources.
  • Implement data quality checks, validation rules, versioning, lineage, and access controls aligned to governance requirements.
  • Create and maintain curated datasets and searchable knowledge artifacts to support retrieval and response grounding.
  • Optimize indexing and retrieval pipelines to improve response relevance, latency, and overall user experience.
  • Support release cycles by ensuring data refresh procedures, rollback plans, and operational monitoring are in place.
  • Develop data architecture and AI product architecture in alignment with Federal and agency security requirements.
  • Support the harvesting and refinement of solutions for internal KLSA product portfolio.
  • Ability to operate with minimal management oversight and maintain compliance in alignment to project requirements.
  • Ability to engage with, collaborate, and present to executive stakeholders (CFO), technical leaders (CDO), and mission leaders (Division Directors).
  • Maintain professional execution of project delivery while engaging with executive presence as all times.

Qualifications:
  • Required: Bachelor's degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Engineering, or related field.
  • Preferred: Master's or PhD in a quantitative discipline.
  • Preferred certifications: Cloud Data Specialty (AWS/Azure/GCP), TOGAF (architecture), DAMA/CDMP (data management), Security+ (helpful in regulated environments, preferred), Databricks (or equivalent platform).
  • 20+ years of experience in data architecture, analytics, or platform engineering; 3+ years applying AI/ML to production use cases (NLP/LLM/retrieval-augmented generation preferred).
  • Deep experience with enterprise data platforms, cloud environments, and AI/ML systems.
  • Prior leadership in regulated or security-conscious environments.
  • Ability to obtain and maintain Top Secret clearance eligibility.

Benefits:
  • Competitive salary
  • Health, dental, and vision insurance
  • 401K
  • "Discretionary" PTO
  • Professional development opportunities
  • A dynamic and collaborative work environment

Working Conditions:
  • This position may require travel as needed.
  • Some projects may require working extended hours to meet project deadlines.

If you are a results-driven professional and have the above qualifications, we encourage you to apply for the Tribal Technology Consultant position. Join our team and contribute to our continued growth and success. To apply, please send your resume and a cover letter detailing your relevant experience and why you are the ideal candidate for this role.

K.L. Scott & Associates is committed to diversity and inclusion and welcomes candidates from all backgrounds and experiences to apply. We thank all applicants for their interest, but only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

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