Senior AI Technical Architect

12‑Month Contract | Outside IR35
Scotland based ideally (open to remote work)

About the Role

We are recruiting on behalf of one of our key public-sector clients, who are embarking on a major programme to introduce AI and Automation across their organisation. They are seeking a hands-on Senior AI Technical Architect to shape their AI strategy and lead delivery of innovative solutions built on Microsoft Azure.

This role sits at the heart of a multi‑year transformation programme, with immediate work focused on document intelligence, search, speech recognition, and multilingual transcription.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop the organisation‑wide AI architecture and delivery approach

• Define the AI technology roadmap and ensure alignment with strategic goals

• Evaluate and integrate AI technologies across cloud, hybrid and open‑source options

• Collaborate with enterprise, data and solution architects to embed AI into the wider ecosystem

• Architect and implement solutions using Azure AI Services, including:

  • Document Intelligence
  • Speech (speech-to-text, text-to-speech, speaker ID)
  • Translator
  • Cognitive Search

• Lead technical Proof‑of‑Concepts across:

  • Multilingual speech transcription and translation
  • Intelligent document parsing and metadata extraction
  • Cognitive search across structured/unstructured content

• Define architecture patterns, APIs and integration approaches

• Provide technical oversight and mentoring to development teams

• Ensure adherence to ethical, legal and accessibility standards within a public‑sector environment

Essential Skills

• Strong experience shaping and delivering AI architecture at enterprise level

• Proven experience with Azure Cognitive Services

• Hands‑on technical skills in:

  • Python (Azure SDKs, data workflows)
  • C#/.NET (system integration)
  • React (PoC and demo interfaces)

• Strong knowledge of:

  • REST API design
  • Azure AI pipelines and orchestration
  • Cognitive Search (semantic, keyword, hybrid)
  • OCR, KVP extraction and document layout analysis

• Experience building:

  • Speech transcription solutions
  • Document intelligence workflows
  • Multilingual translation systems