Senior Technical Architect (DPO)

Job Summary

AI Consultant

We are hiring AI Consultants at Band 3.2 to join our growing AI Practice. This is a senior client-facing role for practitioners who have moved beyond pure delivery and are ready to shape AI strategy, own solutioning for complex problems, and build lasting client relationships. You will lead engagements from discovery through delivery, work closely with industry leaders, and actively contribute to HCLTech's practice growth and market presence.

The ideal candidate combines strong technical grounding in AI/ML with consulting maturity, business acumen, and the ability to influence senior stakeholders. You are as comfortable in a C-suite boardroom as you are reviewing a model architecture

Key Responsibilities

  KEY RESPONSIBILITIES 

Client Advisory & Engagement Leadership

• Lead AI strategy engagements: maturity assessments, roadmaps, use-case prioritisation, and business case development for enterprise clients
• Own the end-to-end engagement lifecycle — from proposal and scoping through delivery and value realisation
• Build trusted advisor relationships with Director and VP-level client stakeholders
• Represent HCLTech in client QBRs, steering committees, and executive briefings

AI Solution Design & Architecture

• Architect fit-for-purpose AI/ML solutions covering Generative AI, predictive analytics, NLP, computer vision, and decision intelligence
• Design PoC-to-production roadmaps with clearly defined success metrics, data requirements, and governance guardrails
• Evaluate and recommend AI platforms, LLMs, and cloud-native tools aligned to client constraints and strategy
• Embed responsible AI principles: fairness, explainability, auditability, and regulatory compliance

Solutioning & Pre-Sales Support

• Lead RFP/RFQ responses; craft compelling solution narratives, pricing models, and delivery approaches
• Conduct client demos, PoC workshops, and hackathons to accelerate deal progression
• Develop reusable solution assets, accelerators, and point-of-view documents for the AI Practice
• Support alliance and partner-led opportunities with AWS, Microsoft, Google, and other AI ecosystem partners

Delivery Governance & Quality

• Provide solution oversight and quality assurance across active AI delivery programmes
• Identify and mitigate technical and commercial risks; escalate appropriately
• Ensure AI solutions adhere to enterprise architecture standards and client-specific compliance requirements
• Conduct regular delivery reviews with cross-functional teams including data science, engineering, and change management

Practice Development & Thought Leadership

• Contribute to HCLTech AI Practice offerings, capability frameworks, and go-to-market assets
• Mentor Band 2.x analysts and junior consultants; conduct knowledge-sharing sessions
• Author white papers, blogs, and case studies that position HCLTech as an AI thought leader
• Represent HCLTech at industry events, webinars, and client innovation forums

Skill Requirements

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE 

Experience

• 10 – 15 years total experience; minimum 5 years in AI/ML consulting, solution architecture, or strategy roles
• Proven track record of leading AI/ML engagements across the full lifecycle for enterprise clients
• Background in a consulting firm, AI product company, or enterprise technology services organisation
• Experience managing client relationships independently and contributing to revenue growth

Technical Expertise

• Deep knowledge of AI/ML fundamentals: supervised/unsupervised learning, deep learning, NLP, and reinforcement learning
• Hands-on experience with Generative AI: LLM fine-tuning, RAG architectures, prompt engineering, and agentic frameworks (LangChain, AutoGen, Semantic Kernel)
• Proficiency with cloud AI platforms: Azure OpenAI / ML, AWS Bedrock / SageMaker, or Google Vertex AI
• Understanding of MLOps practices: CI/CD for ML, model monitoring, feature stores, and data drift management
• Working knowledge of data architecture: lakehouses, vector databases, real-time pipelines, and semantic layers

Consulting & Business Skills

• Strong executive communication: ability to structure and deliver compelling AI narratives to CXO audiences
• Commercial literacy: business case development, pricing, ROI modelling, and contract awareness
• Proven proposal writing and solution presentation skills
• Ability to juggle multiple engagements and stakeholders in a fast-paced environment

Education & Certifications

• Bachelor's in Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics, or related field (required)
• Master's or MBA is preferred
• AI/cloud certifications (Azure AI Engineer, AWS ML Specialty, Google Professional ML Engineer) are advantageous

  PREFERRED ATTRIBUTES 

• Vertical depth in one or more of: BFSI, Healthcare & Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Retail, or Hi-Tech
• Published AI thought leadership or recognition at industry forums
• Experience with responsible AI and regulatory frameworks (EU AI Act, ISO 42001, NIST AI RMF)
• Alliance certification or co-sell experience with hyperscaler AI practices

Prior experience building or scaling a consulting team or centre of excellence

Other Requirements