Key Skills

Job Description

Technical Architect (AI Lab) – Equal Experts Role overview Equal Experts is looking for contract Technical Architects with proven senior-level experience to embed in client squads through the Equal Experts AI Lab, helping them ship AI-first software to production while staying in control at far higher release speeds. Equal Experts is a global, employee-owned software delivery consultancy. Since 2007 it has delivered for over 200 blue-chip enterprise and public sector clients, with senior practitioners averaging 17 years of experience. It has offices in Australia, India, South Africa, the UK, the EU and the USA. The role combines the core Technical Architect remit with the AI Lab as a Service model: Architecture from inception to completion. Define and maintain the structure of the solution, make sure it meets requirements, and help teams jointly own it. Embedded, hands-on advisory. Work inside client repos, pipelines and ceremonies on a fractional basis (typically around two days a week), not from a meeting room. Backed by the AI Lab. Draw on the Lab’s pattern library and practitioners, and feed what you learn on the ground back into it. Key responsibilities Core architecture Lead architecture initiatives from inception to completion. Collaborate with business users to create architecture aligned with their business needs. Act as technical subject matter expert for business users. Champion adoption of reusable architecture assets to improve efficiency. Produce documentation that aids understanding of existing architecture. Design a technology platform that is reactive to change. Be an agile advocate and help upskill others. Get hands on with the code where necessary. Required skills and experience Extensive, diversified experience designing and implementing system architectures. Exceptional consulting skills, including turning observation into actionable recommendations. Experience working on cloud architectures. Advanced knowledge of leading architecture solutions in the client’s industry. Hands-on experience taking AI-assisted or AI-first development patterns into production, not just pilots. Strong grasp of modern delivery practice: CI/CD, pipeline design, fast feedback loops and DORA-style metrics. Experience designing delivery controls in regulated environments, such as financial services: audit evidence, approval gates, security and vulnerability management. Experience with both greenfield builds and large legacy estates, including legacy modernisation. Strong interpersonal and collaboration skills, including with risk, compliance and leadership stakeholders. The ability to demonstrate technical concepts to non-technical audiences. Desirable skills These are good to have; not all are essential. Building and evaluating LLM agents, including agent lifecycle and evaluation practices. SOX or comparable regulatory compliance frameworks. Engineering metrics and observability tooling for squad and leadership reporting. Working with distributed teams across time zones, combining on-site and remote delivery. Contributing to playbooks, prompt libraries or internal enablement sessions. Behaviours and ways of working Grounded, not theoretical. Every recommendation rests on something you watched happen in the client’s environment. Measurable outcomes. Move numbers leadership already tracks rather than inventing new ones. Work in public. Share learning openly so it spreads across the organisation. Work with the client’s people, not about them. Earn credibility with engineers and agreement from those who must defend the design. Flexible presence. Expect a mix of on-site days and remote working, plus regular check-ins with client leadership.

Core Responsibilities

Lead architecture initiatives from inception through completion, aligning solutions with business needs and helping teams jointly own and understand the architecture. Work hands-on within client repositories, pipelines, and delivery ceremonies to advise on production AI adoption, reusable architecture, and measurable improvements.

Requirements

Requires extensive senior-level experience designing and implementing system architectures, cloud solutions, and AI-assisted or AI-first development patterns in production. Candidates should also bring strong delivery and consulting skills, including CI/CD, regulated-environment controls, legacy modernization, and collaboration with technical and non-technical stakeholders.