Principal Architect – Smart Systems & AI Innovation

Job Requirements

Quest Global delivers world-class end-to-end engineering solutions by leveraging our deep industry knowledge and digital expertise. By bringing together technologies and industries, alongside the contributions of diverse individuals and their areas of expertise, we are able to solve problems better, faster. This multi-dimensional approach enables us to solve the most critical and large-scale challenges across the aerospace & defense, automotive, energy, hi-tech, healthcare, medical devices, rail and semiconductor industries.

We are looking for humble geniuses, who believe that engineering has the potential to make the impossible possible; innovators, who are not only inspired by technology and innovation, but also perpetually driven to design, develop, and test as a trusted partner for Fortune 500 customers. As a team of remarkably diverse engineers, we recognize that what we are really engineering is a brighter future for us all. If you want to contribute to meaningful work and be part of an organization that truly believes when you win, we all win, and when you fail, we all learn, then we’re eager to hear from you.

The Controls Alliance Innovation Team is shaping the future of energy systems through intelligence, automation, and purpose-built engineering.

As Principal Architect – Smart Systems & AI Innovation , you will define and drive the architecture for next‑generation digital tools and AI copilots that empower engineers to work smarter, faster, and safer—advancing our mission of electrifying the world while decarbonizing it. You will also establish architecture governance and standards that enable safe, scalable delivery in hybrid and air‑gapped environments typical of critical national infrastructure deployments.

This is not a role for caretakers; it’s for builders, dreamers, and disruptors who want to leave a legacy of impact. You’ll integrate agentic AI, advanced analytics, and model-driven design into the DNA of engineering controls, helping create the technology backbone that supports more than a thousand engineers across our global organization.

What You’ll Do

- Architect the Future: Define the technical architecture for AI copilots, smart engineering tools, and digital‑twin ecosystems within the Quest Global – Controls Alliance.
- Unify Data & Intelligence: Partner with data engineering teams to connect analytics pipelines and Power BI/Fabric dashboards to backend “source of truth” systems—ensuring real‑time visibility and data integrity across value streams.
- Govern Architecture & Standards: Establish and chair an Architecture Review cadence; author and maintain Architecture Decision Records (ADRs); drive contract‑first APIs (OpenAPI/AsyncAPI), consumer‑driven contract testing, and shared data model standards across squads.
- Define the AI Knowledge Platform: Own the reference architecture for RAG‑based copilots and tools, including hybrid search, vector store strategy, chunking/embedding pipelines, offline/online evaluation harnesses, continuous learning pipelines, and role‑based security models that traverse legacy and modern AI platforms.
- Build the Semantic Layer & Data Fabric: Define the semantic model, knowledge graph approach (CIM‑aligned where applicable), data product boundaries, and data fabric patterns unifying engineering, HR, finance, and telemetry sources to enable cross‑domain analytics and copilots.
- Engineer for CNI: Specify hybrid and air‑gapped deployment patterns; adopt Kubernetes/GitOps, SBOMs, signed artifacts, SAST/DAST, supply‑chain controls, and auditable DevSecOps pipelines suitable for secure environments.
- Drive the 5× Portfolio: Lead development and integration of 5× force‑multiplier initiatives, transforming repetitive engineering processes into intelligent, self‑improving systems.
- Lead Strategy, IP, and Standards: Contribute to MGPP/technology strategy, participate in patent evaluation processes, and represent the program in standards bodies and forums (e.g., IEC, CIGRE).
- Make Outcomes Measurable: Define baselines and targets for 5× productivity—cycle‑time reduction per workflow, adoption/DAU/MAU, quality (defect/escape rate), latency/SLOs, and realized cost/time savings; instrument telemetry to track outcomes.

Who You Are

A system‑level thinker and hands‑on technologist who turns abstract ideas into operational tools, motivates through vision, and believes innovation should uplift people, processes, and the planet.

Work Experience

Required Qualifications

- Bachelor’s degree (or higher) in Computer Science, Electrical/Mechanical Engineering, or related field.
- 5+ years in systems architecture, software design, or digital engineering.
- Proven success architecting enterprise/cloud platforms integrating AI/ML, analytics, and simulation; familiarity with LangChain, Azure AI Services, Python, .NET, C#.
- Experience implementing data pipelines and visualization using Power BI/Fabric (or equivalent).
- Demonstrated experience establishing ADRs, contract‑first API standards, and cross‑team architecture governance.
- Hands‑on design of RAG systems (vector DBs, hybrid search, embedding/chunking) and LLMOps/MLOps (prompt/version management, evaluation, guardrails, drift monitoring, cost/performance controls).
- Experience defining semantic/knowledge graph models and data fabric patterns; familiarity with CIM where applicable.
- Proven delivery in secure/hybrid/air‑gapped environments with GitOps/Kubernetes and DevSecOps practices (SBOM, artifact signing, SAST/DAST).

Preferred Qualifications

- Master’s degree in Engineering, Data Science, or Systems Architecture.
- Prior experience in controls, industrial automation, or energy systems; exposure to MBSE and digital twins.
- Experience with RAG, agentic AI frameworks, or enterprise copilots.
- Contributions to patents/standards bodies (IEC/CIGRE) and external technical representation; experience aligning architecture to MGPP/long‑range strategies.

Benefits

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Referral program
• Vision insurance
• Short/Long Term Disability