Software Architect - Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The State of South Carolina is seeking an experienced Software Architect - Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support the Office of Technology and Information Services (OTIS) and the State’s AI Center of Excellence. The selected candidate will serve as an AI subject-matter expert, providing technical expertise in the evaluation, design, and responsible implementation of artificial intelligence solutions across state agencies and government entities.

This role will focus on assessing AI use cases, evaluating emerging AI tools and technologies, identifying potential risks and opportunities, and developing secure, scalable, and reusable technical approaches. The position will also contribute to statewide AI strategies, technical standards, and implementation guidance while ensuring alignment with organizational objectives and established governance, security, privacy, and compliance requirements., * Serve as a technical subject-matter expert on artificial intelligence and emerging generative AI technologies.

• Support OTIS and the State’s AI Center of Excellence in evaluating and implementing responsible AI solutions.
• Assist state agencies and government entities in identifying, assessing, and prioritizing AI use cases.
• Establish proof-of-concept success criteria and evaluate AI solutions against defined technical and business requirements.
• Design and implement AI agents and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) solutions.
• Evaluate generative AI platforms, including ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and comparable technologies.
• Define success criteria, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and production monitoring strategies for AI use cases.
• Develop secure, scalable, and reusable AI architectures and technical approaches.
• Integrate AI capabilities and solutions across Microsoft Azure and AWS cloud environments.
• Leverage AI-assisted coding tools to accelerate software development, testing, debugging, and technical documentation.
• Build dashboards and reporting solutions to monitor AI adoption, performance, cost, risk, and operational outcomes.
• Assess AI-related risks, opportunities, security considerations, and privacy requirements.
• Contribute to statewide AI strategies, standards, technical guidance, and governance frameworks.
• Collaborate with technical teams, business stakeholders, state agencies, and government entities to promote responsible and effective AI adoption.
• Help ensure AI implementations align with organizational goals, governance standards, security policies, and privacy requirements.

• Bachelor’s degree or undergraduate degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, or a related field.
• At least 1 year of proven experience establishing proof-of-concept success criteria and evaluating AI solutions against defined criteria.
• At least 2 years of hands-on experience with ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and comparable generative AI platforms.
• At least 2 years of experience designing and implementing AI agents and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) solutions.
• At least 1 year of experience using AI-assisted coding tools to accelerate software development, testing, debugging, and documentation.
• At least 1 year of experience defining AI use-case success criteria, KPIs, and production monitoring measures.
• At least 1 year of experience building dashboards and reporting solutions for AI adoption, performance, cost, risk, and operational outcomes.
• At least 1 year of hands-on experience integrating AI capabilities with Microsoft Azure and AWS.

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong background in multiple programming languages and software development principles.
• Familiarity with the foundations of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) and modern AI/ML concepts.
• Understanding of transformer architectures and their applications in generative AI.
• Knowledge of Natural Language Processing (NLP) concepts and techniques.
• Familiarity with image classification and computer vision concepts.
• Experience working with time-series data and related analytical techniques.
• Experience with data tools and techniques for data storage, retrieval, processing, and cleaning.
• Understanding of secure and responsible AI implementation practices.
• Experience working with cloud-based AI and data services in enterprise or government environments.