Application Architect
AI in this role
AI Application Architect
Role Summary
Serve as the architectural leader defining the reference architecture, guardrails, and delivery patterns for enterprise-grade AI applications. Own the end-to-end architecture across application layers, data, model lifecycle, integration, security, and operations—balancing performance, cost, compliance, and developer productivity. Combine deep application architecture expertise with hands-on Large Language Model (LLM) solution design, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and platform-scale governance.
What You’ll Do
Application Architecture
Define, document, and evolve the target-state architecture for AI-enabled applications and services.
Design modular, domain-aligned services (microservices, event-driven, API-first), with clear SLAs/SLOs and versioning strategies.
Establish canonical integration patterns for LLM invocation (synchronous, streaming, async, batch) and system-of-record interactions.
Conduct architectural runway planning, ADRs (Architecture Decision Records), and blueprint creation for product teams.
Collaborate with Solution and Enterprise architects. Present architecture designs, trade‑offs, and risk assessments to the Architecture Review Board and other governance forums for approval and alignment.
AI & LLM Solution Design
Architect production LLM solutions using RAG, tools/agents, embeddings, and vector search; select fit-for-purpose models (hosted, open-source, proprietary).
Define prompt orchestration and safety layers (prompt templates, guardrails, red-teaming, policy enforcement).
Partner with Data Science/ML Engineering on model selection, fine-tuning vs. prompt-tuning, distillation, and deployment strategies.
Design evaluation and feedback loops and telemetry for continuous improvement.
Platform & LLMOps Enablement
Define platform capabilities for prompt/version management, evaluation harnesses, model registries, and feature/embedding stores.
Standardize CI/CD for AI.
Partner with Platform/DevOps to design observability across application + model layers (traces, metrics, logs, eval KPIs).
Technical Leadership & Mentorship
Collaborate with Product, Data, Security, Compliance, and SRE to align architecture with business outcomes.
Coach teams on AI application patterns, anti-patterns, and platform reuse to accelerate delivery.
Innovation & Research
Evaluate emerging models, frameworks, and vector/agent tooling; run POCs that de-risk delivery and quantify value.
Curate a living reference architecture and pattern library; drive continuous modernization of the AI stack.
Quality & Delivery Excellence
Enforce architecture fitness functions and automated checks in CI/CD.
Champion infrastructure-as-code, policy-as-code, and automated governance.
Ensure high-quality documentation of interfaces, contracts, runbooks, and operational playbooks.
Qualifications & Experience
10+ years in software/application architecture or senior engineering roles delivering complex, distributed systems.
2–4+ years hands-on with AI/LLM solution architecture or production ML systems.
Proven track record designing secure, scalable, compliant enterprise applications.
Experience guiding multi-team programs and influencing senior stakeholders.
Technical Skills
Architecture: Distributed systems, microservices, APIs, event-driven patterns, streaming, resiliency, and caching.
AI/LLM: prompt engineering/orchestration, agentic patterns, evaluation methodologies, model deployment, RAG, embeddings, vector databases.
LLMOps: Model registries, CI/CD for AI. Experience with Langfuse, Langsmith or W&B
Cloud & Platform: AWS/Azure; containerization (Docker), orchestration (Kubernetes), serverless where appropriate.
Languages/Stacks: Proficiency in at least one of Java, Python, or Node.js; familiarity with modern frameworks and API design.
Agent Frameworks: Experience with at least one: Langchain, Strands Agents
Orchestration: , Langgraph, Temporal
Core Competencies
Systems thinking with strong abstraction and decomposition skills.
Pragmatic decision-making balancing speed, safety, and cost.
Excellent written and verbal communication with executive presence.
Strong influence without authority; facilitates alignment across functions.
Continuous learning and bias for action; outcome-oriented mindset.
Nice to Have
Background in cost optimization for AI workloads (token efficiency, quantization, caching strategies).
Prior work with model risk management, safety testing, and red-teaming.
Domain Driven Design
MLOps, classical machine learning, ML Flow, AWS Sagemaker
Experience with AWS Agent Core
Datawarehouse, Data Lake, preferably Snowflake
Impact Measures
Architectural integrity and reuse across product lines.
Reduction in time-to-market via reference patterns and platform capabilities.
Security, privacy, and compliance adherence (audit readiness, incident rates).
Uplift of engineering practices and cross-team productivity.
Career Stage:
ManagerLondon Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) Information:
Join us and be part of a team that values innovation, quality, and continuous improvement. If you're ready to take your career to the next level and make a significant impact, we'd love to hear from you.
LSEG is a leading global financial markets infrastructure and data provider. Our purpose is driving financial stability, empowering economies and enabling customers to create sustainable growth.
Our purpose is the foundation on which our culture is built. Our values of Integrity, Partnership, Excellence and Change underpin our purpose and set the standard for everything we do, every day. They go to the heart of who we are and guide our decision making and everyday actions.
Working with us means that you will be part of a dynamic organisation of 25,000 people across 65 countries. However, we will value your individuality and enable you to bring your true self to work so you can help enrich our diverse workforce.
We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. This means that we do not discriminate on the basis of anyone’s race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy or disability, or any other basis protected under applicable law. Conforming with applicable law, we can reasonably accommodate applicants' and employees' religious practices and beliefs, as well as mental health or physical disability needs.
You will be part of a collaborative and creative culture where we encourage new ideas. We are committed to sustainability across our global business and we are proud to partner with our customers to help them meet their sustainability objectives. Our charity, the LSEG Foundation provides charitable grants to community groups that help people access economic opportunities and build a secure future with financial independence. Colleagues can get involved through fundraising and volunteering.
LSEG offers a range of tailored benefits and support, including healthcare, retirement planning, paid volunteering days and wellbeing initiatives.
Please take a moment to read this privacy notice carefully, as it describes what personal information London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) (we) may hold about you, what it’s used for, and how it’s obtained, your rights and how to contact us as a data subject.
If you are submitting as a Recruitment Agency Partner, it is essential and your responsibility to ensure that candidates applying to LSEG are aware of this privacy notice.
How we rate this
Application Architect at LSEG rates 89 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Builds AI (AI Level 4 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.
Builds AI. The job is building AI systems.
- ●●●● Builds AI80 to 100
- ●●●○ Works on AI60 to 79
- ●●○○ Uses AI40 to 59
- ●○○○ Little AI0 to 39
Levels come from how often the tools, models and workflows of the role are named in the posting itself. Open the description and count.
Prepare for this job
A free preview built only from this posting: what it asks for, what you could be asked in an interview, and how to adjust your resume.
Skills and AI tools this role asks for
Questions you could be asked
- How do you structure and test a prompt to get consistent output from a language model?
- How would you design a retrieval step so the model answers from real data instead of guessing?
- Walk me through fine-tuning a model: what data did you use, and how did you check the result?
- How do you monitor a model once it's live, and how do you know it needs retraining?
- Walk me through how you've used LangChain in your day-to-day work.
Adapt your resume
- List these exact terms on your resume: Prompt Engineering, RAG, Fine Tuning, ML Ops, and LangChain. An applicant tracking system matches the wording, not the idea.
- Attach one line of real, concrete experience to at least one of them — a tool named with nothing behind it rarely survives a human read.
- Lead with what you built, trained or shipped — this role is judged on the AI system itself, not the tools around it.
Want an expert to read your CV for this job?
Free. Send your CV and the role you want next. We reply by email within 2 to 4 business days.
Get a free CV reviewGet new AI jobs (Builds AI ●●●●) by email
One email a week with the new AI jobs (Builds AI ●●●●), each rated for how much AI is in the work. No recruiter spam, unsubscribe in one click.
Free. One email a week. Unsubscribe in one click.
Similar roles
Software Engineering roles that build AI, at other companies.
What kind of AI work fits you?
Answer 12 practical questions in about three minutes. Get a simple profile, the work it points to, and live roles to explore next.
Find my next step