Generative AI Architect

Location

Chicago, IL – Hybrid (3 days per week on-site)

Employment Type

Full-Time

About Cognizant

Cognizant (Nasdaq‑100: CTSH) engineers modern businesses. We help our clients modernize technology, reimagine processes, and transform experiences to stay ahead in a rapidly changing world. Together, we’re improving everyday life.

Job Summary

Cognizant is seeking a highly skilled and visionary Gen AI Architect to lead the design and implementation of cutting‑edge Generative AI solutions. This role will be instrumental in shaping enterprise AI strategy, building scalable and secure architectures, and driving innovation across business‑critical applications.

The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in Large Language Models (LLMs), Prompt Engineering, Retrieval‑Augmented Generation (RAG), and hands‑on experience with the AWS AI/ML ecosystem, including Bedrock and SageMaker. This position follows a hybrid work model based out of our Chicago office.

Key Responsibilities

• Architect and implement enterprise‑grade Generative AI solutions using LLMs (e.g., OpenAI, Anthropic, Cohere, Amazon Titan)
• Design, test, and optimize Prompt Engineering strategies for use cases including summarization, Q&A, classification, and content generation
• Develop and deploy Retrieval‑Augmented Generation (RAG) pipelines integrating vector databases (Amazon OpenSearch, Pinecone, FAISS) with LLMs
• Leverage AWS Bedrock to build, manage, and scale foundation model–driven applications
• Implement cosine similarity–based semantic search and ranking for documents and embeddings
• Collaborate with data scientists, ML engineers, and product teams to embed Gen AI into existing platforms and workflows
• Ensure scalability, performance, reliability, and security of Gen AI applications in cloud‑native environments
• Stay current with emerging Gen AI technologies, tools, architectures, and best practices

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, AI/ML, or a related field
• 8+ years of experience in AI/ML, with 3+ years focused on Generative AI and LLMs
• Strong understanding of LLM architectures, fine‑tuning techniques, and inference optimization
• Proven hands‑on experience with Prompt Engineering and prompt chaining methods
• Demonstrated experience building RAG‑based applications using vector databases and embedding models
• Proficiency with AWS AI/ML services including Bedrock, SageMaker, Lambda, S3, IAM, and related tools
• Experience with cosine similarity, semantic search, and embedding models (e.g., Sentence Transformers)
• Strong development skills in Python, with experience using LangChain, Hugging Face Transformers, and RESTful APIs
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and technical leadership skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience delivering Gen AI solutions in large enterprise or consulting environments
• Background designing AI systems for regulated or security‑sensitive domains
• Experience leading architecture decisions and mentoring technical teams

Salary (U.S.)

Base Salary Range: $130,000 – $150,000 USD per year

This salary range represents a good‑faith estimate based on role scope, experience, skills, geographic location, and internal equity. Actual compensation may vary.

Benefits – U.S. Employees

Cognizant offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package, including:

• Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance
• 401(k) retirement plan with company match
• Paid Time Off (vacation, sick leave, and company holidays)
• Paid parental leave
• Life, disability, and accident insurance
• Tuition reimbursement and continuous learning programs
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and wellness resources

Equal Opportunity Statement

Cognizant is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to fostering an inclusive, diverse workplace and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.