Director, Microsoft AI & Data Solution Architect, UKI

Director, Microsoft AI & Data Solution Architect

The opportunity

We are looking for an experienced Microsoft AI & Data Solution Architect at Director level to help shape and deliver complex AI and data transformation programmes for our clients.

The role combines pre-sales solution architecture with senior delivery leadership. You will work with senior business and technology stakeholders to understand their ambitions, shape compelling Microsoft-based solutions and translate those solutions into secure, scalable and deliverable architectures.

You will bring the technical depth to engage credibly with enterprise and solution architects, while also having the consulting experience to lead client conversations, support complex pursuits and take senior accountability for delivery.

This is a client-facing consulting role for someone who can operate comfortably from early opportunity shaping and RFP response through to architecture, mobilisation and delivery.

Your key responsibilities

Solution architecture and pre-sales

• Lead the architecture and solution shaping of complex Microsoft AI & Data opportunities, translating client objectives into pragmatic, scalable and value-led solutions.
• Facilitate architecture and solution workshops with senior business and technology stakeholders.
• Develop end-to-end solution architectures spanning data platforms, analytics, AI, agentic AI, security, governance and integration.
• Provide technical leadership for proposals, RFP responses, statements of work and other pursuit activities, ensuring proposed solutions are ambitious but also credible and deliverable.
• Work with delivery and commercial teams to develop solution estimates, delivery approaches, assumptions, dependencies and technical scope.
• Communicate complex architectural concepts clearly to a range of audiences, from senior executives through to client architects and engineering teams.
• Lead or oversee the development of demonstrations and proofs of concept where these help clients understand the art of the possible.

Client delivery and architecture leadership

• Act as a senior engagement lead and/or senior architect on significant Microsoft AI & Data programmes.
• Provide architectural direction and technical assurance across the delivery lifecycle.
• Work closely with client enterprise and solution architects, providing credible challenge and resolving complex architectural decisions.
• Ensure solutions appropriately address security, governance, resilience, operability, performance and other non-functional requirements.
• Maintain continuity between what EY sells and what EY delivers, ensuring architectural commitments made during pursuits translate effectively into delivery.
• Lead multidisciplinary teams of architects, engineers, data specialists and other consultants, providing technical direction, coaching and quality oversight.

Skills and attributes for success

We are looking for someone who combines strong architecture credentials with substantial consulting and client-facing experience.

You should have:

• Significant experience designing enterprise-scale AI, data and analytics solutions using Microsoft technologies.
• Strong solution architecture skills and the technical credibility to lead architecture discussions with senior client architects and engineering leaders.
• Deep understanding of modern data platform architecture, including data engineering, integration, modelling, analytics, governance and AI.
• Strong understanding of enterprise generative AI and agentic AI architectures, including the considerations required to move solutions from experimentation into secure, governed and scalable production environments.
• Experience operating within a consulting or professional services environment and working directly with senior client stakeholders.
• Demonstrable experience supporting sales and pre-sales activity, including proposals, RFPs, solution shaping, estimation and statements of work.
• Experience leading complex client engagements as a senior engagement leader and/or senior solution architect.
• Ability to balance technical ambition with practical considerations including business value, delivery risk, security, governance, cost and operability.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to explain complex technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Experience leading and developing architects and engineers within multidisciplinary delivery teams.

Microsoft technology experience

Candidates should bring strong experience across a number of the following:

• Microsoft Fabric
• Azure AI Foundry
• Azure OpenAI and Azure AI services
• Microsoft agent technologies
• Microsoft Purview
• Azure data services
• Power BI and semantic modelling
• Azure cloud architecture, security and identity
• APIs, integration and cloud-native architecture
• DevOps, CI/CD and production engineering practices

Experience of Databricks and/or Snowflake in enterprise data architectures would be advantageous.

Hands-on engineering is not the primary purpose of the role, but the ability to prototype, lead the creation of demonstrations or work directly with technology where appropriate would be beneficial.

What we look for

A successful candidate is likely to be someone who can move naturally between three quite different conversations:

• 1. With a CIO or CDO:
     What business outcome are we seeking, what architectural choices matter and how does the investment create value?
  2. With an Enterprise Architect:
     How does the solution fit the existing technology estate, and how will data, AI, security, identity, governance and integration work end to end?
  3. With an EY delivery team:
     What exactly are we building, what are the key architecture decisions and risks, and how do we deliver it successfully?

That combination is important. This isn't a pure sales role, a pure engineering role or a conventional programme leadership role. It needs someone with enough technical depth to be recognised as an architect, coupled with the consulting maturity to shape opportunities and then take senior responsibility for what is delivered.

Location and working arrangements

The position would be a permanent UK Director role, aligned to EY's main UK offices, with travel to client sites as required.