Senior AI Architect

The Senior AI Architect will serve as the Firm’s senior technical authority for the design, delivery, and operational readiness of enterprise-grade AI and Copilot ecosystems.

The role-holder will bridge the gap between ambitious business concepts and secure, production-ready deployments within a highly regulated legal environment. The role-holder will set the architectural direction for the Firm, ensuring that AI initiatives—from early proof-of-concepts to global rollouts—are scalable, compliant, and tightly aligned with the Firm’s strategic objectives.

Main responsibilities: 

Strategic Solution Architecture:

• AI Life Cycle Leadership: Lead the architectural direction of AI solutions from concept through production, establishing reusable patterns for Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) and Agentic AI
• Azure AI Foundry Orchestration: Act as the primary architect for Azure AI Foundry, designing agentic workflows, prompt engineering strategies, and model evaluation frameworks
• Enterprise Standards: Translate complex business requirements into secure, well-governed architectures that comply with Firm-wide technology and security policies

Technology & AI Enablement:

• Platform Oversight: Architect and govern solutions across Azure AI Foundry, Copilot Studio, Azure OpenAI, Azure AI Search, and Document Intelligence
• Frontend & UI Strategy: Oversee the development of custom AI-driven interfaces and dashboards, ensuring seamless user experiences through modern frontend frameworks
• Agentic Ecosystems: Provide senior guidance on the design and implementation of custom AI agents, Power Automate flows, and complex API connectors
• Environment Strategy: Establish architectural direction for environment configuration, permissions, and dependencies across Dataverse and SharePoint Online
• AI Assisted Code Generation: Enable and govern the use of AI-assisted code generation tools and agents, including GitHub Copilot and Claude Code

Governance, Risk & Compliance:

• Responsible AI Frameworks: Shape the Firm’s responsible AI frameworks, with a focus on model explainability, data residency, and ethical use
• Security Partnership: Partner with Risk and Compliance teams to support enterprise approval processes, including DNS/SSL reviews, security audits, and regulatory audits
• Operational Readiness: Ensure all AI solutions are operationally supportable and production-ready, acting as the final escalation point for critical technical risks

Skills and experience: 

• A bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field
• Advanced certifications in Azure Solutions Architecture, AI Engineering, or related disciplines are preferred
• Extensive experience in enterprise architecture, with deep mastery of Azure AI Foundry for agent development, workflows, and model access management
• Proven experience architecting and integrating AI capabilities into web applications using React or Angular, with a focus on intuitive human‑in‑the‑loop interfaces
• Strong full‑stack fluency across modern web technologies, including Python, TypeScript, JavaScript (ES6+), and CSS/SCSS.
• Proficient across the Microsoft ecosystem, including Copilot Studio, Power Platform (Power Automate and Dataverse), and SharePoint Online
• Expert understanding of authentication and security, including SAML, OAuth, identity management, and secure API integration
• Demonstrated leadership across the software development life cycle (SDLC), successfully guiding multiple high‑visibility AI initiatives in fast‑moving and ambiguous environments
• Experience operating within legal or other highly regulated environments, with a strong understanding of attorney‑client privilege, confidentiality, and data protection requirements
• Able to communicate architectural risks and status to both technical teams and non‑technical partnership leadership

Location: Chicago, Barcelona, Madrid, Mexico City, or São Paulo

Reports to: Director, Technology Enablement

Position type: Specialist

Development framework: Senior Manager

At Baker McKenzie we are different in the way we think, work and behave. With our team of 13,000 people, including over 6,500 locally admitted lawyers, in over 70 offices worldwide, we have a passionately collaborative community of 60 nationalities and are committed to world-class career development to everyone in every job at every level. Baker McKenzie can offer you both the uncompromising commitment to excellence expected of a top firm paired with a passionately global and genuinely collaborative working environment.

Baker McKenzie is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to promoting diversity and inclusion for all. Our unique international culture is reflected in the drawing together of a worldwide family of individuals from diverse cultures and backgrounds in all of our offices. We encourage the best people - regardless of race, religion or belief if any, gender, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation or age - to fulfill their professional aspirations with us. We are committed to ensuring an inclusive and accessible experience for all candidates. Should candidates require any reasonable adjustments and/or accommodations when applying to or interviewing with our Firm, please notify recruitmentservices@bakermckenzie.com 

Pay Transparency 

• This position is bonus eligible and includes benefits such as medical, dental, vision, and 401(k) based on number of hours worked. 
• The US base compensation for this position is expected to be $xxx to $xxx (annually or hourly) if located in an office in the state of X. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process. 
• California notice: Background checks for applicants will be administered in accordance with applicable law, and qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment consistent with those laws, including the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the California Fair Chance Act, for US-based candidates.

If located in an office in one of the states below, the US base compensation for this position is expected to be in the range listed. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process.

New York

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California

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Illinois (Chicago only)

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Washington DC

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