Azure AI & API Platform Architect

Requirements

• Azure: Deep expertise in Azure services (AKS, App Service, Functions, Azure SQL/Cosmos DB)
,
• Code: Strong C#/.NET or Python background
,
• Containerization: Proficient with Docker/Podman and Kubernetes
,
• API Design: Proven ability to design clean, documented (Open API), and versioned RESTful APIs based on business needs
,
• IaC: Hands-on experience with Terraform, Bicep, or ARM templates
,
• Expertise: Deep understanding of the Azure Well-Architected Framework pillars
,
• (Desirable) Local Tools: Good knowledge of Aspire
,
• (Desirable) AI: Experience working with models and chatbots
,
• (Desirable) Events: Experience with Azure Service Bus, Event Hub, or Kafka
,
• Make things simpler: you have the ability to clearly explain complex architecture to both technical (data scientists/engineers) and non-technical stakeholders
,
• Communicate with impact: you have proven influencing skills paired with solid business acumen to help you drive initiatives and to create a consensus building with all levels in the organization - you are a true leader!
,
• Help others grow and succeed: you have the desire to upskill team members via code reviews and design sessions
,
• Jump in and get things done: you are proactive by nature and you do not wait for something to happen; driving is your motto!Test & learn new things: you are deeply passionate about your field and you stay updated on new technologies, best practices, what peers do better/differently, and you are able to translate it to Shift language

What the job involves

• We’re looking for an Architect to set the technical direction and standards across three squads, bridging the gap between Engineering, Data Science, and Infra/Security to ensure our Azure-based services are scalable and reliable, while keeping the developer experience as high as we can
,
• Our services must be easy to build, thoroughly tested, deployed confidently, fully observable so maintenance is not an issue. A key focus will be implementing robust API and event-driven designs that allow our services to seamlessly power our future product and new agentic AI tools
,
• The architect will champion best practices, mentor engineering teams, and oversee API management solutions that support the organization’s modernization and digital transformation priorities
,
• The second part of the Architect responsibility will be around the way we want to build agentic AI capabilities at Shift. In the long run, we will need to have a coherent way to develop, configure and maintain our agents or chatbots
,
• The target will be a good balance between speed, flexibility and re-usability, security and budget management, to provide the most value in our products
,
• You will have a dual mission. On the one hand, you will handle more API-related architecture responsibilities:
,
• Technical Leadership: Set the overarching technical direction and standards across three distinct engineering squads
,
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Bridge the gap between Engineering, Data Science, and Infrastructure/Security teams
,
• API Management: Lead the design, implementation, and optimization of our (internal and external) API management framework, including catalogue, gateway, etc
,
• Platform Excellence: Ensure Azure-based services are scalable, reliable, and optimized for a high-quality developer experience
,
• Operational Integrity: Oversee the creation of services that are easy to build, thoroughly tested, confidently deployed, and fully observable
,
• Architectural Strategy: Implement robust API designs to support future product scaling
,
• Innovation: Drive the development of infrastructure that seamlessly powers new agentic AI tools and upcoming product features
,
• On the other hand, you will play an active part on designing the way we want to build agentic AI capabilities at Shift, through:
,
• Standardization of AI Development: Define and implement a coherent framework for developing, configuring, and maintaining AI agents and chatbots across the organization
,
• Architectural Balance: Design AI systems that strike an optimal balance between development speed, architectural flexibility, and component reusability
,
• Model Context Protocol (MCP): Help with MCP integration both by exposing MCP for our services, and having our agents calling into third party MCPs
,
• Operational Governance: Establish standards for security and budget management (token usage/compute costs) to ensure AI initiatives remain sustainable and secure
,
• Product Value Integration: Align agentic capabilities with core product goals to ensure AI features provide maximum tangible value to end-users
,
• Future-Proofing: Build a scalable foundation for "Shift’s" long-term AI roadmap, moving from experimental bots to robust, maintainable agentic ecosystems