Current UC employees must apply internally via SuccessFactors
Next Lives at the University of Cincinnati
Founded in 1819, the University of Cincinnati ranks among the nation’s best urban public research universities. Home to more than 53,600 students, 12,000 faculty and staff, and over 360,000 living alumni, UC, a Carnegie 1 institution, combines research prowess with a physical setting The New York Times has called “the most ambitious campus design program in the country." UC's momentum has never been stronger as the anchor of the Cincinnati Innovation District, the oldest cooperative education (co-op) program in the country with students earning $94 million annually through paid experiences, an academic health system, and as a member of the Big 12 Conference. The university contributes $10.6 billion in economic impact to the city and $22.7 billion to the state of Ohio. At UC, next is all of us. Learn more at uc.edu.
UC is a mission-driven organization where we are committed to student success and positively transforming the community through scholarship and service. We thrive on innovation, making an impact, and fostering an environment where staff and faculty are key contributors to UC’s success.
Job Overview
The University of Cincinnati is building a next-generation AI environment that blends academic excellence, research innovation, and enterprise transformation. This effort includes secure hybrid infrastructures, modern data platforms (Snowflake, Informatica), private LLM environments (BearcatGPT), and emerging agentic workflows. The AI Solutions Architect is at the forefront of this strategy, shaping how AI is designed, governed, and scaled across the institution. The AI Solutions Architect provides strategic and technical leadership for UC’s AI ecosystem. This role defines enterprise AI architectures, governs LLM adoption, and ensures platform performance, security, and compliance. The Architect mentors Engineers and partners with faculty, researchers, and administrators to deliver scalable AI and generative applications that drive institutional impact.
Essential Functions
- Define and maintain enterprise AI reference architectures aligned with UC’s mission.
- Lead design of hybrid HPC/LLM environments (Altair, NebulaOne, Azure AI, AWS Bedrock).
- Establish standards for model lifecycle management, monitoring, availability, and compliance.
- Define governance and security frameworks for private LLM environments (e.g., BearcatGPT) and fine-tuned/custom GPTs.
- Evaluate, design, and integrate enterprise copilots and agent-powered platforms (Microsoft Copilot, Salesforce Agentforce, ServiceNow AI).
- Architect Snowflake Cortex use cases (predictive analytics, natural language query) and integrate with Informatica IDMC pipelines.
- Define institutional standards for agentic workflows (RAG pipelines, multi-agent orchestration, autonomous task execution).
- Collaborate with InfoSec to embed security, privacy, and responsible AI principles across generative AI deployments.
- Partner with faculty, researchers, and business leaders to scale AI use cases in teaching, learning, research, and enterprise administration.
- Mentor and manage AI Engineers, fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration.
- Optimize AI platform performance and cost, balancing innovation with sustainability.
Required Education
- Master’s in Computer Science, Data/AI, or related discipline; or equivalent experience.
Required Experience
- 7+ years in systems architecture with 3+ in AI/ML.
- Expertise in cloud/hybrid infrastructures (Azure, AWS, NVIDIA, Altair).
- Hands-on experience with Snowflake (Snowpark, Cortex) and Informatica (CLAIRE, IDMC, EDC/DQ).
- Familiarity with generative AI ecosystems (OpenAI, Azure AI Studio, AWS Bedrock, HuggingFace).
- Proven ability to mentor technical teams.
- Strong grounding in governance, security, and MLOps.
Additional Qualifications Considered
- Experience managing or deploying private LLM environments (BearcatGPT or similar).
- Knowledge of privacy-preserving AI methods (federated learning, differential privacy).
- Familiarity with enterprise copilots and assistants (Copilot, Agentforce, ServiceNow AI).
- Ability to communicate technical strategies as institutional impact to diverse stakeholders.
Physical Requirements/Work Environment
- Office environment/no specific unusual physical or environmental demands.
Application Process Information
- All certifications and other documentation can be uploaded using the Additional Documents section in the application. Applications without a cover letter and CV/Resume will not be considered for the position.
Why Join Us?
- This role offers the opportunity to help position the University of Cincinnati as a leader in responsible, scalable AI in higher education—shaping how AI is applied across teaching, research, and enterprise operations.
Compensation and Benefits
UC offers an exceptional benefits package designed to support your well-being, financial security, and work-life balance. (UC Benefits) Eligibility may vary by position and FTE status. Highlights include:
Salary/Hourly Pay Rate Information:
Comprehensive Tuition Remission
UC provides tuition remission for you and your eligible dependents, covering tuition costs for nearly all undergraduate and graduate programs offered by the university.
Robust Retirement Plans
As a UC employee, you won’t contribute to Social Security (except Medicare). Instead, you’ll choose between state pension plans (OPERS, STRS) or an Alternative Retirement Plan (ARP), with UC contributing 14–18% of your salary based on position.
Real Work-Life Balance
UC prioritizes work-life balance with a generous time-off policy, including:
Vacation and sick time
11 paid holidays and additional end-of-year paid time off (Winter Season Days)
6 weeks of paid parental leave for new parents
Additional Benefits Include:
- Competitive salary based on experience
- Comprehensive health coverage (medical, dental, vision, prescription)
- Flexible spending accounts & wellness programs
- Professional development & mentorship opportunities
To learn more about why UC is a great place to work, please visit our Careers Page.
UC is an E-Verify employer. If hired into this position, you will be required to provide satisfactory proof of employment eligibility by providing acceptable, original forms of identification for employment verification via the Federal I-9 employment verification process. Click here for a list of acceptable documents.
Important: To apply you must create a profile and submit a complete job application through the UC applicant portal. We are unable to consider “easy apply” applications submitted via other websites. For questions about the UC recruiting process or to request accommodations with the application, please contact UC HR at jobs@uc.edu.
Equal Opportunity Employer. Building a workplace where all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment, including Individuals with Disabilities and Protected Veterans.
REQ: 102128