Principal Data and AI Architect

We Make Life More Rewarding and Dignified 

Location: ​Libertyville​
Department: ​Information Technology 

Summary:

Hollister Incorporated is on a bold path to become an AI-enabled MedTech leader. Join our Global IT Organization as we help shape the future through digital, data, and AI. As Principal Data & AI Architect, you will lead the design and delivery of scalable, secure, and intelligent data and AI platforms across the enterprise. Your work will power next-generation medical products, insights, and digital experiences that improve lives.

This hands-on, cross-functional leadership role blends technical excellence in cloud data systems, MLOps, and AI governance with strategic alignment to business and regulatory priorities.

Successful candidates will be required to work 3 days a week from our Hollister office in Libertyville, IL (USA), ensuring consistent collaboration and team engagement. For the remaining days, you have the flexibility to work remotely. As such, it's essential for candidates to be based near a Hollister office within Chicago to facilitate easy commuting. We believe this approach fosters a dynamic work environment while respecting the need for work-life balance.

Responsibilities:

• Architect and lead the design of enterprise-scale data and AI platforms, ensuring alignment with business strategy, scalability goals, and regulatory requirements (e.g., HIPAA, GDPR).
• Define and evolve the company’s AI-first architecture strategy, covering data pipelines, model lifecycle management, MLOps practices, and responsible AI governance.
• Design and implement secure, scalable MLOps frameworks and model governance to ensure reproducibility, traceability, and auditability of AI solutions across the enterprise.
• Integrate data and systems across platforms, including Azure, SAP (S/4HANA, BW, Datasphere), Microsoft Dynamics, Salesforce, and Aras PLM into the Microsoft Fabric ecosystem.
• Collaborate with product, engineering, clinical, and regulatory teams to embed AI into medical devices, diagnostics, digital health platforms, and internal productivity solutions.
• Enable self-service analytics, reusable AI components, and standardized data assets to empower business and clinical teams across the organization.
• Translate business, clinical, and operational requirements into secure, scalable data and AI solutions, bridging technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Define and champion enterprise-wide best practices in data quality, lineage, metadata management, security, and compliance.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to cross-functional teams (data engineers, ML engineers, data scientists) and guide solution architecture across initiatives.
• Continuously research and evaluate emerging trends in Generative AI, cloud-native data/ML platforms, responsible AI, and MedTech regulatory innovation.

Essential Functions of the Role:

• Act as the enterprise-wide technical authority for data and AI architecture, ensuring consistency, scalability, and alignment with business goals.
• Translate complex business and clinical challenges into scalable, AI-enabled solutions that drive measurable impact.
• Design and guide implementation of core AI infrastructure components, including data lakes, feature stores, model registries, and real-time inference pipelines.
• Ensure AI systems are ethical, explainable, and auditable, in compliance with internal policies and external regulatory frameworks.
• Foster a culture of innovation through rapid prototyping, experimentation, and agile iteration—leading initiatives such as internal data and AI hackathons to accelerate learning, surface new use cases, and drive cross-functional engagement.
• Serve as a visible thought leader by representing the company in external forums related to AI, healthcare technology, and regulatory innovation.

Requirements:

• 10–15 years of progressive experience in data architecture, machine learning engineering, and AI platform development.
• Proven track record delivering production-grade AI/ML solutions in cloud and/or edge environments.
• Experience in regulated industries such as MedTech, Pharma, or Healthcare; strong preference for familiarity with compliance and validation workflows.
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