Contract AI Systems Architect

Duration: 3-6 months

IR35 Status: Outside IR35

Location: Fully Remote Working

We are partnering with an ambitious start-up venture building a next-generation AI-powered decision intelligence platform for cybersecurity leaders. They are seeking an experienced contract AI Systems Architect to lead the architecture and delivery of a structured, guard railed AI engine designed for enterprise use. This is a high-impact contract role suited to someone who thrives at the intersection of product logic and advanced AI systems design. The successful contract AI architect will oversee the build of the core intelligence system, working directly with the founders.

Key Responsibilities

Architecture & System Design

Define the end-to-end AI pipelines
Design structured JSON schemas for inputs and outputs
Architect a robust RAG framework (vector database, chunking strategy etc)
Design domain and geography-aware retrieval logicAI Orchestration & Guardrails

Develop modular, section-based prompt orchestration
Enforce structured JSON outputs
Implement hallucination controls and citation enforcement
Introduce prompt version control
Build section confidence scoring and validation logicRetrieval & Evidence Framework

Define ingestion structures for curated regulatory and incident sources
Oversee embedding and chunking strategy
Implement evidence weighting tiers
Ensure citation traceability and validationTechnical Leadership

Act as technical lead across the offshore development team
Define sprint scope and architectural standards
Review pull requests and technical decisions
Ensure delivery aligns with product logic
Maintain pragmatic scope controlKey Experience

Proven experience building production-grade LLM systems
Hands-on RAG implementation
Experience with OpenAI and Anthropic APIs
Strong vector database experience
Backend architecture expertise (Node.js or Python)
Experience designing structured JSON pipelines
Experience working with offshore development teams
B2B SaaS background would be highly desirableThis is a unique position that allows a contractor the opportunity to architect a structured AI intelligence system from first principles in a high-autonomy environment. If you're a UK-based contract AI systems architect with deep RAG experience and strong product logic instincts, please apply to the role immediately.

Spectrum IT Recruitment (South) Limited is acting as an Employment Business in relation to this vacancy