Principal Architect – AI

Principal Architect – AI

• Company website link – https://www.costco.com

• Company name – Costco Wholesale

• Location – Seattle, WA, United States

• Postal Code – 98124

• Region – Washington

• Company Office local Address – 999 Lake Drive, Issaquah, WA 98027, United States

• Contect info – (425) 313-8100

• email address – customerservice@costco.com

• Country – United States

• Job Type – Full-time

• Job Average Salary rate – $160,000–$250,000 per year

• Currency – USD

Job description

Costco IT is responsible for the technical future of Costco Wholesale, the third largest retailer in the world with wholesale operations in fourteen countries. Despite our size and explosive international expansion, we continue to provide a family, employee centric atmosphere in which our employees thrive and succeed.

This is an environment unlike anything in the high-tech world and the secret of Costco’s success is its culture. The value Costco puts on its employees is well documented in articles from a variety of publishers including Bloomberg and Forbes. Our employees and our members come FIRST. Costco is well known for its generosity and community service and has won many awards for its philanthropy. The company joins with its employees to take an active role in volunteering by sponsoring many opportunities to help others.

Come join the Costco Wholesale IT family. Costco IT is a dynamic, fast-paced environment, working through exciting transformation efforts. We are building the next generation retail environment where you will be surrounded by dedicated and highly professional employees.

Costco’s Enterprise Architecture team propels our business by blueprinting an innovative, scalable, and secure architecture that serves our Warehouse members globally with years to come. Enterprise Architects work with leadership, stakeholders, and subject matter experts to build a holistic view of the organization’s value streams, goals, strategies, capabilities, processes, information, and information technology assets. The role of the enterprise architect is to ensure that the business and IT are in alignment. The enterprise architect links the business mission, strategy, capabilities and processes of an organization to its IT strategy, documents this using multiple architectural models or views that show how the current and future needs of an organization will be met in an efficient, sustainable, agile, and adaptable manner, and fosters the changes needed to achieve.

Exceptional executive present is crucial to succeed in this role. You will facilitate complex discussions, influence peers and

stakeholders, and serve as a thought leader to inspire change. As a key figure in evolving the Enterprise Architecture practice,

you will uphold consistent quality across methodology and deliverables while addressing today’s digital challenges with

technical expertise, leadership, and strategic foresight.

Your responsibilities include guiding installations, testing, and service transitions while identifying and leveraging technological

innovations. You will engage with businesses to drive the adoption of cutting-edge solutions and oversee incident, change,

release, problem, performance, and availability management, ensuring operational excellence.

Costco’s Enterprise Architecture Team Is Seeking An AI Architect To Advance Our AI And Machine Learning (ML) Practice And Guide Enterprise-wide Transformation Efforts. As a Core Member Of The Enterprise Architecture Team, This Individual Will
• Shape the organization’s AI/ML strategy and roadmap
• Define AI/ML technical capabilities—including generative AI systems, data pipelines, model deployment strategies, MLOps frameworks etc.
• Define AI reference architecture, standards, and best practices.
• Lead integration of AI/ML into business system transformation initiatives.
• Ensure that AI-driven solutions are consistent with organizational goals and technical standards.
• Champion ethical AI governance and regulatory compliance.
• Support continuous technology improvement and adaptable architecture.

If you want to be a part of one of the worldwide BEST companies “to work for”, simply apply and let your career be reimagined.

ROLE
• Defines future state AI/ML architecture and technology roadmap.
• Links business strategies and processes to AI/ML technology strategies, ensuring AI initiatives support enterprise objectives and deliver measurable business value.
• Establishes and maintains models of AI-driven organizational value streams, goals, strategies, capabilities, processes, information, and IT assets. Ensure these models capture both traditional and AI/ML-specific business functions.
• Defines and enforces target state and reference architectures, principles, guardrails, and standards for AI/ML, ensuring alignment with industry best practices, ethical frameworks (e.g., responsible AI), and regulatory guidelines (GDPR, NIST AI RMF).
• Develops and manages AI governance frameworks including model lifecycle management (MLOps), model monitoring, data governance, bias mitigation, explainability (XAI), and compliance.
• Leads initiatives around AI governance, MLOps pipeline optimization (monitoring/drift detection), and continuous improvement of intelligent solutions.
• Develops and promotes reusable AI/ML architectural patterns (e.g., generative AI workflows, RAG architectures) that foster innovation while adhering to best practices.
• Collaborates with stakeholders to operationalize AI use cases (e.g., demand forecasting, NLP for customer service), embedding AI into end-to-end business process models.
• Leads reviews of AI-driven solution designs for scalability, interoperability, and compliance.
• Investigates emerging technologies (generative AI, computer vision), assess enterprise impact through research/proof-of-concepts, and build business cases for adoption.
• Defines data requirements for AI (feature stores, pipelines), advises on data-sharing strategies to support ML models, and ensures data quality/security in AI contexts.
• Evaluates public cloud services and hybrid architectures for cost-effective deployment of intelligent systems.
• Mentors cross-functional teams on AI/ML adoption; bridge gaps between data scientists, engineers, and business units to foster a collaborative environment.

Excerpt from the official job listing

See full job description from the company website.

Job Summary

You design enterprise-level AI solutions that support large-scale retail operations. You define architecture standards, integrate advanced machine learning models, and guide engineering teams to deliver secure, scalable, and high-performance systems that improve efficiency and enhance customer experiences.

About Us

Costco Wholesale is a leading global retailer recognized for delivering quality products and exceptional value. We operate warehouse clubs across multiple countries and serve millions of members daily. Our mission focuses on integrity, member satisfaction, and efficient operations while sustaining growth and innovation through strong supplier relationships and a committed workforce.

Culture and Work Environment

Our culture values collaboration and professional integrity. Teams work in a dynamic environment that supports innovation while maintaining operational excellence. Employees receive consistent guidance, fair treatment, and opportunities to grow technical expertise within a company that encourages continuous improvement and a commitment to service.

Why Work With Us

Costco offers a stable, respected workplace with opportunities to design cutting-edge AI systems at scale. We encourage professional growth, provide competitive benefits, and support a culture where expertise and innovation directly shape business success.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the architecture and design of large-scale AI platforms

• Define technical standards and best practices for AI solutions

• Collaborate with engineering and data science teams

• Oversee integration of machine learning models into enterprise systems

• Ensure security, scalability, and performance of AI applications

Key Qualifications

• Advanced knowledge of AI and machine learning frameworks

• Experience in enterprise software architecture

• Strong skills in cloud-based platforms and distributed systems

• Proven ability to lead cross-functional technical teams

• Excellent communication and strategic planning abilities

Benefits & Perks

• Competitive compensation and annual bonus opportunities

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance

• 401(k) retirement plan with company match

• Employee discounts and membership perks

• Ongoing professional development programs

Location Insights

Seattle offers a thriving technology hub with a strong AI and data science community. The region provides a high quality of life, diverse neighborhoods, and easy access to outdoor recreation, making it attractive to top technology professionals.

Summary Table Detail Information Role Principal Architect – AI Location Seattle, Washington, United States Salary $160,000–$250,000 per year Employment Type Full-time Key Focus AI architecture and enterprise solutions Common 5 Interview Questions and Tips

Describe your experience designing enterprise AI systems. — Provide specific examples of large-scale implementations.

How do you ensure AI models meet performance and security standards? — Emphasize scalable and secure design practices.

Explain how you integrate machine learning into existing enterprise systems. — Highlight collaboration with cross-functional teams.

How do you stay current with emerging AI technologies? — Show continuous learning and engagement with the AI community.

Share a challenging AI architecture problem you solved. — Focus on technical depth and strategic thinking.

Market-Based Salary Overview and Analysis

AI architect roles in Seattle typically range from $150,000 to $260,000 annually. The posted range of $160,000–$250,000 is highly competitive and reflects the advanced expertise and leadership expected in this position.

Disclaimer

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