Lead AI/ML Consultant

We are seeking a highly experienced AI Consultant to design, implement, and drive enterprise-grade AI solutions on the Azure platform – Microsoft AI Foundry. This role combines hands-on experience, solution architecture, and technical leadership, with responsibility for guiding teams and proactively supporting multiple accounts and initiatives. The candidate needs to have deep insurance domain knowledge, a strong grip on modern AI architecture patterns, and the communication skills to operate comfortably in both technical and domain jargons. Key Responsibilit iesDeep understanding of the insurance domain: underwriting, policy administration, claims, reinsurance, and distributi on.Ability to speak credibly to business stakeholders about business impact without needing a transla torFamiliarity with insurance data types: structured (policy, claims, exposure) and unstructured (loss reports, survey documents, correspondenc e).Experience applying Responsible AI frameworks in practice: bias assessment, fairness metrics, explainability techniques and model car ds.Demonstrable hands-on experience with Microsoft Azure AI Foundry: project setup, model catalogue, evaluation frameworks, and deployment pipelin es.Proficiency with Azure OpenAI Service: GPT model deployment, fine-tuning, content filtering, and token manageme nt.Experience with Azure AI Search (vector and hybrid search), Azure AI Document Intelligence, and Azure Machine Learni ng.Ability to wire these services together into coherent, production-ready architectures — not just run individual dem os.Understanding of Azure security and identity controls as they apply to AI workloads: managed identities, private endpoints, and data residen cy.Develop and deploy RAG-based knowledge systems using Azure AI Search, Azure OpenAI Service, and relevant orchestration frameworks (LangChain, Semantic Kernel, or Prompt Flo w).Design and implement AI agent architectures for orchestrating multi-step insurance workflows (e.g. automated claims triage, document extraction pipelines, underwriting assist tool s).Build and evaluate ML / predictive models relevant to insurance: churn, risk scoring, fraud detection, reserve estimati on.Validate outputs from engineering teams against the original solution design; identify deviations before they reach the clie nt.Establish and apply Responsible AI practices: bias evaluation, explainability, model monitoring, and governance documentation aligned to FCA and industry expectatio ns.Define reusable AI solution accelerators, reference architectures, and best-practice playbooks for the insurance vertic al.Ability to produce governance documentation that satisfies both technical and regulatory audienc es.Mentor and provide technical direction to junior consultants and engineers on the te a m .Required Skills \& Qualifica tionsPython proficiency sufficient to build prototypes, review engineering output, and debug issues independe ntly.Familiarity with orchestration frameworks: LangChain, Semantic Kernel, or Microsoft Prompt Flow.Hands-on experience with Microsoft Azure AI Fo undryWorking knowledge of Azure DevOps or GitHub for managing AI experiment tracking and deployment pipel ines.Ability to read and interpret SQL; experience with cloud data platforms (Databricks, Synapse, or equivalent) is advantag eo u s.Preferred Qualifications/Certifi cationsMicrosoft Certifications: AI-102 (Azure AI Engineer), DP-100 (Azure Data Scientist), AI-900, or equi valent.Familiarity with insurance-specific AI regulation gu idance.Exposure to ML Ops practices: model versioning, drift detection, retraining pipelines, and A/B evaluation in prod uction.Experience with multi-modal AI (document + image pipelines relevant to property claims or risk su rveys).Familiarity with data bricksPrior experience in a vendor or consultancy environment managing multiple concurrent client engag ements.Knowledge of CI/CD for Databricks (Azure DevOps, GitHub Ac tions).Exposure to data governance, security, and compliance fram ewo rks.