Head of AI Platform & Agentic Architecture - NI

We are seeking a Head of AI Platform & Agentic Architecture / Distinguished Engineer - AI platforms and Network autonomy in the Network Infrastructure organization. The successful candidate will define and lead the technical foundation of our cross-domain AT and Agentic platform across the Network infrastructure organization.

The role will be to architect and drive/implement the unified platform spanning Optical, IP, and Fixed Networks, enabling capable automation with cross-domain intelligence and L4+ network autonomy. The Architect will serve as a senior technical authority on AI architecture, ensuring a cohesive end-to-end solution for both internally and externally focused cross-domain use cases, while accelerating the integration of AI into production-grade networking systems and processes. This is a high-impact, technical leadership role requiring deep expertise in distributed systems, multi-agent architectures, AI/ML infrastructure, and network automation.

Responsibilities

1. Define and lead the cross-domain AI platform architecture - spanning key domains, ensuring scalable, interoperable, and production-ready

2. Architect agentic and autonomous systems frameworks that enable a distributed intelligence with cross-domain automation with a clear path to L4+ network autonomy.

3. Establish architectural governance for AI initiatives, eliminating duplication and ensuring architectural alignment to a unified platform strategy

4. Drive research to product integration, translating advanced AI innovations into deployable, production grade capbilityes

5. Partner across R&D, PLM, Sales, customers, Bell Labs, and the leadership team to ensure implementation meets architecture with AI-driven differentiation and customer co-creation.

Qualifications

15+ years in networking, distributed systems, or AI systems architecture

Deep expertise in:

o Multi-agent systems

o Distributed computing

o ML infrastructure (training + inference)

o Network automation

o SDN / control-plane architectures

· Experience transitioning research into production systems

· Strong cross-functional influence skills

· Ability to operate at executive technical depth

· Comfort challenging domain fragmentation