AI Solution Architect Interim

Cedar are seeking an experienced Copilot AI Solution Architect to lead the design, integration and delivery of AI solutions across our professional services business. This senior role will shape how we deploy Microsoft Copilot, Copilot Studio, AI Agents and Fabric-powered insights to enhance productivity, knowledge management, client delivery and operational efficiency.

Reporting to the CTO, you will work closely with IT, Operations, Finance, Knowledge, HR and fee-earning teams to translate business needs into robust AI-driven solutions. This is a hands-on architecture role requiring strong technical capability, deep Microsoft ecosystem expertise and the ability to support change in a professional services environment.

Key Responsibilities

AI Architecture & Solution Design

• Lead end-to-end architecture for Microsoft Copilot, Copilot Studio and AI agent solutions
• Design scalable, secure AI workflows integrated with Microsoft 365, Teams, SharePoint, Power Platform and Dynamics (or relevant practice management systems)
• Create custom Copilot plugins, AI prompts, knowledge connectors and RAG-driven intelligence

Data & Fabric Integration

• Partner with data engineering teams to leverage Microsoft Fabric and OneLake for high-quality, governed data sources
• Ensure Copilot solutions integrate with organisational data models, security standards and access controls

Stakeholder Engagement & Requirements Gathering

• Work with partners, fee earners and business leaders to identify high-value AI use cases
• Translate complex business requirements into clear technical specifications and solution roadmaps

Delivery Oversight

• Provide technical leadership during build, testing, rollout and adoption
• Establish standards, reusable components and best practices for enterprise AI development
• Collaborate with Security, Governance and Compliance teams to ensure safe and responsible AI usage

Change & Adoption

• Support change and training activities to ensure Copilot solutions are embedded effectively
• Promote AI capability and act as an internal subject matter expert across the firm

Experience & Skills Required

Technical Expertise

• Proven experience as a Solutions Architect within the Microsoft ecosystem
• Hands-on delivery experience with:
  • Microsoft Copilot (M365 Copilot)
  • Copilot Studio
  • AI Agents / Autonomous workflows
  • Microsoft 365 and Teams integrations
  • Power Platform (Power Automate, Power Apps, Dataverse)
  • Azure AI Services and Azure OpenAI
• Strong understanding of RAG architectures, knowledge search, document intelligence and enterprise data patterns
• Experience integrating AI solutions with CRM/ERP or case/practice management systems

Soft Skills

• Excellent communication skills with the ability to simplify technical concepts
• Strong stakeholder management at all levels of the business
• Analytical mindset with strategic thinking capability
• Ability to lead, influence and drive change in a non-technical audience