Solutions Architect, AI/ML

Fidus is a global high-tech design firm headquartered in Ottawa, with additional design centres in Kitchener-Waterloo and San Jose. We specialize in leading-edge electronic product development, with hardware, embedded software, FPGA/ASIC, and signal integrity teams working together to design and deliver next-generation products for clients in emerging technology markets.

Position Overview

We are seeking a Solutions Architect, AI/ML that will have a critical role in understanding technical project requirements, for existing and potential clients, to assess whether the opportunity will be a good fit. Once an opportunity fit is assessed, the Solutions Architect will be responsible for developing a solution path, preparing an estimate for the work, and highlighting the risks and mitigation strategies. 

Make an Impact with US:

At Fidus, you’ll work on high-speed, high-complexity electronic systems, often using emerging technologies before they reach the broader market. You’ll collaborate across FPGA/DSP, hardware, embedded software, verification, SI/PI, PCB layout, and mechanical/thermal design as part of cross-functional teams delivering real products for our clients.

In practice, that means contributing to projects across Communications, Aerospace & Defence, Life Sciences & Medical Devices, Space & Satellite, Industrial Automation, Automotive, and Semiconductor engagements. You won’t be limited to a single product or industry—your work will follow the technology, not just one roadmap.

What You’ll Be Doing:

• Work directly with potential and existing clients to understand their needs, then develop their requirements;
• Architect a solution that meets the Client’s needs;
• Develop a plan, identify risks and mitigation strategies, and estimate the work required, to deliver a client solution;
• Write the technical content for proposals;
• Understand and present Fidus’ resource skill capabilities and work approach;
• Discuss, promote, defend, and, if necessary, refine, the work approach and estimate;
• Evaluate and understand solutions, to partition programs into logical segments;
• Undertake project work as required;
• Assist in identifying and developing new Fidus products;
• Assist in identifying new areas of investment and research & development.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in either Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or the equivalent; a graduate degree in machine learning or a related field is an asset;
• Ideally at least seven (7) years of design background in an AI/ML engineering role, with significant time spent deploying models into production rather than training them alone;
• System Level design experience and interest, including identifying architectural approaches and tradeoffs;
• An expert level of knowledge of the modern machine learning toolchain, including PyTorch or TensorFlow, ONNX, and the quantization, pruning, and compilation steps that turn a trained model into a deployable one;
• Experience deploying inference on embedded and accelerated targets such as FPGA and adaptive SoC, GPU, or dedicated AI accelerators, and reasoning about the latency, throughput, power, and memory bandwidth tradeoffs between them;
• Experience designing with CUDA and/or ROCm;
• Familiarity with the hardware and infrastructure that AI workloads depend on — high-speed interconnect, memory hierarchy, and thermal and power budgets — at the edge, in the data center, or both;
• Ability to assess the feasibility of a client’s AI objective against the data actually available, and to scope the data pipeline, training, and validation effort realistically;
• Some knowledge of FPGA’s, hardware, and embedded software;
• Exposure to MLOps practice, including model versioning, monitoring, and retraining in production, is an asset;
• Ability to undertake designs with ITAR restrictions or Classified information in the United States, or with Controlled Goods Program (CGP) restrictions or Classified information in Canada;
• Concise communication and writing skills;
• Excellent listening, understanding, and extrapolation skills;
• Professional and personable;
• Enjoys travel, which is anticipated to be up to 6 weeks per year, typically within North America;
• Proven experience with giving presentations to small-to-medium sized groups.

Location and travel: Position is based in Canada. Travel will be required typically within North America for up to 6 weeks per year.

This position may require access to export-controlled information. Candidates will be required to complete background checks and security screening under Canada's Controlled Goods Program (CGP) and may also be required to obtain a security clearance under the Contract Security Program (CSP) administered by Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC, formerly PWGSC).

This role is being posted to fill an existing vacancy.

Our competitive compensation package also includes a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, and vision plans, matching GRSP contributions, annual profit-sharing bonus, along with other supplementary benefits

We also recognize that candidates show interest throughout different career stages and welcome all applications. When there is a great fit, the level of the role may be shifted as applicable.

About Fidus & Why Work Here

Since 2001, Fidus has completed over 4,000 projects for more than 400 customers across industries including Telecom/Datacom, Aerospace & Defence, Consumer, Semiconductors, Industrial/Automotive Controls, and Medical. As a Premier Adaptive Computing Partner for AMD North America, we combine deep technical expertise with industry-leading tools to solve complex design challenges.

Fidus designs high-speed, high-complexity electronic systems using emerging technologies, often well before they reach the broader market. Our teams work across FPGA/DSP, hardware, embedded software, verification, SI/PI, PCB layout, and mechanical/thermal design to deliver real products for our customers.

At Fidus, collaboration is at the core of how we work. We value openness, trust, and shared ownership, and we create an environment where people are encouraged to contribute ideas, learn from one another, and have a meaningful impact through the work they do.

If all of this excites you, has your attention, and you can’t wait to join our amazing team and work environment, then we want to hear from you! 

Curious what it's actually like to work here? Take a look at our Working at Fidus page.

Fidus has a commitment to ensure a fair and transparent recruitment process. Automated tools (including AI) support our initial screening of applicants against our job posting to identify candidates whose qualifications, experience, and skills align most closely with the position requirements. All further candidate assessments and final selection are conducted by our human recruitment team. AI does not make any final hiring decisions.

Thank you for your interest in Fidus. We welcome and encourage diverse candidates to apply. Accommodations are available upon request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process. Fidus is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.