AI Engineer

Systems Engineering has spent years building the relationships trust and technical credibility that are the foundation of great technology & security partnerships. AI is now one of the most significant forces reshaping how our clients work and were uniquely positioned to guide them through it. The AI Engineer role is how we turn that positioning into a differentiated practice amplifying the groundwork weve already laid with intentional client-centered AI expertise.

About This Role:

Systems Engineering is building out its AI practice and were looking for a talented pragmatic AI Engineer to design and deploy real-world AI solutions for our clients. This isnt a research role its a builder role. Youll be developing AI agents integrating LLMs architecting data strategies and deploying cloud-based AI systems that solve actual business problems for actual clients. Youll work hand-in-hand with our AI Solutions Consultant taking business requirements and translating them into production-grade systems that people use every day. If youre excited by the pace of AI development and want to do meaningful applied work this is the role.

What Will Make You Successful Here:

• You are a builder who takes pride in creating things that work in the real world not just in demos.
• You can communicate technical concepts clearly to non-technical stakeholders - you dont hide behind jargon.
• You approach problems with curiosity and entrepreneurial energy and proactively identify whats possible and pursue it.
• You understand that the best solution is the one that the client can adopt not just the most elegant one technically.
• You have strong ethical instincts around AI: you think about risk bias and responsible use as part of your standard engineering practice.
• You thrive in a collaborative fast-moving environment and are comfortable working across multiple client contexts.
• You stay current - the AI landscape moves fast and so do you.

What Youll Do:

• Build and deploy AI agents LLM-powered applications and intelligent automation solutions primarily in the Microsoft ecosystem.
• Integrate large language models (LLMs) into client workflows via prompt engineering fine-tuning and API integration.
• Design and implement data strategies pipelines and architectures that support AI use cases.
• Develop and maintain APIs and system integrations that connect AI solutions to existing infrastructure.
• Architect and deploy solutions on cloud platforms with a focus on reliability and scale.
• Collaborate with the AI Solutions Consultant and clients to ensure technical solutions are aligned to business goals.
• Apply responsible AI practices including governance bias evaluation and explainability to every engagement.
• Stay ahead of emerging AI tools frameworks and platforms and bring that knowledge into our practice.

Our Culture & Benefits:

The employees of Systems Engineering are its most valuable resources who have collectively made Systems Engineering a Best Places to Work Company in Maine for over a decade. We pride ourselves on delivering great outcomes for our culture clients and our community by cultivating a high-performing culture focused on continuous learning collaboration and community impact. Our headquarters is in Portland Maine where were located in the heart of the Old Port in downtown Portland positioned centrally to the waterfront trails parks cultural events and restaurants.

Compensation & Total Rewards:

Systems Engineering offers a competitive compensation package that reflects both the market and the experience you have. Base salary will be discussed during the interview process and is complemented by a comprehensive benefits package hybrid flexibility and the opportunity to do high-impact work within a growing AI practice. Systems Engineering is committed to fair equitable and competitive pay reviewed regularly to ensure internal alignment and market relevance.

In addition to base pay Systems Engineering supports people through benefits designed to sustain both work and life:

• Health & Wellbeing Competitive medical dental & vision benefits employer-paid life short-term and long-term disability insurance 24/7 Employee Assistance Program (EAP) onsite fitness facilities daily stretch breaks and free health coaching programs.
• Financial Wellbeing Employer 401k matching contributions short-term incentive plans (STIP) and free financial advising.
• Time & Flexibility Paid Time Off starting with 17 days PTO nine paid holidays and hybrid work arrangements.
• Family Support Paid parental leave & dependent care FSA programs.
• Professional Development & Growth Opportunities - Career mobility and professional development with employer-supported training learning and certification opportunities including tuition reimbursement benefits.
• Community & Culture - Paid community volunteer time employer-charitable match programs corporate golf membership company-provided season tickets to local sports teams employer provided parking and regular company gatherings.

What You Bring:

• Bachelors degree in business Information Systems Computer Science Data Analytics Engineering or a related field; relevant experience may be considered in lieu of formal education.
• 3 years of software or AI/ML engineering experience with real production deployments.
• Experience with Microsoft AI platforms including Copilot for Microsoft 365 Azure OpenAI or Azure AI Foundry and their application in business environments.
• Proficiency in Python and API/systems integration development.
• Cloud platform experience.
• Strong grasp of data architecture and pipeline design (SQL experience is a plus).
• The ability to explain what youre building and why youre building it to technical teammates and client stakeholders alike.

Bonus points for:

• Experience with AI agent development and orchestration frameworks.
• Prior work in a consulting or professional services environment.
• Experience with the Microsoft AI ecosystem and how tools like Copilot and Azure AI can be applied to improve workflows and productivity.

What Sets You Apart:

You build things that work and you care about whether they actually help the people using them. Youre technically sharp but not siloed; you understand the business context behind your work and communicate with clarity across audiences. You move fast operate ethically and bring genuine enthusiasm for whats possible with AI today.