Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineer

AI/LLM Engineer / Solutions Architect - no 3rd parties, no C2C - no must be eligible to work in the U.S. - Remote with 2 weeks onsite to onboard We are looking for an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineer to lead practical AI development efforts for a manufacturing organization in Lincolnton, North Carolina. This Long-term Contract position will focus on creating production-ready automation tools and intelligent workflows that improve decision-making, streamline operations, and uncover business insights from enterprise data. The role is best suited for someone who can translate complex operational needs into scalable AI solutions while partnering closely with cross-functional teams such as Finance and Sales.
Responsibilities: • Design and deploy AI-powered applications that automate recurring operational activities and improve workflow efficiency across the business. • Build intelligent solutions that analyze enterprise and operational data to identify trends, risks, and opportunities that support growth and performance. • Create tools that provide visibility into customer purchasing behavior, inventory conditions, material planning, and seasonal business patterns. • Develop AI-driven capabilities that help teams investigate operational issues, uncover contributing factors, and support faster resolution. • Integrate AI models and services with existing business platforms, data sources, and external systems through APIs and structured pipelines. • Partner with stakeholders in Finance, Sales, and other functional areas to define use cases, prioritize deliverables, and align solutions with business goals. • Establish practical standards for AI implementation, including solution scope, governance, and responsible deployment practices. • Produce market intelligence solutions that monitor external signals such as public-sector funding activity, bid opportunities, and competitor developments. • Participate in early onsite collaboration to understand the manufacturing environment, team workflows, and operational priorities before broader delivery begins.

Requirements

• Demonstrated experience developing and implementing AI applications using platforms such as OpenAI, Azure OpenAI, Anthropic, or comparable technologies.
• Strong programming ability in Python with hands-on experience building machine learning or AI-driven solutions for business use cases.
• Experience creating data pipelines, connecting APIs, and integrating AI tools with enterprise systems and structured data environments.
• Background working in manufacturing, ERP-connected environments, supply chain operations, or other process-intensive business settings.
• Ability to move projects from concept through deployment, with a focus on measurable operational value rather than experimentation alone.
• Comfortable operating in evolving environments, clarifying ambiguous requirements, and shaping practical technical direction with stakeholders.
• Familiarity with machine learning concepts and related tools such as TensorFlow, computer vision, or detection-based models is valued.
• Consulting experience or prior involvement in launching new AI programs from the ground up is a plus.