Lead Conversational AI Developer

Lead Conversational AI DeveloperSoftware Guidance & Assistance, Inc., (SGA), is searching for a Lead Conversational AI Developer for a right-to-hire contractor assignment with one of our premier higher education clients. This is a remote position requiring working east coast hours. Our client is expanding its enterprise Conversational AI platform supporting digital experiences across web, mobile, and other channels. The platform integrates conversational applications with enterprise systems and backend services to provide intelligent, personalized, and transactional experiences for users. This is an excellent opportunity for a hands-on software engineer who has built and deployed production enterprise chatbots or virtual assistants. The ideal candidate will bring a strong software engineering foundation along with experience across conversational application development, web technologies, APIs, databases, and enterprise integrations. Deep Generative AI expertise is not required; strong traditional chatbot developers who have begun working with modern AI/LLM technologies are encouraged to apply.Responsibilities:Drive the full lifecycle development of enterprise chatbots and virtual assistants from design through production deployment.Design, develop, enhance, and support conversational applications using Microsoft Azure Bot Framework v4, Kore.ai, or similar Conversational AI technologies.Develop custom conversational application functionality using C#,.NET, JavaScript, HTML, and CSS.Design and implement conversational flows, dialog management, intent handling, and application logic.Integrate conversational applications with enterprise systems, APIs, databases, and backend services.Develop integrations using Azure Functions, Azure Logic Apps, REST APIs, and other integration technologies.Support integrations with enterprise applications such as Salesforce, including live-agent handoffs, Knowledge retrieval, Case creation, and other workflows.Troubleshoot issues across the full application stack, including conversational flows, application code, APIs, databases, web applications, and backend integrations.Incorporate NLP/NLU technologies to understand user intent and provide accurate conversational responses.Integrate Generative AI and LLM services where appropriate to enhance conversational experiences, search, fallback handling, and content generation.Develop conversational experiences across web, mobile, messaging, and other digital channels.Work with SQL and application databases to understand data flows, troubleshoot issues, and support integrations.Monitor conversation performance and user interactions to identify opportunities to improve accuracy and user experience.Collaborate with product owners, developers, UX/UI teams, business stakeholders, and enterprise application teams.Participate in application architecture, testing, deployment, CI/CD, and production support activities.Stay current with emerging Conversational AI and Generative AI technologies and identify opportunities to apply them within the platform.Required Skills:5+ years of professional software development experience.Strong hands-on experience building and deploying production enterprise chatbots, virtual assistants, or Conversational AI applications.Strong software engineering and application development background with the ability to work across multiple layers of an application.Strong hands-on C# and.NET development experience.Experience with Microsoft Azure Bot Framework v4 or strong experience with another enterprise Conversational AI/chatbot development platform.Strong web development skills including JavaScript, HTML, and CSS.Experience designing conversational flows, dialog management, intent handling, NLP/NLU, and chatbot application logic.Strong REST API and enterprise systems integration experience.Strong SQL and database skills, including the ability to query data and troubleshoot application/data integration issues.Experience integrating applications with backend systems and enterprise services.Ability to troubleshoot complex technical issues across application code, APIs, databases, web applications, and integrations.Experience with modern SDLC practices, source control, testing, and CI/CD.Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively across technical, product, UX, and business teams.Excellent verbal and written communication skills.Preferred Skills:Deep experience with Microsoft Azure Bot Framework v4, including Adaptive Dialogs, Waterfall Dialogs, and middleware customization.Experience with Azure Functions and Azure Logic Apps.Experience with Azure OpenAI, GPT, Claude, Gemini, or other Generative AI/LLM technologies.Experience integrating traditional Conversational AI/NLU capabilities with Generative AI models.Experience with Azure Conversational Language Understanding (CLU) or similar NLU technologies.Experience with Salesforce REST/SOAP APIs, Live Agent integrations, Knowledge retrieval, or Case creation.Experience with Azure Cosmos DB for conversation state, user data, or telemetry.Experience with MuleSoft or similar enterprise middleware/ESB technologies.Experience with Power BI or other tools used to analyze conversation logs and application performance.Experience with Kore.ai or other enterprise Conversational AI platforms.Experience deploying conversational applications across web and mobile channels.Exposure to AI-powered search, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), AI agents, or agentic workflows.Bachelor's Degree.