Senior AI Software Engineer / Automation Architect

Job Description

Job Description

Senior AI Software Engineer / Automation Architect
Location: Arlington Heights, IL
Compensation: $120,000-$150,000
Employment Type: Full-Time, Onsite

Build the Systems That Help Us Scale
S&J Plumbing is seeking a Senior AI Software Engineer / Automation Architect to help build a smarter, more efficient organization as we continue to grow.
This is a hands-on AI systems development and business transformation role. We are seeking someone who combines strong business process improvement skills with the technical ability to independently design, build, integrate, and maintain AI-powered applications, agents, automations, and internal systems.

You Will Build an S&J AI Ecosystem
A connected environment where AI, existing business software, internal applications, and automated workflows work together to help us operate more efficiently and scale as we grow.
Business process improvement and change management are important, but the ability to personally build and implement AI solutions is a critical requirement.
This person will also be responsible for identifying inefficiencies, improving processes, creating SOPs, and finding opportunities to use AI throughout the company, including operations, accounting, call center, dispatch, recruiting, HR, and onboarding.
You'll work directly with leadership and department managers to understand how work gets done today, uncover opportunities for improvement, and design scalable systems that improve productivity, consistency, and business performance. Key Responsibilities
Business Process Improvement

• Analyze workflows across operations, dispatch, call center, accounting, marketing, recruiting, HR, warehouse, sales, and field teams.
• Identify repetitive tasks, manual processes, bottlenecks, communication gaps, and inefficiencies.
• Redesign processes to improve scalability, consistency, employee experience, and operational performance.

AI & Technology Implementation

• Identify and implement practical AI solutions across the business, including operations, customer service, sales, recruiting, onboarding, training, HR, accounting, reporting, and knowledge management.
• Evaluate emerging AI technologies and determine where they can create measurable business value.
• Develop standards and best practices that drive successful AI adoption.

Automation & Systems Development

• Build automated workflows and integrations between business systems.
• Develop internal tools and applications using modern low-code and AI-assisted platforms such as Zapier, Make, n8n, Replit, Cursor, Lovable, Claude Code, and similar technologies.
• Take projects from concept through implementation and employee adoption.

Recruiting, HR & Onboarding Enhancement

• Improve hiring, onboarding, training, and employee development processes.
• Streamline applicant tracking, interview scheduling, candidate communications, onboarding workflows, and employee administration.
• Build dashboards and systems that provide leadership visibility into recruiting, training, and workforce development.

SOPs, Knowledge Management & Training

• Document key business processes and create scalable SOPs.
• Develop AI-assisted knowledge management systems that make information easy to access and maintain.
• Train employees and managers on new tools, automation, and AI best practices.

What Success Looks Like
Success in this role is measured by business outcomes, including:

• Reduced administrative workload
• Faster and more consistent processes
• Improved employee productivity
• Better recruiting and onboarding efficiency
• Reduced software and operational costs
• Improved customer and employee experience
• Increased visibility through reporting and dashboards
• Scalable systems that support company growth
• Measurable improvements in profitability and operational performance

Requirements
Software Engineering & Technical Requirements

• Minimum 5+ years of substantial hands-on software development experience.
• Strong proficiency with Python and/or TypeScript.
• Experience designing and developing production applications from concept through deployment and ongoing maintenance.
• Demonstrated experience building and maintaining REST APIs, web services, integrations, and database-driven applications.
• Strong understanding of software architecture, application security, testing, version control, and DevOps best practices.
• Experience working with SQL and/or NoSQL databases and data modeling.
• Ability to independently troubleshoot, maintain, and improve deployed systems over time.
• Proven experience delivering software solutions that have been adopted and utilized in real-world business environments.

Ideal candidates will have experience in several of the following areas:

• AI agents and AI-powered applications
• AI ecosystem architecture and development
• AI implementation, adoption, and employee enablement
• APIs, MCP, webhooks, and software integrations
• Internal application development using tools such as Lovable, Replit, Cursor, and Claude Code
• Low-code/no-code development platforms
• Workflow automation using n8n, Make, Zapier, or similar platforms
• Databases, data integration, and knowledge management
• AI security, access controls, testing, ongoing maintenance, and governance
• Business process improvement, operational efficiency, and SOP development
• Operations management
• Digital transformation and systems implementation
• Project and change management
• Business analysis and requirements gathering
• HR, recruiting, and people technology systems
• Employee training, development, and technology adoption
• Practical experience building AI-powered applications using existing large language models (OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini, or similar platforms).
• Experience implementing AI agents, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), workflow automation, and AI-assisted business applications.
• Ability to evaluate emerging AI technologies and rapidly prototype practical solutions that deliver business value.
• Experience integrating AI capabilities into existing business systems through APIs and workflow orchestration platforms

Education:
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field preferred.
Equivalent verifiable professional software development experience and demonstrated technical accomplishments will be strongly considered in lieu of formal education

What Will Make You Stand Out
We'd love to hear about:

• Processes you've automated
• Internal tools or applications you've built
• AI solutions you've successfully implemented
• Recruiting, onboarding, or HR systems you've improved
• Projects that saved significant employee time
• Systems that helped a company scale without adding unnecessary overhead
• Cross-platform integrations and workflow redesigns that delivered measurable results

Who We're Looking For
We're looking for a builder, problem solver, and continuous improvement mindset.
Someone who naturally asks:

• Why do we do it this way?
• Can this process be simplified?
• Can it be automated?
• Can AI improve it?
• Will it still work when the company doubles in size?

The ideal candidate is comfortable working with both leadership and frontline employees, can quickly move from idea to execution, and is passionate about building systems that help people do their jobs more effectively.
You won't be maintaining someone else's strategy. You'll be helping build ours. Benefits

• Compensation: $120,000-$150,000 + Performance Bonus
• Employment Type: Full-Time, Onsite
• 100% Paid Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance (for you and your family)
• 401(k) with 5% company match
• Weekly pay
• 2 weeks PTO + paid holidays
• Quarterly company outings & team events
• Strong leadership support - you're never on your own

About S&J Plumbing
S&J Plumbing is committed to building a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, and growth. This is a unique opportunity to shape how a growing organization leverages AI, automation, and scalable systems to support employees, improve customer experiences, and drive long-term business success.

S&J Plumbing is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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