AI Automation Architect
Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America
Contract
12 hours ago
Key skills
AINLPAgenticAnalyticsOAuthRESTfulServiceNowSalesforceSAPWorkdayLeadershipStakeholder ManagementRisk ManagementMentoringTeam LeadershipCommunication
About this role
Position - AI Automation Lead Technology Lead | Junior Architect Function Digital Transformation / AI & Automation Reports To Delivery Manager Manages AI Automation Engineers (2 5 FTEs, growing)
Experience 7 12 Years (3+ in automation architecture)
Domain Focus Customer Service HR Payroll Marketing Platform Aisera Agentic AI (trained on-the-job; prior flow/automation leadership experience required) Engagement Type Architecture & Tech delivery Governance
ABOUT THE ROLE
The AI Automation Lead is a senior practitioner and team anchor for our Aisera-powered automation delivery across various department like Customer Service, HR, and Payroll. You will own both the technical quality of what gets built and the team capability to build it - functioning as flow architect, delivery manager, and people leader simultaneously. You will set the automation standards, govern flow design patterns, define integration approaches, own client-facing requirement workshops, and mentor a growing team of engineers. You will work directly with business stakeholders to convert ambiguous operational challenges into well-scoped automation programs, and with the engineering team to ensure those programs are delivered with consistency, reliability, and scale in mind. This is not a role for someone who wants to step away from the craft. You are expected to be hands-on in complex or novel flow design while leading the team through delivery. Deep Aisera knowledge is not required on day one - but deep automation fluency and the ability to ramp on a new platform quickly are non-negotiable.
The AI Automation Lead is a senior practitioner and team anchor for our Aisera-powered automation delivery across various department like Customer Service, HR, and Payroll. You will own both the technical quality of what gets built and the team capability to build it - functioning as flow architect, delivery manager, and people leader simultaneously. You will set the automation standards, govern flow design patterns, define integration approaches, own client-facing requirement workshops, and mentor a growing team of engineers. You will work directly with business stakeholders to convert ambiguous operational challenges into well-scoped automation programs, and with the engineering team to ensure those programs are delivered with consistency, reliability, and scale in mind. This is not a role for someone who wants to step away from the craft. You are expected to be hands-on in complex or novel flow design while leading the team through delivery. Deep Aisera knowledge is not required on day one - but deep automation fluency and the ability to ramp on a new platform quickly are non-negotiable.
Job Description:-
WHAT YOU WILL DO
Strategy & Program Design
Own the end-to-end automation program across Customer Service, HR, and Payroll - from use case discovery and prioritization through delivery, adoption, and continuous improvement.
Lead automation discovery workshops with business stakeholders (HR Directors, CS Ops leads, Payroll Managers) to identify automation candidates, size effort, and define success metrics.
Define and maintain an automation backlog and roadmap: prioritize use cases based on ROI, complexity, data readiness, and system integration feasibility.
Establish flow design standards, naming conventions, error handling patterns, and governance frameworks that all team members follow consistently.
Technical Architecture & Flow Design
Architect multi-step, multi-agent automation solutions: decide when to use Hyperflows vs. structured AI Workflow Builder flows, how to chain agents, and where to inject human-in-the-loop controls.
Design integration architectures: map out system-of-record dependencies (Workday, SAP, ServiceNow, Salesforce, payroll platforms), define API call patterns, and manage connection governance.
Step in directly on complex flow builds - particularly novel integrations, multi-conditional orchestrations, or flows with regulatory sensitivity (payroll compliance, HR data privacy).
Review and approve all flows before they move to UAT - check for logic completeness, error handling, performance edge cases, and security/compliance alignment.
Ensure all automation flows comply with TRAPS principles - particularly around data privacy (PII handling in HR/Payroll flows), auditability, and access control.
Team Leadership & Mentoring
Directly manage a team of 2 5 AI Automation Engineers - assign work, run sprint planning, unblock delivery issues, and own team velocity.
Mentor engineers on flow design principles, API integration patterns, conversational AI design, and platform-specific best practices on Aisera.
Conduct structured code and flow reviews - not just checking correctness, but building engineers" fluency and design maturity over time.
Run or contribute to team onboarding for new engineers joining the automation practice.
Stakeholder Management & Governance
Act as the primary point of escalation for delivery issues, integration blockers, and scope changes - communicate clearly to business and technology stakeholders.
Own automation reporting: track flow performance (auto-resolution rates, ticket deflection, cycle time reduction), surface insights from Aisera Analytics, and present outcomes to leadership.
Work with platform and vendor teams (Aisera/Automation Anywhere) on roadmap alignment, escalating platform limitations, and participating in product advisory engagements.
Maintain a risk register for automation programs - identify fragile integrations, business rule drift, and data quality issues before they cause production failures.
WHAT YOU BRING
Automation Leadership & Architecture (Must Have)
7+ years in automation, digital transformation, or enterprise application delivery, with at least 3 years in a technical lead or architect role owning end-to-end automation programs.
Deep hands-on experience with one or more enterprise automation/workflow platforms: ServiceNow Flow Designer / Virtual Agent, Microsoft Power Platform (Power Automate + Copilot Studio), UiPath / Automation Anywhere with orchestrator-level exposure, Salesforce Flow / Agentforce, Pega / Appian / Camunda, or comparable enterprise platforms.
Experience designing and governing conversational AI or virtual agent platforms at scale - including intent taxonomy design, NLP tuning, agent handoff logic, and knowledge management.
Strong API integration architecture experience: RESTful service design, OAuth patterns, webhook orchestration, error handling, and retry strategy for enterprise integrations.
Demonstrated ability to run delivery programs end-to-end: scope definition, effort estimation, sprint planning, risk management, and stakeholder communication.
Domain Experience (Strongly Preferred)
Delivered automation in at least two of the three target domains (Customer Service, HR, Payroll) - you understand the business language, data sensitivities, and regulatory considerations in these areas.
Familiarity with common system-of-record platforms: Workday or SuccessFactors (HR), ADP / Ceridian / UKG (Payroll), Salesforce / Zendesk / Genesys (Customer Service), ServiceNow (ITSM/ESM).
Soft Skills
People leader who builds capability - you invest in your team"s growth, not just in getting the current sprint done.
Executive-level communication: able to present automation outcomes, ROI, and strategic roadmaps to senior business stakeholders without losing credibility with technical audiences.
Strong structured thinking: can decompose an ambiguous business problem into a well-scoped, deliverable automation program.
Opinionated on quality: willing to push back on shortcuts that compromise reliability, maintainability, or security in production flows.
WHAT YOU WILL DO
Strategy & Program Design
Own the end-to-end automation program across Customer Service, HR, and Payroll - from use case discovery and prioritization through delivery, adoption, and continuous improvement.
Lead automation discovery workshops with business stakeholders (HR Directors, CS Ops leads, Payroll Managers) to identify automation candidates, size effort, and define success metrics.
Define and maintain an automation backlog and roadmap: prioritize use cases based on ROI, complexity, data readiness, and system integration feasibility.
Establish flow design standards, naming conventions, error handling patterns, and governance frameworks that all team members follow consistently.
Technical Architecture & Flow Design
Architect multi-step, multi-agent automation solutions: decide when to use Hyperflows vs. structured AI Workflow Builder flows, how to chain agents, and where to inject human-in-the-loop controls.
Design integration architectures: map out system-of-record dependencies (Workday, SAP, ServiceNow, Salesforce, payroll platforms), define API call patterns, and manage connection governance.
Step in directly on complex flow builds - particularly novel integrations, multi-conditional orchestrations, or flows with regulatory sensitivity (payroll compliance, HR data privacy).
Review and approve all flows before they move to UAT - check for logic completeness, error handling, performance edge cases, and security/compliance alignment.
Ensure all automation flows comply with TRAPS principles - particularly around data privacy (PII handling in HR/Payroll flows), auditability, and access control.
Team Leadership & Mentoring
Directly manage a team of 2 5 AI Automation Engineers - assign work, run sprint planning, unblock delivery issues, and own team velocity.
Mentor engineers on flow design principles, API integration patterns, conversational AI design, and platform-specific best practices on Aisera.
Conduct structured code and flow reviews - not just checking correctness, but building engineers" fluency and design maturity over time.
Run or contribute to team onboarding for new engineers joining the automation practice.
Stakeholder Management & Governance
Act as the primary point of escalation for delivery issues, integration blockers, and scope changes - communicate clearly to business and technology stakeholders.
Own automation reporting: track flow performance (auto-resolution rates, ticket deflection, cycle time reduction), surface insights from Aisera Analytics, and present outcomes to leadership.
Work with platform and vendor teams (Aisera/Automation Anywhere) on roadmap alignment, escalating platform limitations, and participating in product advisory engagements.
Maintain a risk register for automation programs - identify fragile integrations, business rule drift, and data quality issues before they cause production failures.
WHAT YOU BRING
Automation Leadership & Architecture (Must Have)
7+ years in automation, digital transformation, or enterprise application delivery, with at least 3 years in a technical lead or architect role owning end-to-end automation programs.
Deep hands-on experience with one or more enterprise automation/workflow platforms: ServiceNow Flow Designer / Virtual Agent, Microsoft Power Platform (Power Automate + Copilot Studio), UiPath / Automation Anywhere with orchestrator-level exposure, Salesforce Flow / Agentforce, Pega / Appian / Camunda, or comparable enterprise platforms.
Experience designing and governing conversational AI or virtual agent platforms at scale - including intent taxonomy design, NLP tuning, agent handoff logic, and knowledge management.
Strong API integration architecture experience: RESTful service design, OAuth patterns, webhook orchestration, error handling, and retry strategy for enterprise integrations.
Demonstrated ability to run delivery programs end-to-end: scope definition, effort estimation, sprint planning, risk management, and stakeholder communication.
Domain Experience (Strongly Preferred)
Delivered automation in at least two of the three target domains (Customer Service, HR, Payroll) - you understand the business language, data sensitivities, and regulatory considerations in these areas.
Familiarity with common system-of-record platforms: Workday or SuccessFactors (HR), ADP / Ceridian / UKG (Payroll), Salesforce / Zendesk / Genesys (Customer Service), ServiceNow (ITSM/ESM).
Soft Skills
People leader who builds capability - you invest in your team"s growth, not just in getting the current sprint done.
Executive-level communication: able to present automation outcomes, ROI, and strategic roadmaps to senior business stakeholders without losing credibility with technical audiences.
Strong structured thinking: can decompose an ambiguous business problem into a well-scoped, deliverable automation program.
Opinionated on quality: willing to push back on shortcuts that compromise reliability, maintainability, or security in production flows.