AI Engineer

Acliviti Consulting Group, LLC is hiring a 100% remote 1099 contract AI Engineer for an Illinois-based team. This role centers on designing and developing conversational AI solutions using Cognigy, along with integrating AI and LLM capabilities into enterprise systems, while iterating quickly based on performance and user feedback.

Key Responsibilities

• Guide clients through a continuous improvement approach built around Strategy, Execution, and Managed Solutions & Support.
• Support client planning for where they are going and how to get there, including Customer Experience Design, Performance Optimization, and Transformation Capabilities.
• Drive execution across people, platforms, and processes, including Technical Platform & Capabilities, Operational Management, and Data & Analytics.
• Remain involved after launch to support long-term success through Operational & Technical Oversight, Outcome & Expense Management, and Artificial Intelligence & Data Segmentation.
• Design and develop conversational AI experiences such as chatbots, virtual agents, or voice assistants.
• Develop and consume REST APIs, and integrate AI solutions into existing enterprise technology ecosystems.
• Optimize AI interactions using performance results and user feedback.
• Create and execute test cases for software or AI applications, including conversational AI testing and validation, API and integration testing, regression testing, and performance and reliability testing.

Required Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience with conversational AI, virtual agents, LLMs, APIs, integrations, and software engineering, with the ability to learn the Cognigy platform quickly.
• Experience with one or more conversational AI platforms, such as Dialogflow, Microsoft Copilot Studio, Amazon Lex, Google CCAI, Kore.ai, IBM Watson, Yellow.ai, Voiceflow, or similar tools.
• Strong AI engineering and integration fundamentals, plus the ability to apply those skills within Cognigy.
• Understanding of conversational flows, dialogue management, intents, and business logic.
• Experience working with Generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs).
• Prompt engineering and LLM configuration.
• Knowledge of AI response validation, guardrails, fallback logic, and escalation.
• Strong JavaScript / TypeScript (or comparable) programming experience.
• Python experience is preferred.
• Strong understanding of software development fundamentals.
• Ability to develop and consume REST APIs and work with JSON, webhooks, and event-driven integrations.
• Experience with Git/GitHub or similar source control.
• Strong debugging and troubleshooting skills, and ability to work within established development standards and frameworks.
• Experience integrating applications with enterprise systems, including familiarity with REST authentication, webhooks, and data exchange.
• Experience integrating with CRM, ERP, databases, and other backend applications.
• Experience working with third-party SaaS platforms and understanding OAuth, API keys, tokens, and other authentication mechanisms.
• Understanding of one or more LLM platforms, including OpenAI / Azure OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, or similar.
• Knowledge of RAG / knowledge retrieval is preferred, including understanding of embeddings and vector databases (plus).
• Ability to identify root causes and resolve technical defects, including experience analyzing AI or conversation performance and spotting improvement opportunities.
• Experience working in an Agile/Scrum environment, with Jira or similar project management tools.
• Ability to translate requirements into technical solutions using user stories and acceptance criteria.
• Ability to estimate development effort and produce strong documentation.
• Ability to collaborate with Architects, PMs, Product Owners, and client stakeholders.

Nice to Have

• Understanding of voice AI, including speech recognition and text-to-speech.
• Experience implementing AI agents or agentic workflows.
• Understanding of AI safety, security, privacy, and governance (included as a stated requirement area).
• Contact center (CCaaS) experience is listed as nice to have, not required, including knowledge of contact center platforms such as Five9, NICE CXone, Genesys, and Amazon Connect, plus experience integrating AI into contact center environments.

Additional Tools and Platforms

• Cloud and deployment familiarity with AWS, Azure, or GCP, plus cloud-based application architecture.
• Familiarity with Docker and containerized applications.
• Understanding of CI/CD concepts.
• Experience across Development, QA, UAT, and Production environments, including logging and monitoring.
• Experience executing test cases across conversational AI, APIs, integration points, regression, and performance and reliability testing.

Location, Type, and Compensation

• Location: Illinois (remote)
• Job Type: Contract (1099)
• Salary: USD 90,000 per year

Relevant Technologies

• Cognigy, Dialogflow, Microsoft Copilot Studio, Amazon Lex, Google CCAI, Kore.ai, IBM Watson, Yellow.ai, Voiceflow
• JavaScript, TypeScript, Python
• REST APIs, JSON, webhooks, Git, GitHub
• OAuth, API keys, tokens
• OpenAI, Azure OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, RAG, embeddings, vector databases
• AWS, Azure, GCP, Docker, CI/CD, Jira
• NICE CXone, Five9, Genesys, Amazon Connect

About Acliviti Consulting Group, LLC

• Experts in customer experience delivery focused on operational and technical transformation.
• Strategic partners who stay engaged before, during, and after implementation.
• Boardroom translators connecting customer experience vision, technical platforms, and financial value.
• Outcome-driven approach focused on human capital and beyond technology.
• Remote-first, cross-functional collaboration with deep expertise across industries.

Who the Role Supports

• Enterprise organizations modernizing their customer engagement ecosystem.
• CX, IT, Operations, and Finance leaders seeking stakeholder alignment.
• Teams managing complex transformation programs with high visibility and high stakes.
• Companies needing business cases, vendor guidance, and enterprise-class execution.
• Organizations seeking to optimize revenue and cost models, reduce friction, and drive customer growth.