AI and Automation Engineer

Ashford College; England; Remote; GBP 42,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous Annual Leave (28 days)

Flexible Personal Leave

Exclusive Discounts & Perks

Wellbeing and Health Support

Competitive Pension Scheme

Job summary

East Kent Colleges Group is seeking an AI & Automation Engineer to turn emerging technology into practical solutions that staff and students will use daily. You will build intelligent workflows, connect systems, and automate processes to save time and improve services.

You’ll explore Power Platform, Azure, n8n, Make and AI models while learning new tools and keeping security and data protection at the forefront.

Qualifications

• Experience building automations using Power Automate, n8n, Zapier or Make.
• Experience with AI models, APIs and prompt engineering.
• Interest in voice AI platforms such as Microsoft Speech Studio, VAPI or ElevenLabs.
• Ability to troubleshoot, improve and optimise technical workflows.
• Strong communication skills to work with non-technical colleagues.

Responsibilities

• Build intelligent workflows and automate processes across teams.
• Develop voice AI services and integrate AI models via APIs.
• Experiment with emerging technologies and iterate ideas into usable solutions.
• Collaborate across EKC Group to understand staff and student needs.

Skills

Automation engineering

AI model experience

Voice AI platforms

Workflow troubleshooting

Communication

Self-motivated learning

Education

Level 2 English & Maths

Tools

Power Automate

n8n

Zapier

Make

Microsoft Speech Studio

VAPI

ElevenLabs

Power Platform

Microsoft Dynamics CRM

Job description

About The Role

Ready to turn AI and automation into real-world solutions?

Don’t just follow what is happening in AI. Help us build what comes next.

East Kent College’s Group is looking for a curious, ambitious AI & Automation Engineer to turn emerging technology into practical solutions that make a genuine difference. You will be building intelligent workflows, developing voice AI services, connecting systems or automating processes that give staff more time to support students. This is an opportunity to experiment, create and see your ideas move quickly from concept to something that people use every day.

You’ll work with teams across our colleges to understand the problems they face and build smarter ways of solving them. Using technologies such as Power Platform, Azure, n8n, Make, VAPI and Microsoft Speech Studio, alongside AI models and APIs, you’ll develop solutions that reduce repetitive work, improve services and create better experiences for students, apprentices and staff. Just as importantly, you’ll have the freedom to explore emerging technologies, test new ideas and challenge us to think differently, while learning how to build AI solutions that are secure, responsible and ready for the real world.

You do not need to arrive with every answer. You might be a recent graduate, an aspiring developer, a self-taught builder or someone already experimenting with AI and automation in your own time. We’re interested in what you can build, how you think and how quickly you learn, not simply how many years of experience you have. If you’re the person who discovers a new AI tool, watches a tutorial and immediately wants to try building something with it, we want to hear from you.

Bring us your curiosity and ideas, and we’ll give you the opportunity to turn them into a career with real purpose and impact.

Benefits

• Generous Annual Leave (28 days)
• Flexible Personal Leave
• Exclusive Discounts & Perks
• Wellbeing and Health Support
• Competitive Pension Scheme

Full list of company benefits

About You

We’re looking for someone who combines technical know-how with creativity, problem-solving skills and a genuine enthusiasm for finding better ways to work. You’ll enjoy experimenting with emerging technologies, learning independently and turning promising ideas into practical solutions that make a difference.

You don’t need to have followed a traditional career path. We’re interested in what you can build, how you approach challenges and your enthusiasm for exploring the possibilities of AI and automation.

You will bring:

• Practical experience building automations using tools such as Power Automate, n8n, Zapier, Make or similar platforms.
• Experience working with AI models, APIs and prompt engineering, with an understanding of how these can be applied to real-world challenges.
• An interest in voice AI platforms such as Microsoft Speech Studio, VAPI or ElevenLabs, and the potential to develop intelligent conversational services.
• Experience troubleshooting, improving and optimising technical workflows, with the ability to turn complex problems into effective solutions.
• Strong communication skills, enabling you to work collaboratively with different teams and explain technical concepts to colleagues without a technical background.
• A self-motivated approach to learning, with the confidence to research new tools, experiment with ideas and apply what you discover.
• Good organisational skills, flexibility and the ability to manage competing priorities and meet deadlines.

You’ll also have an interest in software development and innovation, with the initiative to identify opportunities for improvement and the enthusiasm to see ideas through to implementation.

Knowledge of Microsoft 365, Power Platform and Microsoft Dynamics CRM would be beneficial, as would experience with voice AI, API cost forecasting or working within an educational environment.

You’ll need Level 2 functional skills qualifications in English and maths, or equivalent. A computing-related degree would be an advantage, but we’re equally interested in practical skills, relevant experience and your ability to learn.

Above all, you’ll be excited by the potential of AI to improve services, reduce administrative burdens and create better experiences for staff and learners. You’ll understand the importance of developing solutions responsibly, with appropriate attention to data protection, cybersecurity and safeguarding.

If you’re a hands-on problem-solver who enjoys learning, experimenting and making technology work harder, we’d love to hear from you.

About Us

Outstanding Ofsted Provider

East Kent Colleges Group is an Ofsted Outstanding rated provider. It is proud to be the first General Further Education college organisation in the country to have received the Outstanding grade against each of the strands under the new Ofsted inspection framework. An inclusive provider, our colleagues place our students and the communities we serve at the heart of everything they do across EKC Group and this is illustrated in our ‘Strong’ skills grading by Ofsted.

Commitment to Safeguarding

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and we ensure that all staff are aware of their responsibilities for upholding these principles.

As a designated establishment, we are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore have an obligation to carry out checks to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children and vulnerable adults. These checks include conviction/caution self-declaration, Enhanced DBS check and obtaining sufficient referencing.

It is a criminal offence to apply for a post which involves engaging in regulated activity relevant to children if you are barred from doing so.

If you are successful in being shortlisted to interview, your suitability to work with children and vulnerable adults will be explored as part of the interview process.

Commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

East Kent CollegesGroup is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all members of our communities. We are particularly keen to increase the diversity of our staff body and encourage applications from candidates where there is underrepresentation in our workforce.

We are proud to hold the Positive About Disability Award and are a Disability Confident Employer. This confirms our commitment to interviewing all applicants who declare that they have a disability and who meet the essential criteria outlined in the person specification. With any successful candidate, we will explore any reasonable adjustments to a role due to a health needs or disability.

Similarly, we have a commitment to Care Leavers (Care Covenant Pledge) and to current or previous Armed Forces personnel (Armed Forces Covenant Pledge) with a commitment to interview applicants who meet the positions essential criteria and who have declared this on their application.

We welcome applications from anyone wishing to work flexibly and those considering a return to work from a career break.

We do not engage with agencies for permanent staff and have an in-house recruitment team.