Agent Engineer

Hawthorne Gardening Co.; Kentucky; On-site; USD 140,000 - 164,700; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

Wellness reimbursement program

401(k) match up to 7.5%

15% stock discount

Job summary

Hawthorne Gardening Co. is looking for an experienced AI Agent Developer to own the AI agent development lifecycle for Scotts Miracle-Grove. You will design and deliver production-grade AI agents using platforms like Sierra, driving measurable outcomes for customer service and internal workflows.

The ideal candidate has a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science and extensive experience in software engineering with a strong focus on generative AI technologies. Competitive compensation and benefits offered.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of software engineering experience, minimum 1 year in AI/LLM applications.
• Hands-on experience with LLMs (GPT-4, Claude).
• Ability to learn new platforms quickly (Sierra or equivalent).

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end agent development including design and deployment.
• Become the in-house expert on Sierra and related platforms.
• Partner with teams to identify agent opportunities and track performance.

Skills

Python

Programming Fundamentals

Generative AI

Prompt Engineering

API Design

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Sierra

React

TypeScript/JavaScript

Job description

Role Summary

You will own the AI agent development lifecycle at Scotts Miracle‑Grove — from pilot through deployment and continuous iteration. Using platforms like Sierra and modern agent frameworks, you will design and deliver production‑grade AI agents that solve real business challenges in customer service, commerce, internal workflows, and cross‑functional automation. You will become the in‑house expert who learns, configures, and extends agent platforms to drive measurable outcomes for our brands and consumers.

Responsibilities

• Agent Development Lifecycle (ADLC): Own end‑to‑end agent development—including requirements, design, pilot, deployment, monitoring, and iterative improvement. Build production‑grade AI agents using Sierra and complementary tools (LangChain, ADK, etc.) for customer‑facing and internal use cases. Design agent architectures (conversation flows, tool use, RAG integration, human handoff logic, multi‑channel deployment). Implement prompt engineering, guardrails, and evaluation pipelines to ensure agents meet quality, safety, and brand standards.
• Platform Mastery and Technical Leadership: Become the in‑house expert on Sierra and related agent platforms—learn the Agent SDK, Agent Studio, and deployment options. Evaluate when to use platform‑native capabilities vs. custom extensions and recommend build vs. buy vs. configure. Integrate agents with SMG systems (CRM, e‑commerce, knowledge bases, internal tools). Ensure secure, compliant data access and API usage. Establish reusable patterns, templates, and best practices for agent development for the CoE and FDEs.
• Cross‑Functional Delivery: Partner with Digital and CS teams to identify high‑value agent opportunities, define success metrics, and track agent performance (resolution rates, satisfaction, deflection, latency). Drive continuous improvement based on data and user feedback. Document agent designs, runbooks, and operational procedures. Support responsible AI practices and governance requirements.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 3+ years of software engineering experience, with at least 1+ year building or integrating AI/LLM‑powered applications or agents.
• Strong programming fundamentals—Python required; experience with React, TypeScript/JavaScript, and API design is a plus.
• Hands‑on experience with generative AI: LLMs (GPT‑4, Claude, Gemini), prompt engineering, RAG, vector databases, and agent orchestration (LangChain, Flowise, etc.).
• Ability to learn new platforms quickly (Sierra or equivalent) and become productive within weeks.
• Track record of shipping production software with ownership of design, implementation, and iteration.
• Clear communicator who can explain technical decisions to non‑technical stakeholders and align priorities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Sierra, Voice AI, or other enterprise conversational AI platforms.
• Familiarity with customer service, e‑commerce, or CPG/retail domains.
• Experience with cloud platforms (GCP, AWS, Azure) and CI/CD for ML or agent deployments.
• Exposure to agent evaluation, A/B testing, or observability for AI systems.
• Understanding of responsible AI, data governance, and compliance considerations for customer‑facing AI.

Compensation

The starting budgeted pay range for this role is $140,000.00 – $164,700.00 per year. In addition to base salary, this role is incentive eligible under corporate bonus programs.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage for employee, spouse/domestic partner, and dependents.
• Wellness reimbursement program.
• 401(k) match up to 7.5% of eligible contributions.
• 15% discount on company stock.

EEO Statement

Scotts is an EEO Employer, dedicated to a culturally diverse, drug‑free workplace. The Scotts Miracle‑Grove company does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters or employment agencies. In the absence of a signed Master Service Agreement and specific approval, the company will not consider or approve payment regarding recruiter fees or referral compensations. ScottsMiracle‑Grove will never ask for payment or financial information at any stage in the recruitment process.