AI & Automation Lead

ITCON Services; Vienna (VA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

ITCON Services seeks an experienced AI & Automation Lead to design, implement, and govern enterprise AI for customer service, intelligent self-service, and contact center modernization. You will drive conversational AI, Agent Assist, and automated QA while ensuring compliance with federal governance and security requirements.

The ideal candidate has strong NLP/NLU knowledge, hands-on voicebot/chatbot deployment, and a proven track record in large-scale AI projects.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, AI, Data Science, IT, Engineering, or related field.
• 7+ years of experience in AI, automation, contact center tech, or related areas.
• Hands-on experience implementing conversational AI solutions, including voicebots and chatbots.
• Strong understanding of NLP and NLU technologies.
• Experience designing and deploying intelligent self-service solutions.
• Knowledge of AI model governance, responsible AI principles, and human-in-the-loop controls.
• Experience with AI performance monitoring, analytics, and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Excellent communication, leadership, and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement conversational AI solutions for voice and digital channels.
• Lead deployment of voicebots, chatbots, intent recognition, and intelligent self-service capabilities.
• Develop strategies to increase automation while maintaining exceptional customer experience.
• Optimize customer journeys through AI-driven engagement and support.
• Implement AI-powered Agent Assist capabilities with real-time recommendations and next-best-action guidance.
• Ensure seamless transitions from AI to live CSRs with preserved context.
• Deploy automated QA and analytics to monitor AI performance and customer experience metrics.
• Establish model monitoring, human-in-the-loop controls, and governance standards.

Skills

Conversational AI

NLP/NLU

Agent Assist

Automation

Contact center technology

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS or related field

Tools

Voicebots

Chatbots

NLP platforms

Job description

We are seeking an experienced AI & Automation Lead to lead the implementation, optimization, and governance of artificial intelligence solutions supporting customer service operations, intelligent self-service, and contact center modernization initiatives.

Position Summary

The AI & Automation Lead will be responsible for designing, implementing, and governing AI-driven customer engagement capabilities, including conversational AI, Agent Assist solutions, intelligent routing, automated quality assurance, and interaction analytics. This role will serve as the subject matter expert for AI technologies that enhance customer experiences while ensuring compliance with federal security, privacy, accessibility, and governance requirements.

The ideal candidate possesses deep expertise in conversational AI, automation technologies, contact center platforms, and responsible AI practices, with a proven track record of deploying enterprise-scale AI solutions.

Key Responsibilities

Conversational AI & Intelligent Self-Service

• Design and implement conversational AI solutions for voice and digital channels.
• Lead deployment of voicebots, chatbots, intent recognition, and intelligent self-service capabilities.
• Develop strategies to increase automation while maintaining exceptional customer experience.
• Optimize customer journeys through AI-driven engagement and support.

Agent Assist & Intelligent Customer Support

• Implement AI-powered Agent Assist capabilities that provide:
  • Real-time knowledge recommendations
  • Suggested scripts and responses
  • Next-best-action guidance
  • Automated call and interaction summaries
• Improve customer service representative efficiency and effectiveness through AI-enabled tools.
• Design seamless transitions from AI-powered interactions to live customer service representatives (CSRs) while preserving interaction history and context.

Quality Assurance & Interaction Analytics

• Deploy automated quality assurance solutions to evaluate customer interactions.
• Develop AI-driven interaction analytics and reporting capabilities.
• Monitor AI performance and customer experience metrics.
• Identify trends, optimization opportunities, and areas for continuous improvement.

AI Governance & Compliance

• Establish model monitoring and performance measurement processes.
• Implement human-in-the-loop validation controls and review mechanisms.
• Ensure compliance with federal AI governance, privacy, security, accessibility, and approved-content requirements.
• Develop responsible AI practices, risk management controls, and governance standards.
• Maintain documentation supporting auditability, transparency, and compliance requirements.

Leadership & Stakeholder Engagement

• Collaborate with program managers, technical teams, business stakeholders, and government clients.
• Provide strategic recommendations regarding AI adoption and automation opportunities.
• Support roadmap development, solution architecture, and implementation planning.
• Stay current on emerging AI technologies, industry trends, and federal AI initiatives.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field.
• Minimum of 7 years of experience in AI, automation, contact center technology, customer experience platforms, or related disciplines.
• Hands-on experience implementing conversational AI solutions, including voicebots and chatbots.
• Strong understanding of Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Natural Language Understanding (NLU) technologies.
• Experience designing and deploying intelligent self-service solutions.
• Knowledge of AI model governance, responsible AI principles, and human-in-the-loop controls.
• Experience with AI performance monitoring, analytics, and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Excellent communication, leadership, and stakeholder management skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience deploying Agent Assist platforms and AI-enabled contact center technologies.
• Experience implementing automated quality assurance and interaction analytics solutions.
• Federal government or public-sector AI implementation experience.
• Familiarity with modern cloud-based contact center platforms.
• Knowledge of federal AI governance frameworks, privacy regulations, and security requirements.
• Industry certifications related to AI, cloud platforms, automation technologies, or contact center solutions.

Position Contingency Notice

This position is being recruited in support of an upcoming federal contract opportunity and is contingent upon contract award, funding, and final client approval. ITCON Services is proactively identifying qualified candidates in anticipation of the program's potential start. Candidates selected for consideration will be kept informed regarding the anticipated timeline and status of the opportunity throughout the recruitment process.