AI Engineer

ONEOK, Inc.; Dallas (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

ONEOK, Inc. seeks an AI Engineer to design, build, and operate production AI systems powering operations. You will own advanced algorithms, agents, and shared frameworks to enable rapid, reliable delivery by Forward Deployed Engineers and AI Analysts.

You will mentor teammates, design tools and prompts, and collaborate with IT and Security to ensure compliant production deployments in a demanding midstream environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related field with relevant job experience.
• Minimum 5 years of software engineering experience with ownership of AI/ML systems.
• Extensive experience with LLM-based systems, including agents, tool use, evaluations, and retrieval.
• Strong Python engineering skills with familiarity in optimization, forecasting, or computer vision.
• Experience designing APIs, SDKs, or frameworks consumed by other engineers.
• Proven track record operating production systems, including monitoring, incident response, and cost management.

Responsibilities

• Develop, deploy, and maintain production AI systems (agents, tools, and pipelines).
• Develop advanced algorithms in optimization, forecasting, computer vision, and anomaly detection.
• Create shared frameworks and templates used across engineers for consistent delivery.
• Design, tune, and evaluate tools, function calls, and prompt templates.
• Build operations-focused UIs for workflows used by operations teams.
• Mentor Forward Deployed Engineers and AI Analysts in engineering practices and design.
• Ensure AI systems meet IT and security standards for production.

Skills

LLM expertise

Python

APIs/SDKs

Monitoring

Cost management

Relational databases

Communication

Mentoring

Education

Bachelor's degree in a related field

Tools

Agent frameworks

Retrieval

Job description

#WeAreONEOK - Fortune 500 company. 100+ years in business. Leading midstream service provider. Safety first. Sustainable operations. Environmentally responsible. Employee focused.

JOB SUMMARY

Job Profile Summary/Mission

Design, build, and operate the AI systems that Operations relies on. The AI Engineer is responsible for the most technically demanding work - advanced algorithms, production agents, and shared frameworks - and delivers reusable infrastructure that enables the rest of the team to work efficiently.

Essential Functions and Core Responsibilities

• Production AI systems: Develop, deploy, and maintain operations‑critical AI systems, including agents, harnesses, tools, and evaluation pipelines. Accountable for reliability, latency, cost, and accuracy.
• Advanced algorithms: Develop numerical optimization, forecasting, computer vision, and anomaly detection capabilities in cases where off‑the‑shelf AI does not meet the operational requirement.
• Shared frameworks: Develop the code templates, agent skills, and function‑calling patterns reused by Forward Deployed Engineers and AI Analysts, enabling consistent and efficient delivery across the team.
• Tooling and prompts: Design, tune, and evaluate purpose‑built tools, function calls, and prompt templates.
• Operations‑aware user experience: Develop custom user interfaces for operations workflows, designed from user requirements.
• Mentorship: Develop the capabilities of Forward Deployed Engineers and AI Analysts in AI engineering practices, code quality, and system design. Establish and maintain the technical standard for the team.
• Security and IT partnership: Ensure AI systems meet ONEOK IT and security standards as they are transitioned to production.

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Management Information Systems, Computer Sciences, Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or other related field with specific job‑related experience as follows:

Required Experience

• Minimum 5 years of software engineering experience, including demonstrated production ownership of AI or ML systems.
• Extensive experience with LLM‑based systems, including agent frameworks, tool use, evaluations, prompt engineering, and retrieval.
• Strong Python engineering skills, with familiarity in at least one of optimization, forecasting, or computer vision.
• Experience designing APIs, SDKs, or frameworks consumed by other engineers.
• Proven track record operating systems in production, including monitoring, incident response, and cost management.

How We Measure Success

• Reliability, latency, and unit cost of production AI systems.
• Adoption of shared frameworks and templates across Forward Deployed Engineers and AI Analysts, measured by active reuse.
• Evaluation coverage and regression detection rate on deployed systems.
• Quality of mentorship, reflected in the growth and independence of Forward Deployed Engineers and AI Analysts.

Team & Collaboration

Engages across the full Operations Analytics team. Partners with Forward Deployed Engineers to advance proven prototypes into enterprise‑grade products, supports AI Analysts with tooling and prompt optimization, and relies on the Data Steward for reliable, contextualized data. Maintains close working relationships with IT and Security.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Skills in: relational database design including table structures, indexes and primary/foreign key fields.
• Skills in: use and function of office equipment including computers and applicable software.
• Skills in: interacting, advising and communicating effectively.
• Skills in: developing solutions to complicated issues using abstract thinking in new or complex situations.
• Skills in: managing and prioritizing multiple assignments with competing deadlines.
• Skills in: reading and interpreting correspondence, reports, production statistics, cost analyses, contracts, accounting statements, income statements, ledgers, manuals and legal documents.
• Ability to: develop information, conduct meetings and present information to individuals and groups.
• Ability to: apply math, algebra, statistical and volumetric methods.
• Ability to: be self‑motivated and self‑directed.
• Ability to: influence and facilitate discussions across a wide range of teams and technologies.
• Ability to: mentor less experienced personnel on complex technologies.

Licenses and Certifications

None required

Strength Factor Rating - Physical Demands/Requirements

Sedentary Work - Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally (Occasionally: activity or condition exists up to 1/3 of the time) and/or a negligible amount of force frequently (Frequently: activity or condition exists from 1/3 to 2/3 of the time) to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time, but may involve walking or standing for brief periods of time. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required only occasionally and all other sedentary criteria are met.

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