AI Engineer

Iowa State University; Des Moines (IA); On-site; USD 95,000 - 135,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Retirement benefits

Vacation & sick time

Onsite childcare

Life insurance

Flexible Spending Accounts

Employee Assistance Program

Wellbeing program

WorkFlex options

Job summary

Iowa State University’s Information Technology Services seeks an AI Engineer to design, deploy, and maintain enterprise AI solutions in a higher education setting. The role emphasizes practical AI tools, Azure cloud services, and seamless integration with university systems.

The ideal candidate will implement secure, scalable AI-enabled applications and develop automation workflows using Microsoft technologies, while collaborating with end users to meet institutional needs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in CS/AI or related field with ML/AI focus.
• Experience with Azure AI services, Copilot Studio and Power Automate.
• Experience integrating Copilot Studio with backend services.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with stakeholders to gather AI requirements.
• Design and maintain AI applications using low-code Microsoft tools.
• Integrate AI functionality into university systems via Microsoft stack.
• Build multi-agent architecture in the Microsoft ecosystem.
• Troubleshoot and resolve issues in apps and services.
• Monitor system health and implement fixes; ensure security controls.

Skills

AI design

Cloud services

Security best practices

Telemetry monitoring

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in CS/AI

Tools

Azure AI services

Copilot Studio

Power Automate

Azure Functions

Azure API Management

Job description

Job Description

Information Technology Services (ITS) at Iowa State University is seeking an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineer (Software Developer I) to support the development, deployment, and maintenance of AI solutions in a higher education research institution. This role is centered on the practical implementation of AI tools and features that support the university’s mission and improve institutional services.

Position Title

AI Engineer

Job Group

Professional & Scientific

Required Minimum Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent

Job Description

Information Technology Services (ITS) at Iowa State University is seeking an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineer (Software Developer I) to support the development, deployment, and maintenance of AI solutions in a higher education research institution. This role is centered on the practical implementation of AI tools and features that support the university’s mission and improve institutional services.

The ideal candidate will have demonstrated experience designing, developing, and implementing enterprise AI solutions using Microsoft technologies and modern cloud platforms. This individual will be skilled in building conversational and autonomous AI agents with Copilot Studio and configuring topics, generative responses, plugins, actions, and knowledge sources to support department-specific business needs. Experience integrating AI solutions with enterprise platforms, such as Salesforce, including live-agent handoff, case creation, custom connectors, and OAuth-based authentication workflows, is highly desirable.

The successful candidate will also possess strong expertise in leveraging Microsoft Azure services and development tools to deliver scalable AI-enabled applications and seamlessly integrate AI capabilities into organizational services and processes. Additional qualifications include experience developing and maintaining complex Power Automate workflows to automate data ingestion, synchronization, and cross-platform business processes.

A strong understanding of AI governance, operational excellence, and security best practices is essential. Candidates should have experience implementing telemetry, monitoring, and security controls across Copilot Studio, Microsoft Foundry, Azure, and the Power Platform, as well as configuring security measures such as rate limiting, API protection, and traffic management through Azure Front Door and Azure API Management (APIM). The ideal candidate will combine technical expertise with a strategic mindset to deliver secure, reliable, and impactful AI solutions that enhance organizational effectiveness and user experiences.

For more information about Information Technology Services, please visit:Information Technology Services

Duties Include

• Collaborate with end users and stakeholdersin a higher education,extension, and research environmentto gather and document business and technical requirements for AI capabilities.
• Design, develop, test, and maintain AI applications and services using low-code Microsoft tools to meet institutional needs.
• Integrate AI functionality into university systems using the Microsoft technical stack.
• Designandimplementmulti-agent architecture elements in the Microsoft ecosystem.
• Troubleshoot, debug, and resolve issues in both custom and third-party applications.
• Monitor system health, analyze logs and metrics, and implement fixes as needed.
• Maintain secure access patterns, authentication, authorization, and data protection controls for AI applications using the Azure cloud platform.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, data science, computer engineering, math or related field with a Machine Learning or AI concentration
• Experience developing and maintainingAI-powered applications using Azure AI services, Azure OpenAI,MicrosoftFoundry, and Microsoft Copilot technologies.
• Experience integrating Copilot Studio agents with backend services using Power Automate, Azure Functions, APIs, and custom connectors in a large higher education institution
• Experience creating and administeringMicrosoft Foundryendpoints for AI models with Entra security for authentication and configuringpipelinesin Power Platform to manage solution deployments.
• Experience designing and implementing API gateways and authentication mechanisms using Microsoft Entra ID, Azure Functions, and Azure Key Vault to provide secure, unified access to AI models hosted on Azure.

Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. on an ongoing basis without sponsorship. Immigration sponsorship is not available for this position.

Why Choose Iowa State University?

Iowa State Employees enjoy comprehensive health and work-life benefits, including medical and dental, as well as:

• Retirement benefits including defined benefit and defined contribution plans
• Generous vacation, holiday, and sick time and leave plans
• Onsite childcare (Ames, Iowa)
• Life insurance and long-term disability
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Various voluntary benefits and discounts
• Employee Assistance Program
• Wellbeing program
• Iowa State offers WorkFlex options for some positions. WorkFlex offers flexibility on when, where, and how you do your work. For more information, please speak with the Hiring Manager.

If you have questions regarding this application process, please email [e-mail], or call 515-294-4800 or Toll Free: 1-877-477-7485.

Appointment Type

Regular

Number Of Months Employed Per Year

12 Month Work Period

Time Type

Full time

Pay Grade

PS808

Original Posting Date

September 25, 2026

Posting Close Date

October 1, 2026

Job Requisition Number

R19976

Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, ethnicity, religion, national origin, pregnancy, sexual orientation, genetic information, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. Veteran. Inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies may be directed to Office of Equal Opportunity, 2680 Beardshear Hall, 515 Morrill Road, Ames, Iowa 50011, Tel. [phone], email [e-mail].

General ISU compensation information can be found on the University Human Resources website. Please note that this is only a list of ranges and individuals will be paid commensurate with qualifications.