AI Engineer III

ONEOK, Inc.; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 114,000 - 172,000; Full time

Job summary

ONEOK, a Fortune 500 midstream leader, seeks a Data Science professional to design, deploy, and maintain cloud-native AI/ML solutions. You will work with business partners in a fast-paced environment, leveraging Python, LLMs, and optimization to deliver value-driven analytics and automation.

You will build agent frameworks, tooling, and user interfaces, ensuring reliability, cost efficiency, and security as production-grade systems. Strong collaboration across teams is essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with at least 5 years of software engineering experience shipping AI/ML systems.
• Extensive experience with LLM-based systems, agent frameworks, tool use and evaluation.
• Strong Python engineering, APIs/SDKs design, and production deployment experience.
• Experience monitoring, incident response, and cost management for production systems.

Responsibilities

• Develop, deploy, and maintain AI systems in production environments.
• Advance numerical optimization, forecasting, computer vision, ML and anomaly detection.
• Develop cloud-based infrastructure to host and run AI/ML models.
• Design, tune, and evaluate tools, function calls, and prompt templates.
• Create custom user interfaces for AI workflows based on user requirements.
• Ensure security and IT partnership in production deployments.

Skills

Python

R

SQL

Spark

Databricks

Snowflake

LLMs

Agent frameworks

Prompt engineering

Retrieval

CI/CD

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

APIs

SDKs

Terraform

AWS

Azure

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 The ONEOK Data Science team creates intelligent cloud-native solutions that drive value-added decision-making processes. As part of the team, you will implement these solutions, primarily using a combination of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and numerical optimization. Expect a fast pace, high levels of autonomy, a hands‑on approach with our business partners, perpetual learning, and a high ceiling for personal growth. Come with strong opinions, loosely held.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

Production AI systems: Develop, deploy, and maintain AI systems, including agents, harnesses, tools, and evaluation pipelines. Accountable for reliability, latency, cost, and accuracy.

Advanced algorithms: Develop numerical optimization, forecasting, computer vision, machine learning, and anomaly detection capabilities in cases where off-the-shelf AI does not meet the operational requirement.

Cloud Development: Develop and implement cloud-based infrastructure to host and run AI and ML models.

Tooling and prompts: Design, tune, and evaluate purpose‑built tools, function calls, and prompt templates.

User experience: Develop custom user interfaces for AI workflows, designed from user requirements.

Security and IT partnership: Ensure AI systems meet ONEOK IT and security standards as they are transitioned to production.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Management Information Systems, Engineering, 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 experience shipping and maintaining AI/ML systems in production environments 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 deploying and managing systems in production, including monitoring, incident response, and cost management.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Technical Skills: Strong proficiency in data analysis tools and programming languages (e.g., Python, R, SQL). Experience with modern data platforms and technologies (e.g., Spark, Databricks, Snowflake) is a plus.

Large Language Models (LLMs) ecosystem, including agentic coding, AI harnesses, model APIs and third‑party providers such as Anthropic, AWS Bedrock, and OpenAI.

Cloud: Proficient in cloud platforms including IaaS and PaaS (e.g., AWS, Azure, Terraform) with experience deploying and managing data solutions in cloud environments.

Software development lifecycle (SDLC) and continuous integration/deployment (CI/CD) pipelines, code repos, branching strategies (ADO, GitHub, GitLab).

Relational database design including table structures, indexes and primary/foreign key fields.

Use and function of office equipment including computers and applicable software.

Presenting solutions to both technical and non‑technical audiences; interacting, advising and communicating effectively.

Developing solutions to complicated issues using abstract thinking in new or complex situations; managing and prioritizing multiple assignments with competing deadlines.

Reading and interpreting correspondence, reports, production statistics, cost analyses, contracts, accounting statements, income statements, ledgers, manuals and legal documents; develop information, conduct meetings and present information to individuals and groups.

Apply math, algebra, statistical and volumetric methods; be self‑motivated and self‑directed; influence and facilitate discussions across a wide range of teams and technologies; mentor less experienced personnel on complex technologies.

Licenses and Certifications

None required. Relevant certifications (e.g., cloud platforms, data science, machine learning, or data engineering) preferred.

Physical Demands/Requirements

Sedentary Work – Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally (occurring up to one‑third of the time) and/or a negligible amount of force frequently (from one‑third to two‑thirds 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.

Strength Factor Description – Physical Demands/Requirements:

• Standing: Remaining on one's feet in an upright position at a work station without moving about (occasionally)
• Walking: Moving about on foot (frequently)
• Sitting: Remaining in a seated position (constantly)
• Lifting: Raising or lowering an object from one level to another (includes upward pulling) (occasionally)
• Carrying: Transporting an object, usually holding it in the hands or arms, or on the shoulder (occasionally)
• Pushing: Exerting force upon an object so that the object moves away from the force (occasionally)
• Pulling: Exerting force upon an object so that the object moves toward the force (includes jerking) (occasionally)
• Climbing: Ladders, Stairs (occasionally)
• Balancing: Maintaining body equilibrium to prevent falling (occasionally)
• Stooping: Bending the body downward and forward by bending the spine at the waist (occasionally)
• Kneeling: Bending the legs at the knees to come to rest on the knee or knees (occasionally)
• Crouching: Bending the body downward and forward by bending the legs and spine (occasionally)
• Crawling: Moving about on the hands and arms in any direction (occasionally)
• Reaching: Extending hands and arms in any direction (constantly)
• Handling: Seizing, holding, grasping, turning or otherwise working with the hand or hands (manual dexterity) (constantly)
• Fingering: Picking, pinching or otherwise working with the fingers primarily (finger dexterity) (constantly)
• Feeling: Perceiving such attributes of objects/materials as size, shape, temperature, texture, movement or pulsation by receptors in the skin, particularly those of the finger tips (constantly)
• Talking: Expressing or exchanging ideas/information by means of the spoken word (frequently)
• Hearing: Perceiving the nature of sound by the ear (frequently)
• Tasting/Smelling: (occasionally)
• Near Vision: Clarity of vision at 20 inches or less (constantly)
• Far Vision: Clarity of vision at 20 feet for more (frequently)
• Depth Perception: Three-dimensional vision; ability to judge distances and spatial relationships so as to see objects where and as they actually are (frequently)
• Vision: Color - The ability to identify and distinguish colors (constantly)

Work Conditions/Environment

Employee is subject to inside environmental conditions. Working Conditions: Well lighted, climate controlled areas (constantly) Frequent repetitive motion (constantly) CRT (Computer Monitor(s)) (constantly) Travel ability to travel to support IT infrastructure initiatives, project implementations, or collaboration across business locations as needed. Driving based on assigned tasks, employee may be assigned a company vehicle requiring the applicable driver's license.

Equal Opportunity Employer

ONEOK is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, age, religion, creed, national origin, gender identity, disability, military/veteran status, genetic information or any other categories protected by applicable law.

One company statement: The job description is not intended to be a complete list of all responsibilities, duties or skills required for the job and is subject to review and change at any time, with or without notice, in accordance with the needs of ONEOK.

ONEOK is committed to making our workplace accessible to individuals with disabilities and will provide reasonable accommodations, upon request, for individuals to participate in the application and hiring process. To request an accommodation email [e-mail] or call 1-855-663-6547.

Expected Salary Range

$114,000.00 - $172,000.00

About ONEOK

At ONEOK (NYSE: OKE), we deliver energy products and services vital to an advancing world. We are a leading midstream operator that provides gathering, processing, fractionation, transportation, storage and marine export services. Through our approximately 60,000‑mile pipeline network, we transport the natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGLs), refined products and crude oil that help meet domestic and international energy demand, contribute to energy security and provide safe, reliable and responsible energy solutions needed today and into the future. As one of the largest integrated energy infrastructure companies in North America, ONEOK is delivering energy that makes a difference in the lives of people in the U.S. and around the world.