AI Finance Automation Engineer

Cengage; United States; On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation and benefits

Professional development opportunities

Total rewards program

Job summary

Cengage in the United States is seeking an AI Automation Engineer to transform Finance & Accounting with AI-driven automation across AP, AR, reconciliation, and financial reporting. You will partner with Controller, FP&A, and Procurement to identify high-value opportunities and deliver production-grade automation that is audit-ready.

The ideal candidate combines strong Python/SQL skills, experience with LLMs and document AI, and a solid understanding of GL accounts and SOX controls.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Accounting, Finance, or related field.
• 4+ years of experience in finance automation, RPA, or software development for finance functions.
• Strong proficiency in Python and SQL with experience building production automation.
• Hands-on experience with LLMs and document AI (OCR, invoice extraction, intelligent document processing).
• Working knowledge of accounting principles, GL structures, and financial close processes.
• Experience with at least one major ERP platform (NetSuite, SAP, Oracle, Workday Financials).
• Understanding of SOX controls, audit evidence requirements, and financial compliance.
• Excellent communication skills to work with Controllers, FP&A, and Internal Audit.

Responsibilities

• Automate accounts payable and accounts receivable processing including invoice capture, matching, and approval.
• Build reconciliation automations across GL, bank, credit card, and intercompany accounts.
• Develop expense report processing, policy compliance checking, and anomaly detection systems.
• Create procurement automations for PO generation, vendor onboarding, and spend categorization.
• Implement AI-powered financial close acceleration and journal entry automation.
• Ensure all finance automations meet SOX, internal controls, and audit documentation requirements.
• Partner with Internal Audit and Controllership on design reviews and control attestation.
• Build comprehensive logging, lineage, and traceability into every automation.
• Implement segregation-of-duties and approval workflows correctly in every design.
• Maintain audit-ready documentation and evidence of all deployed workflows.

Skills

Python

SQL

LLMs

Document AI

Accounting knowledge

ERP platforms

SOX controls

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Accounting, Finance, or related field

CPA, CMA, or other finance certifications

Tools

Coupa

Tipalti

Bill.com

Concur

BlackLine

UiPath

Automation Anywhere

Power Automate

Job description

Cengage in the United States is seeking an AI Automation Engineer to transform Finance & Accounting with AI-driven automation across AP, AR, reconciliation, and financial reporting. You will partner with Controller, FP&A, and Procurement to identify high-value opportunities and deliver production-grade automation that is audit-ready.

The ideal candidate combines strong Python/SQL skills, experience with LLMs and document AI, and a solid understanding of GL accounts and SOX controls.