Lead Engineer, AI & Automation

Carex Consulting Group; Lake Forest (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Carex Consulting Group is hiring a Lead Engineer, Automation & AI to own a critical internal MDM system bridging SAP, ERP platforms, and MDG. The role leads automation and AI initiatives across the business, with end-to-end ownership from architecture to production support.

Hybrid onsite 3 days/week in the Orange County/Greater LA Area. You will drive automation, implement AI-assisted improvements, and collaborate with Finance, Engineering, Pricing, Sourcing, Marketing, and Supply Chain teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, Business Analytics, or related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 5+ years of hands-on experience in data engineering or automation engineering, with demonstrated ability to own complex projects and production systems.
• Strong SQL Server and T-SQL expertise, including developing and optimizing stored procedures, views, and complex production queries.
• Hands-on experience with Azure Data Factory and/or Microsoft Fabric, including pipeline design, linked services, and triggers.
• Experience with ERP-adjacent data structures, such as SAP or other ERP systems.
• Familiarity with Git and modern version-control practices.
• Proficiency in at least one object-oriented or automation-focused language such as VBA, VB.NET, C#, or Python.
• Exposure to AI-assisted development tools and AI governance/data privacy awareness is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Own day-to-day operations, architecture, roadmap, maintenance, and production support of the internal MDM system.
• Progress from MDM ownership to full architectural ownership within 6–9 months.
• Lead automation and process-improvement initiatives across design, development, and deployment.
• Identify opportunities to apply AI-assisted technologies to accelerate automation and improve processes.
• Partner with Finance, Engineering Documentation, Pricing, Sourcing, Marketing, and Supply Chain stakeholders to scope automation opportunities.
• Design, develop, optimize, and support production-grade solutions using SQL Server/T-SQL, Azure Data Factory, Microsoft Fabric, VBA.
• Maintain code quality, documentation, version control, and production-support standards.
• Apply responsible AI, data governance, privacy, and security practices per enterprise standards.
• Define and monitor success metrics for automation/AI initiatives, including cost savings and reliability.
• Drive measurable business value through automation and contribute to annual cost savings.
• Lead one or more automation initiatives through go-live within the first year and scope next AI-driven opportunities.

Job description

Carex is partnering with a Manufacturing and Servicesindustry partner to hire a Lead Engineer, Automation & AI who will take ownership of a critical internal Material Master Data Management (MDM) system bridging SAP, various ERP platforms, and MDG, while leading new automation and AI initiatives across the business.This is a contract role with potential to convert to FTE, and isHybrid onsite 3 days/week in theOrange County / Greater LA Area.

This is a hands-on technical leadership role with end-to-end ownership of assigned systems and projects. The Lead Engineer will remain directly involved in architecture, development, implementation, and production support while identifying opportunities to improve business processes through automation and emerging AI capabilities.

What You'll Do

• Own the day-to-day operations, architecture, roadmap, maintenance, and production support of the internal MDM system, including SQL Server database design, Azure Data Factory/Microsoft Fabric pipelines, and an Excel/VBA front end.
• Progress from day-to-day MDM system ownership within the first 90 days to full architectural ownership, including enhancements and complex integrations, within 6–9 months.
• Lead automation and process-improvement initiatives from initial design and requirements through development, testing, deployment, and production support.
• Identify and evaluate opportunities to apply AI-assisted technologies, including generative AI and agentic AI approaches, to accelerate automation development and improve business processes.
• Partner with stakeholders across Finance & Accounting, Engineering Documentation, Pricing, Sourcing, Marketing, and Supply Chain to identify, prioritize, and scope automation opportunities.
• Design, develop, optimize, and support production-grade solutions using SQL Server/T-SQL, Azure Data Factory, Microsoft Fabric, VBA, and related technologies.
• Maintain strong code quality, documentation, version control, and production-support standards across SQL, VBA, Azure, and other automation components.
• Apply responsible AI, data governance, privacy, and security practices to automation and AI initiatives in alignment with enterprise standards.
• Define and monitor success metrics for automation and AI initiatives, including cost savings, cycle-time improvements, and system reliability.
• Drive measurable business value through automation, including initiatives designed to contribute to annual cost savings.
• Lead one or more automation initiatives through go-live within the first year while helping scope the next wave of AI-driven automation opportunities.

What You'll Bring

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, Business Analytics, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 5+ years of hands-on experience in data engineering, automation engineering, or a related discipline, with demonstrated ability to independently own complex projects and production systems.
• Strong SQL Server and T-SQL expertise, including developing and optimizing stored procedures, views, and complex production queries.
• Hands-on experience with Azure Data Factory and/or Microsoft Fabric, including pipeline design, linked services, and triggers.
• Experience working with or supporting ERP-adjacent data structures, such as SAP, various ERP systems, or comparable transactional and master-data platforms.
• Demonstrated ability to independently troubleshoot, maintain, and support business-critical production systems.
• Familiarity with Git and modern version-control practices.
• Proficiency in at least one object-oriented or automation-focused programming language, such as VBA, VB.NET, C#, or Python.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to communicate effectively and collaborate with technical and business stakeholders.
• Practical experience using AI-assisted development tools such as GitHub Copilot, Cursor, or Claude is preferred.
• Working knowledge of large language model integration patterns, including API-based tool/function calling and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and their application to enterprise automation is preferred.
• Awareness of responsible AI, AI governance, data privacy, and security considerations for production automation and AI systems is preferred.
• Experience with the broader Azure ecosystem, including Logic Apps, Power Automate, Key Vault, and Data Lake, is preferred.
• Exposure to low-code or workflow automation platforms, Excel/VBA, Python scripting, and data governance or MDM concepts is preferred.
• Familiarity with R and/or application development experience is a plus.

Carex Consulting Group is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity, or Veteran status.