AI Automation Engineer

Tillo; Cape Town; Hybrid; ZAR 300 000 - 400 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading rewards technology firm in Cape Town is seeking an AI & Automation Engineer. This role involves designing and operating automations and internal tools to enhance user experience and efficiency. The ideal candidate has a strong background in Python or JavaScript, along with hands-on experience with workflow automation tools. The position offers a hybrid working model and a supportive environment with various employee benefits.

Benefits

21 days holiday per annum

Retirement Fund (5%)

Health insurance contribution

Employee Incentive Scheme

Top spec equipment

Team Learning & Development budget

Qualifications

• Strong hands-on experience with Python or JavaScript in production-grade scripts.
• Practical experience using AI code generation tools.
• Ability to design, build, and operate automations and AI-enabled tools.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement resilient workflows using integration tools.
• Build internal tools and lightweight apps using low-code platforms.
• Integrate LLMs and AI agents at the API level for enhanced capabilities.

Skills

Python

JavaScript

Workflow automation tools

RESTful APIs

SQL

Git

AI code generation

Problem-solving

Tools

Zapier

n8n

Make

Retool

Bubble

Job description

Who we’re looking for: Someone who is outcome-oriented, balancing rapid prototyping with long-term sustainability and ownership. 🌟

The challenge: As an automation champion, you’ll help teams across Tillo adopt and self-serve automation where appropriate—driving efficiency and innovation throughout the business.

Where you’ll work: This role will be based in Cape Town, you'll be part of our global team, collaborating with colleagues and serving customers across the UK, USA, Australia, South Africa, and beyond. Our hybrid approach offers flexibility with regular team connection in our Cape Town office 3 days per week. 🏢

The Tillo Difference

We're in the business of rewards and incentives, so we know a thing or two about the importance of giving back. We can't grow as a business without growing as individuals, so we are committed to providing a workplace where passionate, driven individuals can thrive. We value collaboration, trust, positivity, and a willingness to learn - only by working as a team will we reach our goals.

We’re the market leader in the UK and are active in a number of other markets including USA, Europe, Australia and India. 🌎

Job Summary

As an AI & Automation Engineer within the Business Technology team you will design, build, and operate pragmatic automations and AI-enabled internal tools that remove manual work, improve user experience, and accelerate delivery across Tillo. You will partner closely with non-technical stakeholders to understand business processes, prototype quickly using low-code and AI tooling, and harden solutions for reliability, security, and scale.

You will create internal tools and automations that reduce manual work across Operations/Client Services, Sales, Account Management, Finance, and IT, partnering with Engineering and Product team when solutions should be integrated into the core Tillo platform.

Day to day this role will

• Design and implement resilient workflows using tools like Zapier, n8n, Make, and custom services that integrate SaaS tools, internal APIs, and data stores.
• Build internal tools and lightweight apps using Python/JavaScript and low-code platforms (e.g., Retool, Bubble, Lovable, Replit) to streamline day-to-day tasks.
• Integrate LLMs and AI agents at the API level to power capabilities such as CX ticket classification, data extraction, and assisted decisioning with appropriate guardrails.
• Establish observability for automations and agents: logging, alerts, retries and success metrics.
• Embed responsible AI practices and security-by-design aligned to company policy and ISO 27001 controls.
• Collaborate with Engineering and Product to graduate successful prototypes into robust services and platform integrations where appropriate.
• Enable and upskill colleagues through documentation, demos, and lightweight playbooks so solutions are adopted and sustained.
• Manage a small portfolio of initiatives, balancing short-term tactical wins with longer-term foundational automation.

What we’re looking for

• Strong hands‑on experience with Python or JavaScript building production‑grade scripts, services, or integrations.
• Proficient with Git, command line, and modern developer workflows.
• Practical experience using AI code generation tools (e.g., Claude, Cursor, JetBrains AI) within day‑to‑day development.
• Experience designing and consuming RESTful APIs and working with SQL for data access, transformation, and reporting.
• Proven delivery with workflow automation tools such as n8n, Zapier, or Make, including error handling and monitoring.
• Experience integrating LLMs/AI agents at API level to deliver user‑facing or back‑office capabilities.
• Ability to decompose business processes, define acceptance criteria, and measure impact with clear metrics.
• Excellent communication skills to collaborate with non‑technical stakeholders and capture lightweight solution designs.
• Strong problem‑solving mindset with a bias for simplicity, automation, and iterative delivery.
• Awareness of security, compliance, and responsible AI considerations in a fintech context.

Desirable Skills and Experience

• Experience deploying internal tools with low‑code/AI platforms like Retool, Bubble, Lovable, or Replit.
• Experience with testing strategies for automations and integrations
• Exposure to platform and engineering practices at scale, CI/CD, feature flags, and observability stacks.
• Prior work in Business Technology, RevOps, Operations, or similar enablement functions would be beneficial.

Personal attributes

• Collaborative and comfortable supporting multiple teams across the business.
• Clear and concise communicator with strong stakeholder management.
• Systems thinker who documents solution designs, just enough for maintainability and handover.

Benefits

We offer all our employees trust and empower our team to work with flexibility and autonomy. We’re a close‑knit team and love working collaboratively, with our hybrid model, our team can come together at our fantastic offices, but also focus in their own space. The Tillo team are a motivated bunch and we all work hard to push Tillo forwards, always innovating. We completely understand the importance of work/life balance and offer a supportive and collaborative working environment with the following benefits:

• 21 days holiday per annum
• Retirement Fund (5%)
• Health insurance contribution
• Employee Incentive Scheme
• Hybrid Working
• Top spec equipment including laptop, mouse, keyboard, monitor
• Anniversary gifts
• Monthly breakfasts, drinks, snacks and events
• Team Learning & Development budget

About Tillo

Tillo makes gift cards, rewards, and incentives simple, efficient, and profitable. Operating in over 37 markets and 25 currencies, Tillo processes billions in gift card transactions through a single, plug‑and‑go API, powering rewards and incentives for the world’s leading businesses.

Backed by Tenzing, Tillo is setting the global standard for digital gift card infrastructure.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement

We are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued and respected. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds, regardless of age, disability, gender identity, marital status, race, ethnicity, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.

If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know, and we will be happy to accommodate your needs.