AI Automation Engineer

Network Recruitment; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Job summary

Network Recruitment in Johannesburg seeks an Intermediate AI Automation Engineer to join the engineering team. You will bridge business challenges with technical solutions, partnering with departments to identify automation opportunities and implement AI-enabled improvements.

Working with a high-performing team, you will own automation initiatives from discovery to deployment, contribute to the internal AI platform, and mentor junior engineers while ensuring governance, security, and cost

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of software development, automation, or data engineering experience.
• Proven experience delivering production-ready solutions used in a business.
• Hands-on AI/LLM-based application development experience.
• Experience with RAG, agent-based workflows, and automation pipelines.
• Proficiency in Java, TypeScript, or C# and API integrations with ERP/CRM systems.
• Familiarity with Git, containerisation, and production monitoring.

Responsibilities

• Partner with departments to analyse processes and identify automation opportunities.
• Design, develop, deploy, and maintain end-to-end automation solutions.
• Develop AI-powered workflows and intelligent process automation capabilities.
• Contribute to core AI platform components and governance controls.
• Ensure security, data protection, and cost efficiency of platform components.
• Deliver user enablement, training, demonstrations, and adoption support.
• Mentor junior engineers through code reviews and knowledge sharing.
• Produce clear technical documentation and operational procedures.
• Engage with stakeholders to translate requirements into adopted solutions.

Skills

AI/Automation

GLM/LLM

RAG

Agent-based workflows

Java

TypeScript

C#

Git

Containerisation

DevOps

Agile/Scrum

Education

Bachelors in Computer Science/Software Engineering/Information Systems/Electronic Engineering

Tools

LangGraph

LiteLLM

Qdrant

Langfuse

n8n

Temporal

Docker

vLLM

Job description

A technology-focused organisation is seeking a talented Intermediate AI Automation Engineer to join its growing engineering team.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced software or automation engineer who enjoys combining technical expertise with business engagement. You will work directly with stakeholders across multiple business functions to identify inefficiencies, design intelligent automation solutions, and deliver measurable operational improvements through AI-powered technologies.

The successful candidate will own automation initiatives from discovery through to deployment and adoption, while contributing to the ongoing development and operation of a sophisticated internal AI platform that supports enterprise-wide automation.

About the Role

As an Intermediate AI Automation Engineer, you will serve as the bridge between business challenges and technical solutions. You will engage directly with departments across the organisation to understand processes, identify improvement opportunities, and implement AI-enabled solutions that deliver tangible value.

Working with a high-performing engineering team, you will help shape the future of the organisation's automation capabilities while contributing to the development of scalable, secure, and governed AI infrastructure.

Key Responsibilities

• Partner with departments including Sales, Human Resources, Finance, Technical Support, Production, and Marketing to analyse business processes and identify automation opportunities.
• Quantify inefficiencies and develop prioritised pipelines of potential automation initiatives.
• Design, develop, deploy, and maintain end-to-end automation solutions throughout their lifecycle.
• Build and support AI-powered workflows, agent-based solutions, and intelligent process automation capabilities.
• Contribute to the development and maintenance of core AI platform components, including:
• Retrieval and knowledge services
• User-facing platforms
• Develop reusable platform capabilities to enable scalable delivery across business functions.
• Implement governance controls, evaluation frameworks, monitoring, audit logging, and security standards.
• Maintain the operational health, performance, availability, and cost efficiency of assigned platform components.
• Ensure compliance with data protection, privacy, and information security requirements.
• Develop and maintain regression and evaluation suites to measure solution quality and business impact.
• Deliver user enablement activities, including training, demonstrations, documentation, and adoption support.
• Participate in technology evaluations and contribute to technical roadmap discussions.
• Mentor junior engineers through code reviews, coaching, and knowledge-sharing initiatives.
• Produce and maintain clear technical documentation and operational procedures.
• Bachelor's Degree in:
• Computer Science
• Software Engineering
• Information Systems
• Electronic Engineering
• Or a related technical field
• Minimum 3 to 5 years' experience in software development, automation, data engineering, or a related discipline.
• Proven experience delivering production-ready solutions that are actively used within a business environment.
• Hands-on experience building AI or Large Language Model (LLM)-based applications.
• Experience with:
• Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)
• Agent-based workflows
• Automation pipelines
• Proficiency in at least one additional programming language such as:
• Java
• TypeScript
• C#
• Experience integrating with enterprise platforms such as ERP, CRM, ticketing, or document management systems using APIs.
• Working knowledge of:
• Git and version control systems
• Containerisation technologies
• Production monitoring tools
• Understanding of Agile, Scrum, and DevOps practices.
• Experience engaging directly with business stakeholders and translating requirements into adopted solutions.
• Knowledge of data protection, information security, and access control principles.

Technical Expertise

AI & Automation

• AI application development and orchestration.
• Agent engineering and workflow design.
• Retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) solutions.
• Large language model integration and evaluation.
• Containerised application deployment and operations.
• Infrastructure and platform monitoring.
• Performance optimisation and troubleshooting.

Systems Integration

• API development and integration.
• ERP, CRM, document management, and enterprise platform connectivity.
• Secure and governed system interactions.

Advantageous Experience

Exposure to technologies such as:

• LangGraph
• LiteLLM
• Qdrant
• Langfuse
• n8n
• Temporal
• Docker
• vLLM

or equivalent modern AI and automation toolchains.

Only South African ID holder will be considered and must reside within Gauteng.

If you are passionate about AI, automation, software engineering, and helping businesses operate more effectively through technology, we invite you to apply.