Port Elizabeth: Senior AI & Automation Specialist posted by Top Vitae

MAIN PURPOSE OF THE JOB:
The primary purpose of this role is to create, implement and support automated business processes. The successful candidate will work under the direction of the AI & Automation Lead to understand project requirements as dictated by business needs then work towards providing automated solutions to satisfy those needs. New technologies will be vetted through thorough research of the given technology, as well as conceptual implementations and proof of concepts, together with thorough documentation and best practice guidelines.
The candidates will be technology focused with a proven track record of successfully implementing automated solutions. The candidate will assist the AI & Automation teams efforts in delivering actionable solutions to business problems. They will partner with vendors to scale automated solutions. The outcome of their work will drive operational efficiencies within the organization and in doing so give time back to operations & business stakeholders.
To be successful in this role, you should be a technologist at heart, deeply analytical and capable of critical thinking. You should be able to grasp business concepts and be able to translate those to deliverables.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS & RESPONSIBILITES:

• Translate business requirements into robust technical implementations, including workflow orchestration, data handling and integrations.
• Implement advanced Power Platform solutions, including Power Automate cloud flows, Dataverse data structures, Power Apps, and Copilot Studio, using SOLID engineering patterns such as structured error handling, retries, and maintainable solution design ensuring quality, reliability, and scalability.
• Develop and support custom connectors where required, including secure authentication and data handling.
• Apply engineering best practices such as reusable components, consistent naming, clear documentation, and adherence to established solution design standards.
• Use Quality Assurance techniques, including structured testing of automations and AI-driven processes, to identify and prevent potential issues.
• Monitor, troubleshoot, and enhance deployed automations, performing root-cause analysis and implementing long-term fixes to improve reliability and reduce operational impact.
• Collaborate with business stakeholders to refine requirements, validate early solutions, and iterate effectively.
• Assist with researching new technologies, performing proof-of-concepts, and documenting findings to support future adoption.
• Provide technical support to junior team members, helping them improve troubleshooting skills, solution structures, and adherence to best practices.
• Follow existing governance standards, including security, scalability, DLP policies, and environment usage guidelines, ensuring all solutions meet compliance expectations.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Advanced hands-on experience with the Microsoft Power Platform:
  • Power Automate: Complex orchestration, integrations, parent-child flows, exception handling, and performance considerations.
  • Dataverse: data modelling, including table structures, relationships, and security roles.
  • Power Apps (canvas and model-driven) for building functional business applications.
  • Copilot Studio for creating conversational or AI-assisted business experiences.
  • Custom connector development, including REST API interaction and authentication handling.
• Artificial Intelligence implementation skills:
  • Experience integrating LLM-based capabilities into business processes.
  • Ability to design prompts, evaluate output quality, and apply basic grounding or retrieval patterns.
  • Understanding of risks, safeguards, and responsible use of AI.
  • MCP Servers, AI Orchestration, Agentic AI Implementation
• Software development abilities in languages such as .NET/C# or JavaScript/TypeScript, with an emphasis on writing clean and maintainable code.
• Strong understanding of REST APIs, JSON, authentication methods, and general integration concepts, including troubleshooting integration failures.
• Experience with Microsoft Azure in support of automation solutions, such as Azure Functions or Logic Apps, and familiarity with Azure DevOps for work management and CI/CD processes.
• Strong debugging and problem-solving capabilities, including logging, telemetry interpretation, and thorough documentation for maintainability.

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE:

• Proven experience delivering automation solutions into production environments, including ongoing maintenance and improvement after deployment.
• Extensive experience building Power Platform solutions:
  • Power Automate solutions involving complex logic, integrations, and resilient error handling.
  • Dataverse-based architectures forming part of multi-component solutions.
  • Familiarity with Power Platform ALM practices and environment strategies.
• Practical AI solution experience, including prompt engineering, conversational design, and integrating AI capabilities into business workflows such as document processing, summarisation, or decision support. Experience implementing MCP Servers, AI Orchestration and Agentic AI.
• Experience with system integrations, APIs, and working with vendors or platform owners to support automation projects.
• Background in software development, IT security, infrastructure, or IT service management is advantageous.
• Experience in logistics or supply chain environments, business process management, business analysis, or change management is beneficial.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• BCom in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field
• Minimum of 5 or more years of experience required (kindly note that the year of experience is only a rough guideline, and the appropriate level will be ascertained during the interview process)

Please consider your application unsuccessful should you not receive a response within 2 weeks of applying.