Lead Builder - Artificial Intelligence (AI) Studio

Job Posting:

Since 1953, Ferguson has been a source of quality supplies for a variety of industries. Together We Build Better infrastructure, better homes and better businesses. We exist to make our customers’ complex projects simple, successful, and sustainable. We proactively solve problems, adapt and grow to continuously serve our customers, communities and each other. Ferguson, a Fortune 500 company, is proud to provide best-in-class products, service and capabilities across the following industries: Commercial/Mechanical, Facilities Supply, Fire and Fabrication, HVAC, Industrial, Residential Trade, Residential Building and Remodel, Waterworks and Residential Digital Commerce. Ferguson has approximately 36,000 associates across 1,700 locations. Ferguson is a community of proud associates who operate with the shared purpose of building something meaningful. You will build a career that you are proud of, at a company you can believe in.

Lead Builder, AI Studio (Low Code/No Code)

Department: AI Center of Excellence (AI CoE)

Reports To: Senior Manager, AI Center of Excellence

We are seeking a systems-minded, collaborative, and hands-on Lead Builder, AI Studio (Low Code/No Code) to join our AI Center of Excellence. This role is a direct report to the Senior Manager of the AI CoE.

This is not a traditional software engineering or coding role. Instead, we're looking for a systems thinker, problem solver, and builder who enjoys turning business challenges into practical AI solutions. In this role, you'll design, configure, and scale intelligent agents, custom copilots, and automated workflows using enterprise low-code/no-code platforms, including Microsoft Copilot Studio and Gemini Enterprise.

Working closely with business partners, you'll uncover opportunities, translate sophisticated or evolving requirements into structured solutions, and design AI experiences that drive measurable outcomes. Success in this role requires a systems-thinking mentality, understanding how agents, people, data, and processes work together across the broader business ecosystem.

You'll also play a key role in advancing our Governance-by-Design approach, ensuring security, compliance, data boundaries, and human oversight are built into solutions from the start. As a Lead Builder, you'll help establish standards, reusable templates, and best practices while mentoring fellow builders and helping scale AI capabilities responsibly across the enterprise.

Our Build Methodology

The AI Studio operates under a structured Agentic Governance-by-Design methodology. In this approach:

• Governance is built into the agent’s architecture from the very beginning rather than reviewed only after it is built.
• Knowledge sources, connected systems, and instructions are designed to establish strict operational, data, compliance, and legal boundaries.
• The Lead Builder is expected to adopt, follow, and champion this methodology and help adapt and evolve the playbook as AI technologies and enterprise standards shift.

Location: This role is approved to be either Remote within the United States or Hybrid for associates in Newport News, VA, in accordance with company policy. 

Key Responsibilities:

Agentic Building & Platform Delivery

• Low-Code/No-Code Configuration: Design, build, and deploy production-ready AI agents, workflows, and multi-turn conversational experiences using Microsoft Copilot Studio, Gemini Enterprise and other agent/workflow development tools.
• Reusable Components: Partner with core engineering and IT teams to employ and integrate enterprise-standard APIs, databases, and reusable custom connectors.
• Rapid Prototyping & Iteration: Build rapid, high-quality proof-of-concepts, using a governance-first configuration model.
• Production Hardening & Observability: Extend solutions beyond prototyping by embedding observability, monitoring, and performance optimization to ensure scalable, reliable, and enterprise-ready deployments.

2. Business Systems Analysis (BSA) & Systems Thinking

• Workflow Translation: Collaborate directly with business teams to deconstruct manual processes and map out structured, logical agent behaviors.
• Systems Architecture: Analyze how an agent fits into the broader department workflow, identifying data flows, systems dependencies, and integration touchpoints.
• Guardrail Definition: Explicitly define what data an agent is allowed to access, which actions require a human-in-the-loop, and when the agent must advance to a human operator.

3. Delivering Governance-by-Design

• Architect Governance: Configure agents so that their prompt structures, knowledge directories, and operational guardrails function as an active "operating model" for safety, privacy, and compliance.
• Advanced Diagnostics & Lifecycle Management: Rigorously test built agents using realistic, vague, boundary-crossing, and missing-data prompts. Diagnose failures systematically by updating the root control layers rather than stacking superficial prompt instructions.
• Compliance Alignment: Work closely with Legal, InfoSec, Privacy, and Risk teams early in the design phase to align each agent’s boundaries with corporate risk policies.

4. Leadership, Coaching & Enablement

• Lead Other Builders: Serve as the lead builder and point of contact for federated, self-serve, or citizen builders across different business units.
• Enablement & Best Practices: Translate the CoE's governance methodology into actionable playbooks, templates, and lightweight self-serve checklists for lower-risk, citizen-developed agents.
• Continuous Mentorship: Coach and guide other builders on prompt configuration, system design, and platform features.

Required Qualifications:

• Systems Thinking & Business Analysis: 4+ years of experience in Business Systems Analysis (BSA), process improvement, systems thinking, or a closely related role. Must have a consistent track record of mapping sophisticated workflows and translating business needs into structured logical designs.
• Low-Code/No-Code Builder Experience: 2+ years of hands-on experience building, testing, and deploying production-grade digital solutions using low-code/no-code platforms.
• Primary Platform Expertise: Demonstrated proficiency configuring agents, copilots, and automated workflows using Microsoft Copilot Studio, Gemini Enterprise (e.g., Vertex AI Agent Builder), and complementary workflow orchestration tools such as Power Automate, n8n, or Zapier.
• Governance & Risk Focus: A strong respect for and understanding of enterprise governance, data security, and privacy considerations. Experience working within governed frameworks (e.g., NIST, Secure-by-Design, or Privacy-by-Design) is highly desired.
• Adaptability: Comfort with a rapidly changing technology environment; ability to adopt new methodologies, learn new platforms quickly, and adapt build strategies as tools evolve.
• Collaboration & Communication: Outstanding communication skills. Must be highly effective at working directly with business partners to extract requirements, as well as collaborating with IT, InfoSec, and compliance teams.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working within an established Center of Excellence (CoE) or Shared Services model.
• Familiarity with general software development life cycle (SDLC) concepts, even if not a traditional developer.
• Experience building or deploying Generative AI use cases (e.g., RAG/Retrieval-Augmented Generation models, custom prompt engineering, or semantic search).
• Industry certifications in Microsoft Power Platform, Google Cloud, or similar low-code/no-code environments.

At Ferguson, we care for each other. We value our well-being just as much as our hard work. We are committed to a holistic approach towards benefits plans and programs that support the mental, physical and financial well-being of our associates. Our competitive offering not only includes benefits like health, dental, vision, paid time off, life insurance and a 401(k) with a company match, but our associates also enjoy additional meaningful and inclusive enhancements that are adaptable to their diverse situations and needs, including mental health coverage, gender affirming and family building benefits, paid parental leave, associate discounts, community involvement opportunities and more!

#LI-REMOTE

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Pay Range:

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Actual pay rate may vary depending upon location. The estimated pay range for this position is below. The specific rate will depend on a candidate’s qualifications and prior experience.

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Estimated Ranges displayed are Monthly for Salaried roles OR Hourly for all other roles.

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This role is Bonus or Incentive Plan eligible.

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Ferguson complies with all wage regulations. The starting wage may be higher in certain locations based on local or state wage requirements.

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The Company is an equal opportunity employer as well as a government contractor that shall abide by the requirements of 41 CFR 60-300.5(a), which prohibits discrimination against qualified protected Veterans and the requirements of 41 CFR 60-741.5(A), which prohibits discrimination against qualified individuals on the basis of disability.

Ferguson Enterprises, LLC. is an equal employment employer F/M/Disability/Vet/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity.

Equal Employment Opportunity and Reasonable Accommodation Information