AI Engineer

Position Title:

AI Engineer

Job Group:

Professional & Scientific

Required Minimum Qualifications:

High school diploma or equivalent

Job Description:

Information Technology Services (ITS) at Iowa State University is seeking an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineer (Software Developer I) to support the development, deployment, and maintenance of AI solutions in a higher education research institution. This role is centered on the practical implementation of AI tools and features that support the university’s mission and improve institutional services.

The ideal candidate will have demonstrated experience designing, developing, and implementing enterprise AI solutions using Microsoft technologies and modern cloud platforms. This individual will be skilled in building conversational and autonomous AI agents with Copilot Studio and configuring topics, generative responses, plugins, actions, and knowledge sources to support department-specific business needs. Experience integrating AI solutions with enterprise platforms, such as Salesforce, including live-agent handoff, case creation, custom connectors, and OAuth-based authentication workflows, is highly desirable.

The successful candidate will also possess strong expertise in leveraging Microsoft Azure services and development tools to deliver scalable AI-enabled applications and seamlessly integrate AI capabilities into organizational services and processes. Additional qualifications include experience developing and maintaining complex Power Automate workflows to automate data ingestion, synchronization, and cross-platform business processes.

A strong understanding of AI governance, operational excellence, and security best practices is essential. Candidates should have experience implementing telemetry, monitoring, and security controls across Copilot Studio, Microsoft Foundry, Azure, and the Power Platform, as well as configuring security measures such as rate limiting, API protection, and traffic management through Azure Front Door and Azure API Management (APIM). The ideal candidate will combine technical expertise with a strategic mindset to deliver secure, reliable, and impactful AI solutions that enhance organizational effectiveness and user experiences.

Duties include:

• Collaborate with end users and stakeholders in a higher education, extension, and research environment to gather and document business and technical requirements for AI capabilities.  

• Design, develop, test, and maintain AI applications and services using low-code Microsoft tools to meet institutional needs. 

• Integrate AI functionality into university systems using the Microsoft technical stack.

• Design and implement multi-agent architecture elements in the Microsoft ecosystem. 

• Troubleshoot, debug, and resolve issues in both custom and third-party applications. 

• Monitor system health, analyze logs and metrics, and implement fixes as needed. 

• Maintain secure access patterns, authentication, authorization, and data protection controls for AI applications using the Azure cloud platform.  

This position is part of a new team at Iowa State focused on automation and AI innovation. You’ll work with cutting-edge technologies, help shape the university’s approach to AI implementation, and develop applications used by faculty, students, and staff across campus. It’s a dynamic environment where your work will make a tangible impact.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, data science, computer engineering, math or related field with a Machine Learning or AI concentration
• Experience developing and maintaining AI-powered applications using Azure AI services, Azure OpenAI, Microsoft Foundry, and Microsoft Copilot technologies.  

• Experience integrating Copilot Studio agents with backend services using Power Automate, Azure Functions, APIs, and custom connectors in a large higher education institution 

• Experience creating and administering Microsoft Foundry endpoints for AI models with Entra security for authentication and configuring pipelines in Power Platform to manage solution deployments.  

• Experience designing and implementing API gateways and authentication mechanisms using Microsoft Entra ID, Azure Functions, and Azure Key Vault to provide secure, unified access to AI models hosted on Azure.

For more information about Information Technology Services, please visit: Information Technology Services

Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. on an ongoing basis without sponsorship. Immigration sponsorship is not available for this position.

Application Instructions:
To apply for this position, please click on “Apply” and complete the Employment Application. Please be prepared to enter or attach the following:

• Resume/Curriculum Vitae
• Letter of Application/Cover Letter

Why Choose Iowa State University?
Iowa State Employees enjoy comprehensive health and work-life benefits, including medical and dental, as well as:

• Retirement benefits including defined benefit and defined contribution plans
• Generous vacation, holiday, and sick time and leave plans
• Onsite childcare (Ames, Iowa)
• Life insurance and long-term disability
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Various voluntary benefits and discounts
• Employee Assistance Program
• Wellbeing program
• Iowa State offers WorkFlex options for some positions. WorkFlex offers flexibility on when, where, and how you do your work. For more information, please speak with the Hiring Manager.

If you have questions regarding this application process, please email employment@iastate.edu, or call 515-294-4800 or Toll Free: 1-877-477-7485.

Appointment Type:

Regular

Number of Months Employed Per Year:

12 Month Work Period

Time Type:

Full time

Pay Grade:

PS808

Original Posting Date:

September 25, 2026

Posting Close Date:

October 1, 2026

Job Requisition Number:

R19976

Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, ethnicity, religion, national origin, pregnancy, sexual orientation, genetic information, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. Veteran. Inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies may be directed to Office of Equal Opportunity, 2680 Beardshear Hall, 515 Morrill Road, Ames, Iowa 50011, Tel. 515-294-7612, email eooffice@iastate.edu.

General ISU compensation information can be found on the University Human Resources website. Please note that this is only a list of ranges and individuals will be paid commensurate with qualifications.