AI Engineer, Forward Deployed (Copilot and Azure AI Foundry)

Role Overview

The AI Engineer is a hands-on builder who works directly with Client teams to design, build, and ship production AI solutions on Microsoft 365 Copilot, Copilot Studio, and Azure AI Foundry (now Microsoft Foundry). This is an individual contributor role. You will write the code, configure the agents, wire up the data, and get solutions into the hands of real users.

You will work inside a Collectiv delivery team alongside a project lead, architects, and data engineers. You will partner directly with Client business and IT stakeholders to turn a business problem into a working AI solution, then harden it for production.

Key Responsibilities

Copilot Solutions

• Build declarative agents, Copilot connectors, and plugins that extend Microsoft 365 Copilot with Client data and workflows
• Build Copilot Studio agents, topics, actions, and autonomous agents for business processes
• Connect Copilot to SharePoint, Teams, Microsoft Graph, Dataverse, and line-of-business systems
• Write and iterate on prompts, instructions, and agent configurations based on test results and user feedback

Azure AI Foundry Solutions

• Build custom agents and AI applications in Azure AI Foundry for use cases that go beyond out-of-the-box Copilot
• Select, deploy, and configure models from the Foundry model catalog, and explain the trade-offs in cost, quality, and latency
• Implement agentic workflows with tool calling, multi-step orchestration, and human-in-the-loop controls
• Integrate AI solutions with enterprise systems through APIs, Azure Functions, Power Automate, and Logic Apps

Retrieval and Data Foundations

• Build end-to-end retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) pipelines including ingestion, chunking, embedding, vector and hybrid search, and grounding
• Use Azure AI Search and Azure AI Document Intelligence to index and extract knowledge from Client content
• Partner with Collectiv data engineers to connect AI solutions to Microsoft Fabric, Databricks, and other enterprise data platforms

Evaluation and Production Readiness

• Build evaluation sets and test harnesses that measure answer quality, groundedness, hallucination rate, safety, latency, and cost
• Implement logging, monitoring, and tracing for deployed agents and models
• Apply security, identity, and governance controls using Microsoft Entra ID, Microsoft Purview, and Azure AI Content Safety
• Use version control, CI/CD, and code review standards for all AI solution code and configuration

Consulting and Collaboration

• Work directly with Client stakeholders to gather requirements, run working sessions, demo progress, and manage expectations
• Translate business problems into scoped, buildable AI use cases with clear success metrics
• Train Client users and administrators on the solutions you build and support adoption after go-live
• Contribute reusable patterns, accelerators, and documentation to Collectiv's AI practice

Eligibility for this engagement

• This engagement requires US citizenship under the client's contract terms. This is a condition of the specific client project, not a Collectiv policy; Collectiv regularly hires non-US citizens and people based outside the US for other roles.
• You must be physically located in the United States for the duration of the engagement.
• If you do not meet these two conditions, please still apply: we will keep your application active for AI Engineer roles that do not carry this requirement and contact you directly when one opens.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited university in Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent experience)
• 4+ years of experience in software engineering, data engineering, or Microsoft 365 and Power Platform development
• 1+ years of hands-on experience building and deploying generative AI or LLM-powered solutions in production or Client environments
• Hands-on experience with Microsoft 365 Copilot extensibility and Copilot Studio
• Hands-on experience with Azure AI Foundry or Azure OpenAI
• Experience building RAG solutions with Azure AI Search
• Strong Python or C# skills
• Experience working in Azure (storage, compute, identity, networking)
• Ability to work independently in a Client-facing consulting role

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Microsoft Agent Framework, Semantic Kernel, or AutoGen
• Experience with Power Platform, Dataverse, and Power Automate
• Experience with Microsoft Fabric, Databricks, or Power BI
• Experience with LLMOps practices including evaluation frameworks, prompt management, and model monitoring
• Familiarity with security, privacy, and compliance considerations for AI in regulated industries
• Consulting experience across multiple Clients or industries
• Relevant certifications such as Azure AI Engineer Associate, Copilot Studio or Power Platform certifications, or Fabric (DP-600, DP-700)

What Success Looks Like in This Role

• AI solutions you build reach production and are used by real people, not just demoed
• Clients trust you as the engineer who knows how to make Copilot and Foundry work in their environment
• Your solutions are measured, documented, secure, and supportable after handoff
• You contribute patterns and accelerators that make Collectiv's next AI engagement faster

Why Collectiv

Join Collectiv for a rewarding career in a fully remote work environment with quarterly in-person team Experiences and competitive compensation. We provide a clear growth trajectory with professional development opportunities and a top-shelf benefits package. Enjoy unlimited time off and 100% covered health insurance, encompassing medical, dental, and vision plans for you and your family. Our comprehensive offerings, from a competitive 401(k) with a 4% match to educational assistance, tech stipend, and discounts on various goods and services, demonstrate our commitment to your well-being and success.

Collectiv is the leading boutique consulting and strategy firm specializing in Analytics, Planning, and AI with Power BI and the Microsoft data stack.

Our mission at Collectiv is simple: We help enterprises break free from stagnation and make better decisions.

Our Core Values:

• Growth Mindset: Bring solutions, not problems.
• Excel with Humility: Be humbly brilliant.
• Communicate Actively and Empathetically: Listen, ask, understand, help.
• Work Hard, Play Hard: Results are proportional to effort.
• Keep Calm and Carry On: Stay cool, calm, and Collectiv.