AI Solutions Engineer

Benefits of Working at UNCW: Want to become a soaring UNCW Seahawk and work at one of the best universities on the East Coast? Want to put your toes in the sand after a day of work? The University of North Carolina Wilmington offers a wonderfully vibrant university community along with a beautiful location just miles from the beach. Employees of UNCW are provided a comprehensive benefits package as well as other programs, resources, policies, and practices that help to support a work/life balance.

Recruitment Range: Determined based on qualifications and/or experience.

Vacancy Number: E1570

Location of Workplace: Main UNCW Campus

Home Department: Enterprise Systems Support - 55220

Primary Purpose of Organizational Unit

The Department of Enterprise Systems Support (ESS) is a part of Information Technology Services (ITS) of the University of North Carolina Wilmington. ITS is an innovative organization committed to providing a technologically progressive environment for students, faculty and staff. The Department of Enterprise Systems Support is responsible for systems analysis, design, programming, and support for enterprise and vendor applications.

Brief Summary of Work for this Position

The AI Solutions Engineer leads the design, development, and responsible implementation of AI-powered solutions across the university. Reporting to the Director of Enterprise Systems Support, this role serves as a key technical leader and institutional resource, advancing AI initiatives across academic research, teaching and learning, and administrative areas.

Working within a collaborative model of innovation, this role empowers academic and administrative units to design and build AI-driven solutions while operating within established governance, security, and architectural standards. The AI Solutions Engineer provides the guidance, frameworks, and oversight needed to ensure these efforts are aligned, sustainable, and secure.

This position plays a critical role in establishing a sound and scalable AI environment-ensuring solutions are built using the right tools for the task, are intuitive and accessible for end users, and align with long-term enterprise architecture. Through this approach, the role helps the university advance innovation while avoiding unnecessary technical debt and supporting improved student outcomes, academic programs, and operational efficiency.

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements

• Bachelor's degree.
• 4 years of experience in application development, data engineering, or related technical roles.
• Demonstrated experience designing and implementing solutions using AI, automation, or advanced data tools.
• Experience taking responsibility for designing, delivering, and implementing technical solutions, including translating business requirements into working systems.
• Experience working directly with business stakeholders to solve complex problems.

Preferred Education, Knowledge, Skills & Experience

• Demonstrated experience designing, implementing, or supporting AI- or automation-enabled solutions using platforms such as Azure AI, Open AI, Power Platform, or comparable tools in an enterprise environment
• Experience working with APIs, system integrations, and modern application architectures, including connecting multiple systems and managing data exchanges.
• Working knowledge of data architecture concepts, including structured and unstructured data, and how operational data supports reporting and analytics.
• Experience working in higher education or similarly complex, highly regulated organizations, with diverse stakeholders, legacy systems, and formal governance structures.
• Experience supporting or collaborating on research, analytics, or innovation initiatives in a higher education or research-intensive environment.
• Experience participating in enterprise technology evaluation and selection, including requirements gathering, technical review, and vendor assessment.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and implement technical solutions, balancing architectural decision-making with hands-on development, configuration, or prototyping.
• Proven ability to deliver solutions with a focus on usability, adoption, and operational effectiveness, ensuring technology meets practical business needs.
• Experience applying data governance, security, and sustainability practices, such as defining data ownership, ensuring appropriate access controls, documenting integrations, and considering long-term support, risk, and compliance requirements.

FTE: 1.0 FTE (40 hours per week)

Months Per Year: 12 Months

Type of Position: Permanent