AI Strategy and Solutions Engineer

Location: Charlotte, North Carolina (onsite for first couple of months, then hybrid 3x a week)
Duration: 6-month contract to start with potential to extend or hire
Pay Rate: $80-90/hr. on W2
Authorization: Candidates must be able to work directly on W2 without requiring sponsorship now or in the future

About the role

This is a high-visibility role focused on identifying, prioritizing, and delivering high-impact AI solutions across the business. You will partner with business owners to embed AI into processes, run rapid prototypes, evaluate vendors, establish governance, and lead internal enablement. This position requires a blend of strategic thinking, hands-on engineering, and strong communication to accelerate the organization's AI journey.

Responsibilities

• Partner with business units to understand workflows and identify opportunities where AI can add value.
• Design, build, test, and deploy AI solutions and rapid prototypes using LLM APIs and common components like retrieval-augmented generation (RAG).
• Establish AI guardrails for data privacy, prompt safety, and vendor data handling in coordination with Security and Legal teams.
• Evaluate and compare buy vs. build options for AI tools, providing recommendations with scorecards and cost models.
• Translate technical AI capabilities into business value for non-technical stakeholders and leadership.
• Conduct training sessions and mentor team members to build AI literacy and best practices across the organization.
• Set up and manage operational hygiene, including secrets management, API quotas, logging, and error handling.
• Comply with all company policies, applicable regulations for data protection, and federal regulations including the Bank Secrecy and USA Patriot Act.

Requirements

• 3+ years of hands-on experience in software, data, or solutions engineering, providing AI best practices with a strong acumen for where the industry is heading.
• Must have experience writing, testing, and deploying AI products used by real users.
• Proven track record of operating in ambiguity and leading stakeholders from skepticism to adoption.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Data Science, or a related technical field.

Skills

• Proficiency in Python for automation and experience with the FastAPI implementation stack.
• Experience calling modern LLM APIs (e.g., OpenAI/Azure/Anthropic) and assembling solutions.
• Familiarity with vector databases (e.g., pgvector, Pinecone) and document pipelines.
• Minimum 12+ months implementing PII detection/redaction pipelines.
• Experience with C# (Visual Studio) (preferred).
• Background in ML engineering (preferred).
• Previous experience in the banking or financial services industry (preferred).

Benefits

• Supplemental medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance plans.
• Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP) and 401K with company match after 12 months of tenure.
• Health Savings Account (HSA) on the HDHP plan.
• SupportLinc Employee Assistance Program (EAP) with up to 8 free counseling sessions.
• Corporate discount savings program and other discounts.
• On-demand training program and access to certification prep, technical/leadership courses, books, and seminars after 6+ months of tenure.
• Certification discounts and perks for associations including CompTIA and IIBA.
• Dedicated customer service team for benefits and resources, plus a certified Career Coach.