AI Engineer (Contract)

6 months Initial Contract - Must work from the UK Alto Software Group (ASG) is a leading B2B SaaS platform serving the UK property industry. We power thousands of estate agency branches and support a significant proportion of UK housing transactions each year. We are building a data-driven, operationally efficient platform business. AI will be a structural lever in improving internal productivity, reducing operational cost, and enhancing customer experience. This is a hands-on delivery role responsible for building the automations and AI integrations that embed AI into how we operate. The Role We are hiring a contract AI Engineer to build, deploy and maintain AI-enabled automations across our core systems stack. Working with the Principal Engineer and the Head of AI Operations, you will take prioritised automation opportunities from design through to production. You will deliver against an internal AI roadmap spanning Customer Operations, Marketing, Finance, Education and Training to: • Automate high-volume, manual administrative workflows • Build AI-enabled workflows in Salesforce, Zendesk, HubSpot, Zuora and Thrive LMS • Turn the Mission Control data platform into an engine for event-triggered automation • Reduce operational overhead and improve reporting speed and accuracy Core Responsibilities Automation Build & Integration • Build and maintain automation pipelines using n8n, Zapier/Make and direct LLM API integrations (OpenAI/Anthropic) • Develop API and webhook integrations across Salesforce, Zendesk, HubSpot, Zuora and Thrive LMS • Implement workflows such as ticket summarisation, tagging, routing and AI triage AI Engineering • Design and implement RAG pipelines and vector database integrations over internal knowledge • Develop, test and version prompts; evaluate and improve output quality • Build event-triggered automations and AI-enabled reporting on Mission Control Quality, Security & Handover • Apply sound engineering standards: error handling, logging and monitoring of automations in production • Ensure GDPR-compliant, secure handling of customer and company data • Document solutions clearly and hand over to internal teams for ongoing operation What Success Looks Like (First 6 Months) • Priority automation workflows live, stable and monitored in production • Measurable reduction in manual effort in targeted workflows • Reliable integrations across the core systems stack • Clear documentation enabling internal teams to operate and extend what you build Required Experience Technical • Proven delivery of LLM-based automation in production environments • Strong experience with automation platforms (n8n, Make or Zapier) • Proficiency in Python and SQL • Strong API and webhook integration capability • Experience working with OpenAI/Anthropic APIs and prompt engineering • Experience building RAG pipelines and working with vector databases • Experience automating CRM (Salesforce) and support (Zendesk) environments preferred Delivery • Experience operating in B2B SaaS or similar fast-moving environments • Track record of delivering as a contractor: scoping, building and handing over cleanly • Comfortable working with non-technical stakeholders to refine requirements Personal Attributes • Delivery-focused and pragmatic • High agency and accountability • Structured, with strong attention to reliability and security • Comfortable working in ambiguity • Clear communicator with technical and non-technical audiences Why This Role Matters AI will be a structural margin lever for ASG. The automations you build will directly reduce operational cost, increase capacity without incremental headcount, and embed AI as core operational infrastructure rather than experimentation.