AI Engineer

Information Technology Services (ITS) at Iowa State University is seeking an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineer (Software Developer II) 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 work closely with stakeholders to gather and refine AI requirements, build AI applications, and manage their ongoing performance in production environments. This position emphasizes practical implementation, testing, and lifecycle support of AI features integrated into institutional services and platforms.

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.

• Troubleshoo t, 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., + Integrate AI agents with enterprise platforms, such as Salesforce, for live-agent handoff and case creation via custom connectors and OAuth workflows.

• Implement telemetry, monitoring, and security controls across Copilot Studio, Microsoft Foundry, Azure, and Power Platform.

• Implement security measures such as rate limiting via Azure Front Door or API Management (APIM).

• Utilize Microsoft Azure development tools to build AI solutions and integrate AI functionality into university services.

• Configure Copilot Studio topics, generative answers, plugins, actions, and knowledge sources to support university department-specific use cases.

Required Minimum Qualifications:High school diploma or equivalent and 3 years of related experience, + Education, training, or certification in artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning.

• Develop and maintain AI-powered applications using Azure AI services, Azure OpenAI, Microsoft Foundry and Microsoft Copilot technologies.

• Integrate Copilot Studio agents with backend services using Power Automate, Azure Functions, APIs, and custom connectors.

• Create and administer Microsoft Foundry endpoints for AI models with Entra security for authentication.

• Configure and maintain pipelines in Power Platform to manage solution migrations and deployments.

• Design and implement 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.

By focusing on the future and providing the best student experience possible, Iowa State University (http://www.iastate.edu/) attracts students and faculty who want to make a difference. With a comprehensive land-grant mission of education, research, extension and outreach, we produce scholars whose ideas change the world. And through Innovate at Iowa State, we provide innovative and entrepreneurial opportunities for students of all backgrounds. Located just 30 minutes north of Des Moines, the city of Ames was recently named one of the Top 10 cities in the U.S. for campus life and career opportunities.

Iowa State University is a welcoming community of students, faculty, and staff. Campus community members have a wide range of backgrounds and experiences and are committed to engaging with each other respectfully as outlined in the university’s Principles of Community (https://www.iastate.edu/principles-community) . Iowa State recognizes that diverse intellectual and philosophical perspectives are vital to innovation, critical thinking skills, and a dynamic academic community that fosters the land-grant ideals of putting science, technology, and human creativity to work.