AI Applications Developer

S R INTERNATIONAL INC•Phoenix, AZ

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The State of Arizona, Arizona Department of Economic Security (AZDES), Division of Technology Services (DTS), is seeking a Senior/Lead AI Applications Developer to identify, design, and implement AI solutions that reduce administrative workload and improve operational efficiency. The developer will work with business, operational, stakeholder, and technology teams to translate operational requirements into technical specifications; evaluate enterprise tools such as Google Gemini and NotebookLM against custom development; and architect, prototype, and deploy secure custom AI applications within the DTS closed environment. The role involves hands-on development with AI and large language models, generative AI, prompt engineering, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), AI agents, embeddings, vector databases, and foundation models. The developer will implement security controls, content safety, guardrails, and Responsible AI practices; assess outputs for bias, hallucinations, reliability, and security vulnerabilities; use approved AI coding tools; and maintain technical documentation for application code, architecture, system prompts, and workflows. This is a contract-to-hire position for local Phoenix, Arizona candidates, with a hybrid work arrangement at the Arizona Department of Economic Security's Phoenix location. Candidates must be eligible for FTE conversion, cannot require visa sponsorship, must be comfortable working in the DTS closed environment, and must obtain and maintain a valid Level One Fingerprint Clearance Card. HireRight background screening and Global ID facial biometrics are required. The stated assignment duration is through June 30, 2027.

Requirements

Master's degree in AI or at least 2 years of AI development experience.
Bachelor's degree plus 10 or more years of programming and analysis experience, or equivalent experience; the posting also states a master's degree is preferred.
Experience gathering and translating business requirements into technical specifications.
Hands-on experience with AI/LLMs, Generative AI, prompt engineering, and RAG architectures.
Experience designing, prototyping, and deploying custom AI applications.
Understanding of LLMs, embeddings, vector databases, and AI agents.
Knowledge of AI governance, data privacy, security, and Responsible AI principles.
Experience evaluating AI outputs for bias, hallucinations, and security vulnerabilities.
Ability to document application architecture, code, system prompts, and workflows.
Strong communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
Must be a local Phoenix, Arizona candidate and comfortable working in the DTS closed environment.
Must be eligible for FTE conversion; the State of Arizona cannot sponsor visas.
Must obtain and maintain a valid Level One Fingerprint Clearance Card under Arizona Revised Statute 41-1969.
Must complete a HireRight background check and Global ID facial biometrics.
Must be able to work in the stated hybrid arrangement.

Nice To Haves

Azure OpenAI and Azure AI Foundry.
Python programming.
C# / .NET Framework.
SQL and database technologies.
Google Cloud / Vertex AI and Gemini ecosystem.
GitHub Copilot and AI-assisted development tools.
RAG pipelines, AI agents, and foundation model fine-tuning.
Azure AI Content Safety, guardrails, and Responsible AI Dashboard.
MLOps, CI/CD, AI governance, and automated testing.
Agile development methodology.
Master's degree (preferred per the Important Notes section).

Responsibilities

Identify and implement AI solutions to reduce administrative workload and improve operational efficiency.
Gather business requirements and translate operational processes into technical specifications.
Evaluate enterprise AI tools, including Gemini and NotebookLM, against custom AI development.
Architect, prototype, and deploy custom AI applications within the DTS closed environment.
Develop secure AI solutions using Python and approved enterprise AI platforms such as Vertex AI.
Build and optimize RAG pipelines, apply advanced prompt engineering, and integrate AI agents.
Work with LLMs, embeddings, vector databases, and foundation models.
Implement AI security controls, content safety, guardrails, and Responsible AI practices.
Evaluate AI outputs for bias, hallucinations, reliability, and security vulnerabilities.
Maintain technical documentation covering code, architecture, prompts, and workflows.
Use GitHub Copilot and other approved AI coding tools to improve development productivity.
Collaborate with operational teams, stakeholders, and technical teams to deliver AI solutions.