AI Automation Engineer, Finance & Accounting

Cengage Group

3d•$150,000 - $200,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The AI Automation Engineer – Finance & Accounting applies AI to finance operations at Cengage to reduce cost, increase accuracy, and eliminate manual work from AP, accounts receivable (AR), reconciliation, and financial reporting workflows. You will partner directly with the Controller, FP&A, and Procurement teams to identify and deliver high-value automation opportunities. This role demands a rare combination: the technical chops to build production AI automation, the financial fluency to understand GL accounts and reconciliation logic, and the discipline to build audit-ready, controls-compliant systems. The ideal candidate has delivered finance automation in a public company or regulated environment and knows where the landmines are.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Accounting, Finance, or related field
4+ years of experience in finance automation, RPA, or software development for finance functions
Strong proficiency in Python and SQL with experience building production automation
Hands-on experience with LLMs and document AI (OCR, invoice extraction, intelligent document processing)
Working knowledge of accounting principles, GL structures, and financial close processes
Experience with at least one major ERP platform (NetSuite, SAP, Oracle, Workday Financials)
Understanding of SOX controls, audit evidence requirements, and financial compliance
Excellent communication skills to work with Controllers, FP&A, and Internal Audit

Nice To Haves

Experience with AP automation platforms (Coupa, Tipalti, Bill.com, Stampli)
Familiarity with RPA platforms (UiPath, Automation Anywhere, Blue Prism)
Background in public company finance environments with SOX compliance
Experience with document AI services (AWS Textract, Azure Document Intelligence)
CPA, CMA, or other finance certifications (or willingness to pursue)
Background in EdTech, SaaS, or subscription business finance operations

Responsibilities

Automate accounts payable and accounts receivable processing including invoice capture, matching, and approval
Build reconciliation automations across GL, bank, credit card, and intercompany accounts
Develop expense report processing, policy compliance checking, and anomaly detection systems
Create procurement automations for PO generation, vendor onboarding, and spend categorization
Implement AI-powered financial close acceleration and journal entry automation
Ensure all finance automations meet SOX, internal controls, and audit documentation requirements
Partner with Internal Audit and Controllership on design reviews and control attestation
Build comprehensive logging, lineage, and traceability into every automation
Implement segregation-of-duties and approval workflows correctly in every design
Maintain audit-ready documentation and evidence of all deployed workflows
Track manual hours eliminated, cost savings realized, and processing time reductions
Quantify error rate reduction and the controls impact of automation
Partner with FP&A on ROI reporting and business case development
Identify financial process inefficiencies through data analysis and stakeholder interviews
Deliver weekly updates on automation performance, savings, and roadmap