Data Analytics Consultant - AI & Automation
About The Position
At NW Natural, we offer more than rewarding career opportunities and a vibrant, inclusive work culture. We invite you to join us in providing safe and reliable utility services and renewable energy to better the lives of the communities we serve. Our vision is to be the leader in service excellence, innovation and environmental stewardship for our customers, while building on our strengths as a trusted energy provider and environmental leader for our industry. In addition to environmental stewardship, we’re also deeply committed to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at NW Natural. Our DEI Council started 21 years ago, and today we continue to foster a culture where all employees can experience a sense of belonging, shared purpose and possibility. Employees based at our Headquarters are required to work on-site a minimum of three days per week. Specific in‑office days may vary by team and business needs. This hybrid schedule supports collaboration, connection, and engagement while also offering flexibility for remote work. We're looking for a Technical Lead to join our AI & Automation team. In this individual contributor role, you'll partner closely with the Enterprise Architecture team to shape how we design, estimate, and deliver AI and automation solutions across the organization. You'll bring deep hands-on expertise in AI agent development, large language models (LLMs), and automation platforms — and you'll use that expertise to guide and inspire your teammates. This isn't a management role — it's a technical leadership role. You'll lead with knowledge, collaboration, and craft.
Requirements
- 5+ years of experience in software development, data engineering, or a related technical discipline.
- Proven experience building AI agents, including multi-step reasoning, tool use, and orchestration frameworks
- Hands-on experience with LLMs, including prompt engineering, RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation), model integration, and evaluation.
- Experience with automation platforms, particularly Microsoft Power Platform (Power Apps, Power Automate) or comparable low-code/no-code tools.
- Proven proficiency in Python and/or other languages commonly used in AI development.
- Demonstrated ability to lead technical design sessions and produce clear technical artifacts (architecture diagrams, design docs, effort estimates).
Nice To Haves
- Experience with Azure AI services (Azure OpenAI, Azure AI Studio, AI Foundry, etc.).
- Familiarity with DevOps and MLOps practices.
- Experience integrating AI solutions with enterprise systems and APIs.
Responsibilities
- Collaborate with the AI Architect to conceptually design AI and automation use cases, including scoping, feasibility analysis, and effort estimation.
- Provide technical direction and guidance throughout the development lifecycle, from discovery through deployment.
- Evaluate emerging AI tools, platforms, and frameworks to recommend best-fit solutions.
- Ensure that solutions are scalable, maintainable, and aligned with enterprise standards.
- Design and build AI agents using modern agentic frameworks and orchestration patterns.
- Apply hands-on expertise in large language models (LLMs) to develop, fine-tune, prompt-engineer, and integrate AI-powered solutions.
- Define and enforce best practices for agent design, prompt management, and model evaluation.
- Build and contribute to automation solutions using platforms such as Microsoft Power Platform (Power Apps, Power Automate) and related tools.
- Identify opportunities to reduce manual effort and improve business processes through intelligent automation.
- Serve as a technical mentor to other developers and automation engineers on the team.
- Share knowledge through code reviews, design discussions, documentation, and informal coaching.
- Foster a collaborative team culture grounded in continuous learning and technical excellence.
- Translate complex technical concepts into clear, accessible language for both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
- Proactively identify and resolve technical blockers and ambiguities.
- Bring a solutions-oriented mindset to every challenge.
Benefits
- Rich health insurance benefits with competitive employer contribution
- Free access to an online wellness resources platform
- Up to 23 Vacation Days
- 80 Hours of Sick Time
- 10 paid holidays and 3 floating holidays
- Flexible work arrangements
- 3 weeks paid parental leave
- Be part of a workplace where your voice matters. Engage with our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council, and a variety of Employee Resource Groups that support community and growth.
- 1500 sq foot exercise facility and secure bike room
- Meaningful annual incentive bonus opportunity in addition to base salary
- Competitive 401K company contribution and match
- 15% discount on NW Natural stock through Employee Stock Purchase Program
- Up to $5250 a year in tuition reimbursement
- Wellness incentive program
- 20% off natural gas service
- Up to 30% discount at NW Natural Appliance Center
- TriMet Pass for all HQ employees
- Generous discounts with Verizon & AT&T Wireless
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
Education Level
Associate degree
