Power Platform & AI Automation Specialist

Idaho National Laboratory • Idaho Falls, ID

18h • $95,256 - $234,336 • Onsite

About The Position

The Safeguards and Security Solutions Enablement team is part of the Safeguards and Security Directorate, focused on refining organizational operations and security while enabling mission attainment. This team functions as an internal digital creative agency, aiming to make work easier for employees, managers, and professionals at INL through continuous improvement. It consolidates five disciplines: Systems Strategy, Business Analysis, AI & Automation Engineering, UX Research & Design, and Data Analytics. The Power Platform & AI Automation Engineer role is within the AI & Automation Engineering discipline, serving as the build engine to translate discovery work into delivered application and automation products. This role involves observing teams to understand how work actually happens, documenting customer needs through various methods like wireframes and user stories, and iterating with feedback to deliver minimum viable products in an agile manner. The role requires understanding business needs to determine the appropriate solution, whether it's automation, a workflow, or a new system, and involves vetting options, gathering requirements, working with vendors, and supporting implementation. The role owns full-stack solution delivery, primarily using the Microsoft Power Platform (PowerApps, Power Automate, Power BI), but also capable of building custom solutions in Python (Django, Flask), .NET, or other platforms when necessary. AI engineering, including Python, generative AI, prompt engineering, and agentic automation using tools like Microsoft Copilot Studio and Claude, is also a key component. Success is measured by increased efficiency, higher quality work, and improved job satisfaction for the users, not just closing tickets.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Information Technology, engineering, or a related field. Equivalent related experience may be considered in lieu of degree requirement.
• Level 3: Bachelor of Science degree in technical field including Computer Science, Information Technology, Cybersecurity or related field and 5 years of relevant experience; or a Master’s in a technical field and 2 years of relevant experience.
• Level 4: Bachelor's Degree in computer science, software engineering, information technology or related field and at least 9 years of direct professional experience, or a Master’s and 6 years. PhD and 4 years.
• Relevant experience commensurate with level.
• Genuinely personable, one-on-one with a customer, not just capable behind a screen: comfortable being the face of a solution from first conversation through delivery and support.
• 5+ years building production solutions on the Microsoft Power Platform (PowerApps, Power Automate, Power BI), or equivalent low-code/full-stack development experience.
• Demonstrated experience leading stakeholder discovery and requirements elicitation independently, from first conversation through delivered solution.
• Experience building integrations across other enterprise apps using REST API and SOAP API
• Experience building database queries using MS SQL
• Proficiency in DAX for building measures, calculated columns, and data models within Power BI.
• Experience with observational research methods (job shadowing, contextual inquiry, or similar) to validate what people say they do against what they actually do.
• Skilled in documenting requirements, process flows, and user stories in a way both stakeholders and future team members can follow.
• Experience delivering work in short, iterative cycles with frequent stakeholder check-ins (agile, Scrum, Kanban, or similar), adjusting scope as understanding deepens rather than locking requirements at the start.
• Hands-on experience applying generative AI, prompt engineering, or agentic automation (e.g., Microsoft Copilot Studio, custom GPTs, Claude, or similar platforms) to real business workflows.
• Proficiency in Python for automation, data manipulation, and extending low-code platforms beyond their native capabilities.
• Strong working knowledge of SQL and experience integrating Power Platform solutions with relational databases (MS SQL) (Dataverse) and APIs.
• Track record of owning a solution end to end: scoping, building, testing, deploying, and supporting it.
• Comfort mentoring less experienced team members and reviewing their build work.
• Comfort operating as a full business analyst when the situation calls for it, including vendor evaluation and system implementation support, not just automation-focused requirements gathering.
• Obtain and maintain a Department of Energy "Q" clearance, which requires US Citizenship.

Nice To Haves

• Certification in one of the leading RPA platforms: Power Automate, Blue Prism, Automation Anywhere, UiPath.
• Experience with GenAI and Agentic AI applied to process automation solutions.
• RESTful APIs.
• SQL Databases.

Responsibilities

• Meet face-to-face and observe how work actually happens, not just how it gets described.
• Elicit and document requirements through interviews and working sessions, translating what a team asks for into what they actually need.
• Wireframe and prototype early and throughout using tools like Lucid, MS Visio or Figma for process maps, wireframes, and data modeling.
• Catch a bad process before automating it.
• Stay with the customer through delivery, checking in on working builds at short, regular intervals, refining requirements as understanding deepens.
• Understand full workstreams, not just isolated requests, and proactively surface opportunities to streamline them.
• Vet whether automation or a new system is the right fix, and when it's the latter, meet with internal teams to gather requirements, work directly with vendors, and stay engaged through implementation.
• Work with process owners across the organization to plan and sequence solutions against real backlogs.
• Collaborate closely with Safeguards and Security Solutions Enablement's other disciplines: Systems Strategy, UX Research & Design, and Data Analytics.
• Design and build PowerApps, including apps embedded in SharePoint sites.
• Develop automated workflows and RPA solutions in Power Automate.
• Build Power BI dashboards and reports.
• Apply AI and agentic automation, combining Python, generative AI, and prompt engineering with tools like Microsoft Copilot Studio, custom GPTs, Claude, and Power Automate.
• Build custom solutions in Python frameworks (Django, Flask), .NET, or other languages and platforms when a low-code approach isn't the right tool for the job.
• Partner with the team's UX designer to ensure what you build is functional, modern, consistent, polished, and pleasant to use.
• Maintain critical documentation for what you build.
• Others duties as assigned

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, Vision, and Flexible Spending Accounts
• 401(k) with a 4.2% employer contribution and up to 4.8% match (regular positions) or self-contribute access (postdoctoral positions)
• Paid time off (personal leave)
• Employee Education Program (tuition assistance for eligible positions)
• Comprehensive Relocation Package

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level