Senior Staff AI Enablement Engineer

Grainger Businesses • Chicago, IL

23h • Hybrid

About The Position

As generative AI rapidly reshapes how work gets done, Grainger is investing in empowering our business teams to responsibly and effectively leverage AI at scale. We are seeking an AI Enablement Expert to lead internal AI education, use case discovery, and hands-on solution development across Grainger's corporate and business functions. This role sits within our Grainger Technology Group and reports to the Director, Machine Learning Platform & Operations. You will operate as a player-coach, combining deep technical expertise with strong facilitation, consulting, and change management skills. This role is ideal for someone who has built AI solutions hands-on, thrives in ambiguity, and has experience working directly with business leaders—particularly in a consulting or advisory capacity.
The work location will be in Chicago or Lake Forest, IL on a hybrid basis (2 days a week in office). We will consider candidates located outside of Chicago provided they are able to travel to Chicago up to 25%. We will also consider partial relocation funding.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree Data Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field or equivalent experience
• 7+ years of experience building and delivering technology solutions, with significant hands-on experience in AI / machine learning / data-driven applications
• 2+ years of experience operating as a trusted advisor or consultant to business stakeholders, or as a solutions architect, translating business problems into technical solutions
• Demonstrated experience building and evaluating LLM-powered and agent-based solutions, including prompt engineering, tool orchestration, and workflow automation.
• Strong technical fluency with modern AI platforms, APIs, and frameworks, with the ability to personally build working solutions.
• Familiarity with the language and methodology of continuous improvement / Lean.
• Proven ability to design and facilitate workshops, design sprints, and working sessions with cross-functional teams.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical audiences and influence without formal authority.
• Familiarity with enterprise AI governance, responsible AI practices, and change management.

Nice To Haves

• Experience deploying AI solutions using low-code / no-code platforms alongside traditional software development
• Prior experience in management consulting, internal consulting, forward deployed engineering or a similar advisory role.

Responsibilities

• Design and deliver AI training, education, and enablement sessions for business teams across corporate functions (e.g., sales, supply chain, merchandising, finance, HR) and act as a trusted AI advisor to senior business leaders, helping them understand what is possible with modern AI tools and where AI can meaningfully impact their workflows.
• Drive internal evangelization of AI capabilities, best practices, and responsible usage.
• Regularly plan and facilitate structured AI design sprint workshops with business teams on-site.
• Design and build AI prototypes, internal tools, and workflow automations using tools like ChatGPT Enterprise / Microsoft Copilot / Onyx AI, LLM APIs and agent-based frameworks, and low-code / automation platforms (e.g., n8n or similar).
• Partner with ML, MLOps, engineering, and product teams to hand off validated solutions for production hardening when appropriate.
• Leverage rotational support from ML, MLOps, engineering, and product teams to accelerate delivery and knowledge sharing.
• Partner with business stakeholders to define baseline metrics and quantify realized value from AI-enabled workflows. Your own metrics will include things like the number of business teams enabled through training and workshops, the number of AI-powered solutions prototyped and delivered, adoption and sustained usage of AI tools and solutions across the organization, as well as concrete business impact metrics.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans with coverage starting on day one of employment
• 6 free sessions each year with a licensed therapist to support your emotional wellbeing.
• 18 paid time off (PTO) days annually for full-time employees (accrual prorated based on employment start date)
• 6 company holidays per year.
• 6% company contribution to a 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan each pay period, no employee contribution required.
• Employee discounts, tuition reimbursement, student loan refinancing and free access to financial counseling, education, and tools.
• Maternity support programs, nursing benefits, and up to 14 weeks paid leave for birth parents and up to 4 weeks paid leave for non-birth parents.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Associate degree
• Number of Employees: 1-10 employees