Senior Microsoft AI Engineer - Copilot, Foundry & Power Automate

We are a dynamic startup focused on developing AI-powered business applications, integrations, and automations using Microsoft technologies. Our goal is to transform business requirements into effective AI assistants, streamlined workflows, and interconnected systems that deliver measurable results. We operate with a hybrid delivery model, combining internal ownership with outsourced development, and are seeking an experienced Microsoft AI Engineer to join our fully remote team. This full-time, long-term role involves hands-on implementation, project leadership, and coordination of external specialists, with significant opportunities for growth as the company evolves.

Key Responsibilities
- Design, build, and maintain AI assistants and agents using Microsoft Copilot Studio and Microsoft Foundry.
- Identify and implement practical uses of Microsoft 365 Copilot to enhance business workflows.
- Connect AI solutions to business data, systems, and APIs while ensuring data security and permission compliance.
- Develop robust Power Automate workflows featuring validation, exception handling, monitoring, and recovery processes.
- Integrate Microsoft 365, Teams, SharePoint, Dataverse, Microsoft Graph, and external APIs into cohesive solutions.
- Create custom connectors or supporting code as needed to meet project requirements.
- Evaluate AI outputs for quality, reliability, latency, and cost-effectiveness.
- Establish human review and approval steps for critical automated actions.
- Independently administer Microsoft 365, Azure, and Power Platform environments, managing users, roles, permissions, and service connections.
- Configure and manage GitHub-connected Power Platform solutions, including source control, authentication, and deployment workflows.
- Oversee solution lifecycle management across development, testing, and production environments.
- Maintain secure application identities, credentials, and access controls with clear ownership.
- Monitor platform health, investigate issues, maintain documentation, and control licensing and cloud expenses.
- Translate business requirements into clear tasks, milestones, and acceptance criteria.
- Manage project scope, priorities, risks, and stakeholder communications.
- Coordinate outsourced developers, review deliverables, and maintain technical ownership.
- Mentor colleagues through demonstrations, code reviews, and knowledge sharing.
- Ensure solutions remain maintainable, scalable, and aligned with startup budget constraints.

Required Qualifications
- Proven experience delivering production solutions using Copilot Studio, Microsoft Foundry, and Power Automate.
- Practical knowledge of Microsoft 365 Copilot and its application in business workflows.
- Experience building AI agents connected to business data, tools, and APIs.
- Ability to evaluate AI-generated outputs, including managing unreliable or unsupported results.
- Strong expertise in Power Automate cloud flows, connectors, expressions, approvals, and troubleshooting.
- Experience integrating SharePoint, Teams, Dataverse, Microsoft Graph, or similar platforms.
- Working knowledge of Microsoft Entra ID, application permissions, authentication, and secure credential management.
- Ability to write and review code or scripts in languages such as Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, or PowerShell.
- Demonstrated experience independently administering Microsoft environments with responsibility for reliability and improvement.
- Hands-on experience managing Power Platform solutions connected to GitHub and using CI/CD workflows like GitHub Actions.
- Strong understanding of environment separation, solution dependencies, connection references, and environment-specific configurations.
- Experience leading technical project delivery, including planning and stakeholder communication.
- Proven ability to lead developers, mentor colleagues, and coordinate distributed teams.
- Strong ownership mindset with the ability to communicate technical issues and drive improvements to completion.
- Ability to work independently, explain technical decisions clearly, and prioritize effectively within a startup context.

Preferred Qualifications and Benefits
- Experience delivering Microsoft AI or automation projects in startup or consulting environments.
- Familiarity with building retrieval workflows using documented knowledge sources and permission-aware access.
- Knowledge of Power Apps, Azure services, SQL databases, or Azure DevOps.
- Experience with Azure API Management, including AI gateway features like authentication, model routing, monitoring, and cost control.
- Exposure to Azure Key Vault, Azure Monitor, Application Insights, and Azure AI Search.
- Skills in building and maintaining Power BI reports and dashboards, including data modeling, DAX, and security configurations.
- Ability to connect reporting and analytics to operational workflows and business decisions.
- Experience replacing fragile workflows with maintainable, scalable solutions.
- Proven track record coordinating outsourced implementation while retaining internal technical ownership.
- Effective use of AI development tools with an eye for avoiding unnecessary complexity.

This role offers a fully remote work environment with a long-term perspective. You will have ownership over AI implementation, automation, and project delivery, along with opportunities to mentor colleagues and help build a distributed team. Collaboration with startup leadership and involvement in varied projects with real business impact are key benefits. Compensation will align with startup resources and your experience, with substantial growth potential as the company expands. Career progression paths include roles such as Microsoft AI Team Lead, Solutions Architect, or Head of AI & Automation, based on performance and leadership.

Our remote work setup includes a time-tracking tool that records activity metrics and captures screenshots; candidates should be comfortable with this arrangement. We encourage early applications to discuss how you can contribute to shaping our AI and automation initiatives.