IT Solutions Engineer III AI / ML

Job Description Summary:NUC University's AI Center of Excellence is assembling a small, high-impact team to integrate best-in-class AI platforms—chatbots, adaptive-learning engines, and analytics suites—into our academic and administrative systems. You will evaluate commercial and open-source offerings, lead technical due diligence, and own the hands-on configuration, security hardening, and lifecycle management of each solution. Success looks like friction-free, FERPA-compliant services that faculty, staff, and students trust and adopt.Essential Duties and Responsibilities:Evaluate commercial and open-source AI solutions, lead technical due diligence, and provide recommendations to IT leadership and procurement teamsTranslate user stories into objective evaluation criteria (accuracy, accessibility, cost, data residency)Lead POCs and bake-offs; perform risk assessments; document findings for procurementAdvise on technical requirements for contracts and SLAs; participate in vendor discussions to clarify technical needs and risksCollaborate with IT leadership, procurement, and legal during contract and SLA review, ensuring technical requirements are accurately reflectedDesign secure, scalable architectures connecting vendor APIs with LMS, SIS, IdP, and data lakesDefine integration standards (SSO, SCIM, LTI, webhooks) and collaborate with Enterprise Services to implement them, ensuring end-to-end traceabilityCollaborate with Enterprise Services to ensure SaaS tenant configurations (roles, retention policies, content filters) meet security, compliance, and functional requirementsEstablish SLIs/SLOs, logging, and alerting; monitor vendor SLAs and provide technical inputPartner with Information Security to complete DPIAs, advise on DPAs, pass annual audits and enforce governance controls for AI applicationsMaintain model-risk documentation, change logs, and end-user disclosuresCollaborate with the support team on tier-2 escalation, root-cause analysis, and vendor ticketingStay current with AI market trends, track vendor roadmaps, plan upgrades and feature rolloutsDeliver demos, training sessions, and bilingual knowledge-transfer materials for IT and functional teamsAct as a liaison between IT, vendors, and institutional stakeholders for AI/ML initiativesOwn the technical onboarding, configuration, integration, and lifecycle management of selected vendor solutionsMonitor technical performance, escalate issues to vendors, and support ongoing vendor relationship management from a technical perspectiveDesign and build AI agents using platforms such as Microsoft Copilot Studio or collaborate with vendors to define functional and technical requirements for AI agents. Monitor and maintain agent infrastructure to ensure performance, security, and compliance within NUC's environmentEducation / Qualifications:Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or related fieldFully bilingual: The candidate must be able talk, read, and write fluently in English and SpanishMinimum of 5 years integrating SaaS/PaaS solutionsMinimum of 2 years deploying AI/ML or LLM platforms (e.g., OpenAI Enterprise, AWS Bedrock, Anthropic)Proven success delivering API-first integrations in higher-ed or other regulated sectors (FERPA, HIPAA, GDPR)Hands-on proficiency with Python and/or TypeScript for connector scripts and automationDeep understanding of SAML/OIDC, SCIM, LTI 1.3, webhooks, and REST/GraphQL best practicesStrong troubleshooting, root-cause analysis, and documentation skillsEquality Employment Opportunity / Affirmative Action for minorities/Females/People with Disabilities/Veterans