Senior AI Systems Engineer (Contract)

In 2026, Orium is investing in AI and automation to improve how SG&A functions operate across the organization. Our goal is to build agentic systems that support real human decision-making -- including a unified entry point and two-way workflows that allow agents, humans, and systems to interact reliably. We're approaching this work intentionally, with strong foundations around trust, escalation, and human judgment. We've completed early experimentation through pilots and demos, and we're now looking for someone to help turn that learning into durable, production-ready capabilities. This is a contract role focused on hands-on execution with strong technical ownership. As a Senior AI Systems Engineer you'll work hands-on to design and build the technical foundations of these systems, partnering closely with internal stakeholders to translate evolving needs into reliable, scalable agentic workflows. The focus of this engagement is to accelerate the build-out of core agentic capabilities and to establish strong technical foundations over a defined period. Role Details: Type: Contract (Part-Time) Duration: ~16 weeks Expected Commitment: ~20 hours per week Potential for extension or future engagement based on outcomes Key Responsibilities Agentic System Development Partner in shaping the technical approach and architecture of agentic systems, helping translate evolving needs into practical, scalable solutions. Design and implement agentic workflows that support two-way interaction between humans, agents, and internal systems. Build and orchestrate workflow logic using tools and frameworks such as Zapier + code, n8n (or similar), APIs, and event-driven architectures. Partner to integrate people-focused agentic workflows into a cohesive, reliable entry-point experience. Systemization & Reliability Bring a technical perspective to early-stage ideas and prototypes, helping assess feasibility, trade-offs, and paths to production. Help evolve early implementations into more robust, maintainable, and production-ready systems. Help establish and document patterns for reliability, observability, and safe failure in agentic workflows. Ensure implementations align with defined trust models, escalation rules, and human-in-the-loop principles. AI & Automation Craft Work hands-on with LLMs, prompts, and agent behaviour to prioritize correctness, clarity, and human accountability. Evaluate and integrate tools, frameworks, and platforms that support agentic patterns as the system matures. Contribute to and document shared standards and patterns for AI-augmented systems at Orium. Design and evolve retrieval and indexing approaches (e.g., RAG, structured knowledge sources) to ensure agents operate on accurate, relevant, and up-to-date context. Skills & Experience Experience building, integrating, or supporting AI / LLM-powered systems, with an emphasis on reliability, validation, and safe failure. Proven experience taking systems from prototype to production, including defining architecture, managing trade-offs, and ensuring reliability at scale. Strong experience building backend systems, workflows, or integrations, including APIs, event-driven systems, and automation frameworks. Comfortable working with orchestration tools and workflow engines (e.g., Zapier + code, n8n, Temporal, Airflow, or similar), including extending platforms with custom logic where needed. Experience designing or contributing to system architecture, particularly in integration-heavy or distributed systems. Strong proficiency in JavaScript/Typescript, including building and deploying backend services, integrations, or extensions to support workflow and automation systems. Comfortable taking ownership in ambiguous problem spaces, helping define the path forward rather than waiting for fully defined requirements. Strong collaborator who enjoys building in partnership with product, domain, and systems owners. Is the Role a Fit for You? You'll be a strong fit for this role if you: Think with a product mindset, not a ticket mindset. You take the time to understand stakeholder needs and real-world workflows before building solutions. Are comfortable working in ambiguity. You can take rough ideas or early prototypes and shape them into clear, working systems. Think in systems. You naturally connect tools, people, and processes into cohesive, scalable workflows. Take ownership and drive outcomes. You define the path forward and see things through to production, not just implementation. Balance speed with sound judgment. You move quickly while being thoughtful about reliability, failure modes, and human impact, especially when working with AI systems. Compensation and Hiring Transparency Compensation: Contract rates are determined based on experience, engagement scope, duration, and time commitment. Rate discussions will take place during initial conversations. Use of AI in Hiring: To keep the process efficient and focused on human connection, we use AI-enabled and automated tools for tasks like candidate communications and scheduling, interview note-taking, and summarizing feedback for hiring teams. Our recruiters and hiring managers review all information, and humans make every hiring decision. Committed to an Inclusive Workplace We are committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible environment as we build a workforce that reflects the diversity of the community in which we live, including those with disabilities. We are dedicated to providing accommodations in all parts of the hiring process in accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and the Ontario Human Rights Code. If you require any accommodation, we will work with you to meet your needs. Committed to Social and Environmental Stewardship Orium is committed to promoting and working towards a more socially and environmentally sustainable future. All individuals engaged by Orium are expected to make decisions and take actions in relation to their role and work that follow through on this commitment. #LI-Remote