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Role Description

As a Senior AI and Automations Engineer, you will be the primary builder on Pearl's AI and Automation team. You will design, build, and ship the automation workflows and AI-powered tools that drive Pearl's recruitment operations — from candidate pre-qualification pipelines to client-facing matching systems. You'll work directly with the AI & Automation Strategy Lead to translate strategic priorities into production systems. This is a hands-on, high-ownership role: you'll be building from day one, not sitting in planning meetings. This role is ideal for someone who is a fast, independent builder — comfortable shipping V1s quickly, integrating AI APIs into real business workflows, and iterating based on feedback from non-technical stakeholders.

Your Impact

• Build and maintain the automation infrastructure that processes 25,000+ candidates monthly through multi-step AI workflows.
• Integrate LLM APIs (Claude, Gemini, OpenAI) into production candidate evaluation and matching pipelines.
• Architect and ship internal tools — matching engines, scoring systems, data pipelines — that directly reduce recruiter workload and accelerate placements.
• Own the technical build on N8N (self-hosted), designing reliable, scalable workflows with proper error handling and monitoring.
• Eventually build client-facing product features — portals, matching interfaces, AI-powered tools — as Pearl scales its technology offering.
• Enable the team to move faster by creating systems that non-technical teammates can operate without engineering support.

Areas of Responsibility

• Automation Infrastructure — 50%
  • Design, build, and maintain automation workflows on N8N (self-hosted) that power Pearl's candidate processing pipeline.
  • Build integrations between Workable (ATS), HubSpot (CRM), Google Sheets, and various AI model APIs.
  • Implement error handling, retry logic, webhook reliability, and monitoring across all production workflows.
  • Optimize existing workflows for cost (token management, API call efficiency) and speed.
  • Create Google Sheets-based interfaces so operations teams can interact with automations without touching the backend.
• AI Integration & Tooling — 30%
  • Wire up LLM APIs (Claude, Gemini, OpenAI) into candidate evaluation, matching, and scoring workflows.
  • Build prompt engineering systems with structured outputs — reliable, repeatable, and production-grade.
  • Develop candidate-to-JD matching tools that pull from Workable reports, score against client requirements, and surface ranked profiles with match explanations.
  • Prototype and ship internal AI tools that solve operational bottlenecks identified by the Strategy Lead and department heads.
• Product Development & Scaling — 20%
  • Build toward client-facing product features: matching portals, onboarding experiences, AI-enabled talent tools.
  • Architect data models and backend services (FastAPI/Flask/Node.js) for internal and external tools.
  • Develop frontend interfaces (React/Next.js) for internal dashboards and eventually client-facing products.
  • Document systems and create handoff materials so that upkeep can be managed by other team members.

Qualifications

• 4–7 years in software development, with at least 2 years focused on backend/full-stack and 1+ year working with AI/LLM integrations or automation at scale.
• Has built and shipped automation workflows in production — not just prototypes.
• They've dealt with broken webhooks at 2am, token cost blowouts, and API rate limits in real environments.
• Has integrated 3+ systems together in a single pipeline (e.g., CRM → AI model → ATS → notification layer) and owned the reliability of that pipeline.
• Has wired LLM APIs into business workflows — not just chatbots or demos, but structured output systems that non-technical users depend on daily.
• Has built at least one internal tool end-to-end — from database schema to API to frontend — that a team actually used in production.
• Can show a portfolio or GitHub with real projects, not just tutorial repos.
• Has worked in a startup or small team environment where they had to wear multiple hats, make architecture decisions without a senior lead, and ship under time pressure.
• Communicates proactively — sends updates before being asked, flags blockers early, writes docs without being told to.

Must-Haves (Required)

• 4–7 years of experience in full-stack software development (Python backend + React/Next.js or similar frontend).
• Production experience building and maintaining automation workflows — N8N, Make, Zapier, or comparable orchestration tools at scale (not hobby projects).
• Hands-on experience integrating LLM APIs (OpenAI, Anthropic/Claude, Google Gemini) into production systems — prompt engineering, structured output parsing, cost optimization.
• Strong API integration skills — has connected CRMs, ATS platforms, communication tools, and external APIs in production environments.
• Database fluency — PostgreSQL or similar. Can design schemas, write efficient queries, and build data models.
• Comfortable working with Google Sheets/Apps Script as a data layer alongside proper databases.
• Can communicate technical trade-offs clearly to non-technical stakeholders (recruiters, sales, ops leads).
• Ships fast — comfortable with "good enough to test" V1s and iterating live based on feedback.
• Self-directed — can take a vague brief ("we need candidates matched to JDs faster") and scope the technical approach independently.
• Proactive problem-finder — identifies optimization opportunities and proposes solutions before being asked.
• Excellent written and verbal communication in English — can write clear documentation, explain technical decisions in Slack/Loom, and collaborate async with a distributed team.

Nice-to-Haves (Preferred)

• Experience in staffing, recruitment, or HR tech — understands ATS data models, candidate pipelines, and placement metrics.
• Has built a client-facing product (not just internal tools) — portal, marketplace, or SaaS feature.
• Experience with N8N self-hosted specifically (community nodes, custom functions, credential management).
• Familiarity with AI agent frameworks (CrewAI, AutoGen, LangChain) or agentic tool setups (MCP servers, Claude Workspace).
• Experience with HubSpot or Workable APIs.

Tools Proficiency

• Must-Haves (Required)
  • Python, N8N (self-hosted), FastAPI/Flask or Node.js, React/Next.js, PostgreSQL or similar RDBMS, REST APIs & webhooks, Google Sheets/Apps Script, Git, LLM APIs (Claude, Gemini, OpenAI)
• Nice-to-Haves (Preferred)
  • Docker, HubSpot API, Workable API, Zapier/Make, Redis, AWS/GCP basics, Terraform or similar IaC

Benefits

• Monthly performance bonus
• Fully remote, forever
• Annual team retreat
• Unlimited PTO
• Real-world experience in recruitment marketing and sourcing
• A behind-the-scenes look at how we connect people with opportunities
• A supportive team that values your growth and ideas

Ready to Join Us?

If you’re hungry to lead, build, and scale—and you’ve done it before—then this is the opportunity you’ve been waiting for. Apply now and help us build the world’s best recruitment team!