AI Engineer I

LOCATION: Durham (Hybrid) About Us Victra is Verizon's largest premium retailer in the United States. We thrive on collaboration, innovation, and performance. Our mission is to "Connect technology to life in a trustworthy, fun, and profitable way". We work closely with Verizon and our brand partners to deliver exceptional product offerings, promotions, and campaigns that drive in-store traffic and revenue. Description Victra is building its AI engineering capability in-house, and this role is where that starts. As an AI Engineer I, you will build, test, and ship AI agents and workflows on Microsoft Copilot Studio and Azure AI Foundry, working from specifications and architecture set by senior engineers. This is a deliberately early-career role: we are hiring for aptitude, curiosity, and builder instincts, not years of AI experience. No generative AI experience is required. If you are an early-career software developer, an automation or Power Platform builder ready to move into pro-code, a systems administrator, or an engineer excited to learn agent development on a funded, structured path, this role was written for you. You will have a named mentor, a certification budget, and real ownership of what you ship. Our center of gravity is Azure AI Foundry, but the fundamentals you will learn here (APIs, prompting, orchestration, evaluation) are platform-agnostic, and you will occasionally support builds beyond the core platforms, including open-source frameworks and AI coding tools. Key Responsibilities • Build, test, and deploy AI agents and workflows on Copilot Studio and Azure AI Foundry, following the architecture standards and patterns set by senior engineers • Wire integrations between agents and business systems: connectors, APIs, and tool integrations • Validate AI outputs against acceptance criteria; write and run tests, including basic evaluation checks, before anything ships • Troubleshoot edge cases and production issues with senior backup, and document root causes • Own one scoped agent after launch: monitoring, small fixes, and user feedback, with a named senior reviewer • Document every build to team standard so knowledge lives in the team, not one person's head • Support builds beyond the core platforms when directed, including open-source agent frameworks and AI coding tools, applying the same testing, documentation, and registration standards • Register everything you ship in the agent registry so nothing goes ungoverned • Complete the structured learning path (Microsoft Learn agent development curriculum plus funded certifications) on the agreed timeline Required WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR • Bachelor's degree in computer science, information systems, or a related field, demonstrating technical dedication, the ability to commit long term, and a strong critical-thinking foundation • Demonstrated coding aptitude in a general-purpose programming language such as Python, C#, or Java; scripting experience (PowerShell, JavaScript, or Power Fx) also counts • Working knowledge of APIs and data basics (calling a service, reading JSON, moving data between systems) • Defensive, edge-case thinking: you instinctively ask "what happens when this input is wrong" • Clear written communication and documentation habits • Evidence of self-driven learning: side projects, experiments, or a tool you taught yourself, including attempts that failed and what you did next • Comfortable using AI tools daily (Claude, GitHub Copilot, or similar) as part of how you work • No generative AI experience required; we will teach the AI Preferred • A background that shows real building: software or application development, scripting, or automation engineering; Power Platform, RPA, ServiceNow, or systems administration experience is welcome as a starting point • Interest in pro-code building on Azure: writing and consuming REST APIs, Azure Functions (function apps), API Management (APIM), and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) work such as indexing and grounding strategies in Azure AI Foundry • Familiarity with a modern code workflow: Git version control, branch management, and CI/CD pipelines for pushing code into production • Exposure to open-source agent frameworks or LLM observability tooling (LangChain, Langfuse, or similar) • Microsoft certifications a plus, not a requirement: AI-901 or AB-900 (fundamentals), AB-620 AI Agent Builder Associate, or AI-103 Azure AI Apps and Agents Developer Associate; we fund certification for hires who do not have them • Retail or field operations exposure GROWTH PATH • A published ladder from AI Engineer I toward senior agent development, backed by funded certifications, a learning budget, and increasing ownership. First supervised production agent expected around month six; scoped independence grows from there. WHY JOIN US? • Paid training and career development opportunities. • Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance. • 401k retirement plan. • Tuition reimbursement.