AI Developer at Itron in Raleigh, NC

AI Developer Location: Oconee, SC (Local Office) Itron is innovating new ways for utilities and cities to manage energy and water. We create a more resourceful world to protect essential resources for today and tomorrow. Join us. We are seeking an AI Developer to design and build AI‑powered solutions using Microsoft’s AI ecosystem, primarily Azure, GitHub, Copilot Studio, and Azure AI Foundry. In this role, you will develop and integrate conversational copilots, retrieval‑augmented generation (RAG) experiences, and automation workflows into enterprise applications. You will collaborate closely with product, engineering, security, and business stakeholders to deliver scalable, compliant, and measurable AI capabilities that support utility and energy customers. Duties and Responsibilities: Solution Development & Delivery Build and maintain AI solutions leveraging Azure AI Foundry, including model selection, prompt orchestration, evaluation, and deployment patterns, with a focus on reliable and customer‑centric outcomes. Develop and configure copilots using Copilot Studio, including topics, actions, plugins/connectors, and inclusive conversation design. Implement AI integration patterns such as retrieval‑augmented generation (RAG), tool/function calling, and agent‑based workflows into applications and internal tooling. Create and maintain API services (for example, Azure Functions, App Service, and containerized services) to expose AI capabilities to enterprise business systems. Design and implement secure and accountable data access patterns for enterprise knowledge sources, including SharePoint, Azure SQL, and Blob Storage. DevOps, GitHub & Engineering Excellence Use Azure DevOps and GitHub for source control, pull requests, code reviews, branching strategies, and release management in a collaborative and agile environment. Build CI/CD pipelines that support automated testing, security scanning, and deployments to Azure. Apply engineering best practices, including unit and integration testing, telemetry, error handling, performance tuning, and clear documentation. Security, Compliance & Governance Follow secure‑by‑design practices, including identity and access management (Entra ID), secrets management (Key Vault), and least‑privilege access. Support responsible AI and governance requirements, including logging, auditing, evaluation, content safety, and prompt and security guardrails. Partner with security and compliance teams to ensure AI solutions align with enterprise policies and regulatory requirements common in the utilities and energy sector. Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement Translate business needs into AI solution designs, user stories, and technical delivery plans that are practical and measurable. Work cross‑functionally with product, engineering, and business partners to define success metrics, validate outcomes, and iterate based on feedback and analytics. Provide guidance and enablement to teams adopting Copilot Studio and Azure AI Foundry patterns, fostering shared ownership and continuous learning. Required Skills & Experience Experience building software solutions using Azure, including at least one of the following: Functions, App Service, Storage, SQL, or API Management. Hands‑on development experience with Azure DevOps and/or GitHub, including pull request workflows, branching strategies, issue tracking, and CI/CD. Experience developing AI‑driven applications, including at least one of the following: Copilots, chatbots, or conversational user experiences Retrieval‑based solutions (RAG) and enterprise search Prompt engineering and prompt or version management Tool/function calling or agentic workflows Ability to work with REST APIs and integrate AI solutions with enterprise systems. Strong software engineering fundamentals, including data structures, API design, testing, and troubleshooting. Clear communication skills with the ability to explain AI concepts to both technical and non‑technical audiences. Preferred Skills & Experience Experience with Copilot Studio, including topics, actions, connectors, publishing, and governance. Experience with Azure AI Foundry, including prompt flows and orchestration, evaluation, deployments, and observability. Familiarity with Azure OpenAI or other large language model providers and model lifecycle concepts. Experience with enterprise identity solutions, including Entra ID, OAuth2, role‑based access control, and secure data patterns. Knowledge of monitoring and observability tools such as Application Insights, Log Analytics, and dashboards. Experience with Power Platform, Logic Apps, or other integration and automation platforms. Comfort working in agile delivery models with a collaborative, innovative, and accountable approach. Benefits Info: This position also includes a competitive benefit package including; financial, social, health and wellbeing programs, paid vacation, 401k matching, employee stock purchase program, hybrid work schedule, and more! #LI-QW1 Itron is committed to building an inclusive and diverse workforce and providing an authentic workplace experience for all employees. If you are excited about this role but your past experiences don't perfectly align with every requirement, we encourage you to apply anyway. In the end, you may be just who we are looking for! The successful candidate's starting wage will be determined based on permissible, non-discriminatory factors such as skills and experience. Itron is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. If you require an accommodation to apply, please contact a recruiting representative at 1-800-635-5461 or email Accessibility@itron.com. Itron is transforming how the world manages energy, water and city services. Our trusted intelligent infrastructure solutions help utilities and cities improve efficiency, build resilience and deliver safe, reliable and affordable service. With edge intelligence, we connect people, data insights and devices so communities can better manage the essential resources they rely on to live. Join us as we create a more resourceful world: www.itron.com Additional Locations: Raleigh, NC (Local Office), United States of America, North Carolina, Raleigh, Austin, TX (Local Office), United States of America, Texas, Austin