AI Engineer (open to office locations in Montana, Nebraska & South Dakota)

AI Engineer

Work Location: Open to Montana, Nebraska & South Dakota office locations

Pay range: $83,600 to $153,400 per year

Employment Status: Regular Full-time

External candidates apply at northwesternenergy.com

Internal candidates apply through iConnect.

About this position:

The AI Engineer position is responsible for designing, developing, and deploying AI models and algorithms to solve complex business problems. The AI Engineer will work closely with cross-functional teams to integrate AI solutions into various applications and systems. The AI Engineer must be proficient in machine learning, deep learning, and natural language processing techniques, and be comfortable working with large datasets and cloud-based AI services.

We offer great benefits:

NorthWestern Energy is a fully regulated electric and natural gas utility serving Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska. We employ over 1,600 amazing people and serve over 800,000 customers who are our neighbors in our communities. We are a top employer and offer competitive benefits, including:

• 401K with company match up to 4% and non-elective contribution up to 7%
• Healthcare and wellbeing programs, including dental and vision for you, your spouse and dependents, Health Savings Account (HSA), healthcare and dependent care flexible spending account (FSA)
• Employee Assistance Programs (Offering up to six free counseling sessions, per person, per issue, per year for employees, spouses and dependents to include financial heath)
• Life Insurance (Company pays basic employee policy; spouse, dependent insurance also available)
• Continuing education reimbursement
• Competitive pay (Scheduled performance-based wage increases and annual incentive opportunities.)
• Paid company endorsed volunteer opportunities
• Paid parental leave
• Paid bereavement leave
• Paid training opportunities
• Paid time off starting on your first day, plus 11 paid holidays

Benefits may vary by position or as negotiated as part of a collective bargaining agreement.

About this job:

• Optimize AI development and production environments for performance, scalability and reliability, with a focus on building effective continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) infrastructure.
• Collaborate with data engineers, software developers, and business stakeholders to streamline AI delivery through AI engineering best practices; improve data integrity and pipelines for continuous operation of AI models; and secure AI Pipelines in compliance with regulations and internal guidelines.
• Scan the technology landscape regularly for new tools that can improve AI engineering processes and stay abreast of new techniques in AI that can deliver substantial business value.
• Enable experimentation, development, evaluation and deployment of generative AI (GenAI) applications by setting up AI sandboxes for experimentation, deploy advanced prompt engineering techniques (such as retrieval-augmented generation [RAG]), fine-tuning models, automate complex workflows and monitor production AI Applications.
• Develop, maintain and deliver AI training and educational programs to education employees on AI tools, technologies and use cases ensuring user adoption across the organization.
• Create AI applications to provide actionable insights into customers, operational efficiency, and other key business performance metrics
• Implement processes and systems to monitor AI model performance and ensure production models are accurate and reliable
• Plan, direct, and set priorities with project teams to ensure timely task completion
• Some travel (up to 15% of time) and extended hours may be required
• All NorthWestern Energy employees are required to adhere to company safety standards and the Code of Business Conduct & Ethics
• Ensure all actions are consistent with NorthWestern Energy's values, mission, and strategic business objectives
• Conduct research and stay updated on the latest AI trends and technologies to continuously improve AI solutions
• Develop and maintain documentation for AI models, processes, and systems
• Collaborate with IT and data teams to ensure seamless integration of AI solutions with existing systems
• Participate in code reviews and provide constructive feedback to peers
• Develop and implement strategies for AI model deployment, monitoring, and maintenance
• Evaluate and select appropriate AI tools and technologies for various projects
• Work with cross-functional teams to identify opportunities for AI-driven innovation and improvement
• Develop and maintain AI-related performance metrics and KPIs to measure the success of AI initiatives
• All Northwestern Energy employees are required to adhere to company safety standards and the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics
• Ensure all actions are consistent with Northwestern Energy's values, mission, and strategic business objectives

Am I right for this job? Here's the success profile:

• Demonstrate and maintain a good safety record
• A Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, or a related field from a four-year accredited college. 4+ years of experience in an AI Engineering role preferred.
• Experience using the following software/tools:
  • Machine learning frameworks such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, Scikit-learn, Keras, MXNet
  • Natural language processing and orchestration libraries: NLTK, SpaCy, LangChain, Prompt flow, etc.
  • Cloud AI services: Azure Machine Learning, Azure Foundry, AWS SageMaker, Google AI Platform, etc.
  • Programming languages: Python, R, etc.
  • Advanced working knowledge of SQL and experience working with relational databases
  • Working knowledge of Source Control and CI/CD processes
  • Strong communication skills and the ability to explain complex AI concepts to non-technical stakeholders
  • Experience with Business Intelligence (BI) tools
  • Experience building GenAI applications, including working with LLM, RAG and multi-agent systems
  • Experience performing root cause analysis on AI models and processes to answer specific business questions and identify opportunities for improvement
  • Strong analytic skills related to working with structured and unstructured datasets
  • A successful history of manipulating, processing, and extracting value from large datasets
  • Proven knowledge of secure software development and building secure AI systems
  • Strong project management and organizational skills
  • Experience supporting and working with cross-functional teams in a dynamic environment
  • Experience with or knowledge of Agile Software Development methodologies
  • The candidate should be results-driven, an analytical and creative thinker, an innovative problem solver, self-motivated and proactive, highly organized, and can handle multiple and simultaneous tasks to meet aggressive deadlines
  • Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail
• Get Into Energy - Energy Industry Fundamental 2.0 certification is a plus (click here to certify at no cost)

Requisition #4644

Posting Dates: July 21, 2025 through Open Until Filled

Department/Division: Business Technology

Employment Physical: Not Required

Drug Test: Required

Background Check: Required

Relocation Benefit: Negotiale

Telecommuting: Part-time Negotiable within NorthWestern Energy Service Territory

We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information or any other protected class in accordance with applicable federal or state laws and statutes. In compliance with the ADA Amendments Act, should you have a disability that requires assistance and/or reasonable accommodation with the job application process, please contact the Human Resources department at 1-800-245-6977 or at