THECB - Senior AI Engineer (ITS)

About the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) works to ensure that all Texans have access to high-quality, affordable higher education opportunities that prepare students for successful careers and strengthen the state's workforce and economy. Through collaboration with colleges, universities, policymakers, and education partners across Texas, THECB advances initiatives that expand educational opportunity, promote student success, and support the future of higher education. About Information Technology Services

The Information Technology Services (ITS) Division advances THECB's mission by delivering secure, reliable, and customer-focused technology services that enable agency staff to effectively serve Texas students, institutions, and communities. Our organization is committed to operational excellence through modern technology, strong governance, strategic partnerships, and continuous improvement. We are modernizing how technology services are delivered by strengthening infrastructure and operational resilience, advancing cloud-first and hybrid infrastructure, improving platform reliability and security, and building a culture centered on accountability, collaboration, innovation, and service excellence. At THECB, we believe technology is more than infrastructure and support. It is a strategic business partner that enables our agency to better serve students, institutions, and the State of Texas. About the Role

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board is seeking a versatile, technically strong engineer to lead the rollout of Claude, ChatGPT, and other enterprise generative AI platforms as the Senior AI Engineer. This is a hands-on AI enablement role, not a deep machine learning or model-building position: you'll configure and support these platforms and help agency staff turn real business needs into practical AI-driven solutions. Reporting to the Director of Data Engineering, this position is the agency's primary technical resource for applied AI adoption. The Senior AI Engineer partners directly with business users to gather use cases and translate them into custom AI assistant configurations or comparable solutions, establishes and operates a managed lifecycle for AI tools from pilot through certification for enterprise use, and trains and supports staff on AI platform capabilities. This role also applies hands‑on software engineering skill to integrate advanced AI development tools, such as Claude Code, into the agency's development and SDLC processes as those capabilities mature, and may prototype lightweight custom solutions or integrations to meet emerging use cases. The role requires versatility and comfort operating in an evolving environment, since the agency's AI capabilities, tools, and processes are expected to grow and change significantly over time. Partners closely with an AI/Data Product Owner and with systems administration and architecture staff to deliver AI capabilities and mature the agency's AI/ML capabilities over time. This position works under minimal supervision, with considerable latitude for the use of initiative and independent judgment, and serves as a senior technical authority and mentor without formal supervisory or people management responsibilities. Why Join Our Team

This is an exciting opportunity to help shape how the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board adopts and governs artificial intelligence, including platforms such as Claude and ChatGPT, from your first conversation with a business user through the tools that go on to be used agency‑wide. As the agency's applied AI lead, you'll play a critical role in rolling out enterprise AI platforms, working directly with staff to find and build real use cases, and establishing a managed, trustworthy path from pilot to certified enterprise tool. In this role, you'll have the opportunity to: Lead the rollout, configuration, and support of enterprise generative AI platforms such as Claude and ChatGPT across the agency. Work directly with business users and an AI/Data Product Owner to gather use cases and translate them into custom AI assistant configurations or equivalent solutions. Build and operate a managed AI tool lifecycle, from pilot through certification for enterprise use, and maintain the agency's catalog of certified AI tools. Integrate advanced AI development tools, such as Claude Code, into engineering workflows and the SDLC, and prototype lightweight custom solutions where they best meet a use case. Train and support end users and technical staff on AI platform capabilities, serving as the agency's go‑to technical resource for applied AI adoption. Make a lasting impact by helping technology enable the agency's mission of expanding educational opportunity and supporting higher education across Texas. If you are passionate about applied AI platforms like Claude and ChatGPT, enjoy working directly with people to solve real problems, and want to help build responsible AI adoption from the ground up, we encourage you to apply. General Description

Performs advanced software engineering and applied AI enablement work for the Information Technology Services department, within the agency's data engineering function. This position serves as the agency's primary technical resource for rolling out, configuring, and supporting enterprise generative AI platforms, such as Claude and ChatGPT, and for helping agency staff identify, develop, and adopt effective AI‑driven use cases. Work involves partnering directly with business users to gather use cases and translate them into custom AI assistant configurations or comparable solutions; establishing and operating a managed lifecycle for AI tools, from pilot through certification for enterprise use, and maintaining the agency's catalog of certified AI tools; and training and supporting staff on AI platform capabilities. This role also applies hands‑on software engineering skill to integrate advanced AI development tools, such as Claude Code, into the agency's development and SDLC processes as those capabilities mature, and may prototype lightweight custom solutions or integrations to meet emerging use cases. This position requires versatility and comfort operating in an evolving environment, since the agency's AI capabilities, tools, and processes are expected to grow and change significantly over time. Works under minimal supervision, with considerable latitude for the use of initiative and independent judgment, and partners closely with an AI/Data Product Owner and with systems administration and architecture staff as needed. This position serves as a senior technical authority and mentor without formal supervisory or people management responsibilities. This position reports to the Director of Data Engineering. Performs other duties as assigned. General Duties and Responsibilities

AI Platform Enablement & Rollout Leads rollout of enterprise generative AI platforms such as Claude and ChatGPT, including configuration, integration, and deployment of chat and custom assistant capabilities across the agency; prototypes lightweight custom solutions or integrations where they meet a use case more effectively than platform configuration alone. Use Case Discovery & Solution Design Works directly with business users and the AI/Data Product Owner to gather, evaluate, and design AI use cases; translates business needs into custom GPT/assistant configurations, prompts, or equivalent solutions. AI Tool Lifecycle & Governance Establishes and operates a managed lifecycle process for AI tools, from pilot through certification for enterprise use, maintaining the agency's AI tool catalog and ensuring reliability and responsible‑use standards. Automation & Developer Tooling Integration Configures and integrates advanced AI development tools, such as Claude Code, into engineering workflows and the SDLC to improve developer productivity; adapts tooling and integrations as the agency's technical environment matures. Documentation, Standards & Responsible AI Compliance Establishes documentation, usage standards, and responsible‑AI guardrails for published tools; ensures compliance with security and data‑handling requirements. User Training & Technical Enablement Trains and supports end users and technical staff on AI platform capabilities; serves as the agency's go‑to technical resource for applied AI adoption, without formal supervisory authority. Performs other duties as assigned. Knowledge Skills or Abilities

Knowledge of enterprise generative AI platforms, such as Claude, ChatGPT, or comparable solutions, including their capabilities, configuration options, and administrative controls. Knowledge of prompt engineering, custom AI assistant or GPT configuration, and retrieval‑augmented generation (RAG) concepts. Knowledge of AI governance principles, including use case intake, risk classification, and lifecycle management from pilot through certification for enterprise use. Knowledge of responsible AI practices, including data privacy, security, and appropriate use considerations for generative AI in an enterprise environment. Knowledge of software engineering fundamentals and the software development life cycle (SDLC), including how AI development tools, such as Claude Code, integrate into existing workflows. Knowledge of IT governance, security, and compliance practices related to enterprise technology adoption. Skill in configuring and deploying enterprise generative AI platforms and custom AI assistants to meet specific business use cases. Skill in eliciting and translating business use cases from non‑technical staff into practical AI‑driven solutions. Skill in prototyping lightweight custom tools or integrations to address use cases not met by standard platform configuration. Skill in integrating AI development tools into engineering workflows and the SDLC to improve developer productivity. Skill in developing clear documentation, usage guides, and training materials for technical and non‑technical audiences. Skill in delivering hands‑on training and technical support to end users adopting new AI capabilities. Skill in collaborating effectively with an AI/Data Product Owner, systems administration, and architecture staff to deliver AI capabilities. Ability to work directly and effectively with business customers to identify and validate AI use cases. Ability to operate with versatility across a range of technical and enablement responsibilities in an evolving environment. Ability to exercise sound independent judgment on AI tool adoption, configuration, and risk without formal supervisory authority. Ability to balance platform configuration work with hands‑on prototyping and development as needs require. Ability to establish and apply consistent standards for AI tool review, certification, and ongoing governance. Ability to communicate complex AI concepts clearly to both technical and non‑technical stakeholders. Ability to foster a culture of responsible, effective AI adoption and continuous improvement. Required In-Office Days

This position is authorized for a hybrid telework schedule. Employees are required to work in the office two (2) days per week, with the remaining three (3) days eligible for telework. Specific in‑office days may be determined by the department to meet business needs. Military Crosswalk : https://hr.sao.texas.gov/Compensation/MilitaryCrosswalk/MOSC_InformationTechnology.pdf Required Minimum Education and Experience

Bachelors degree from an accredited four‑year college or university with major coursework in computer science, information systems, data science, or a related field. Six (6) years of progressively responsible experience in software engineering, applied artificial intelligence, or a related technical field, including experience deploying, configuring, or integrating AI or generative AI platforms into business workflows. Additional related work experience may substitute for the required education on a year‑for‑year basis. Preferred

Extensive experience deploying, configuring, or administering enterprise generative AI platforms, such as Claude, ChatGPT, or Microsoft Copilot. Experience designing and building custom GPTs, AI assistants, or comparable configured AI solutions for business use cases. Demonstrated experience working directly with business customers to gather requirements and translate them into AI‑driven solutions. Experience establishing or supporting an AI governance, intake, or use case management process. Experience integrating AI development tools, such as Claude Code or GitHub Copilot, into software development workflows. Experience with software engineering practices sufficient to prototype or build lightweight custom integrations. Experience delivering technical training or enablement programs to non‑technical staff. Experience in public sector or government technology environments. Physical Requirements and/or Working Conditions

Work is performed in a standard office environment and requires: Regular, reliable, and punctual attendance at work. Frequent use of personal computers, copiers, printers, telephones, and other standard office equipment. Frequent sitting, with occasional standing, walking, and movement throughout the office. Frequent interaction with agency leadership, staff, vendors, and external stakeholders. Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet established deadlines in a fast-paced environment. Workforce

Must be able to: Demonstrate a strong commitment to customer service and the agency's mission. Provide strategic leadership that promotes collaboration, accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement. Build and maintain effective working relationships with agency leadership, staff, vendors, and external stakeholders. Show flexibility and adaptability to changing priorities, assignments, and organizational needs, including working extended hours when necessary. Adhere to the agency's internal management policies, procedures, and applicable federal and state requirements. Contribute to the agency's strategic goals, organizational performance measures, and mission. Application Requirements

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board is an Equal

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