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AI & Business Systems Engineer

Cook Residential LLC
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AI & BUSINESS SYSTEMS ENGINEER

Cook Construction & Real Estate
Gainesville, Georgia
Full-Time | Primarily In-Office

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY

Cook Construction & Real Estate is seeking a highly capable and curious AI & Business Systems Engineer to help build the next generation of technology used throughout our company.

This is an opportunity for an exceptional recent graduate or early-career professional who wants significant responsibility and the chance to build practical systems inside a growing operating company.

You will work directly with company ownership and department leaders to understand how our business operates and then use software, data, automation and artificial intelligence to make it operate better.

Our goal is to create one connected operating environment across:

  • Construction
  • Real estate development
  • Accounting and job costing
  • Estimating
  • Purchasing
  • Project management
  • Document management
  • Executive reporting

Today, much of that information exists across different software platforms, databases, spreadsheets, documents and individual workflows.

We want to organize and connect those systems and develop practical AI and automation tools that employees can use every day.

This is not an IT help-desk position and not an AI research position.

We are looking for someone who likes to build, solve problems and turn ideas into working systems.

One day you may be connecting APIs and databases. Another day you may be developing an AI assistant, analyzing estimating data, automating a workflow, building an executive dashboard or sitting with a project manager or estimator to understand how their work could be improved.

WHAT YOU WILL WORK ON

Potential projects include:

  • Develop secure AI assistants capable of searching and analyzing company contracts, plans, estimates, correspondence, procedures and historical project information.
  • Develop AI and automation tools for estimating, purchasing, accounting, project management and real estate development.
  • Connect existing software platforms using APIs, databases and automation tools.
  • Build a centralized and structured company data and knowledge environment.
  • Develop an estimating database using historical pricing and completed-project information.
  • Create systems that assist estimators with historical pricing, quantity data and project comparisons.
  • Automate comparisons of subcontractor and supplier proposals.
  • Automate the processing and routing of invoices, contracts, change orders and other project documents.
  • Develop executive dashboards showing project status, budgets, commitments, schedules, cash flow, profitability and overall company performance.
  • Automate weekly project reporting using financial, schedule and field information.
  • Build systems for tracking land opportunities, entitlements, development budgets, investors and real estate projects.
  • Integrate ThreadKore and other core business platforms into the broader company system.
  • Automate repetitive administrative and data-entry processes.
  • Create tools for contract review, document analysis, meeting summaries and project reporting.
  • Continually identify new opportunities where AI and automation can improve productivity, accuracy and decision-making.

WHAT YOUR FIRST YEAR COULD LOOK LIKE

During your first year, you would:

  • Learn how each department of the company currently operates.
  • Map important business processes and identify opportunities for automation and improvement.
  • Understand our existing software platforms, data, files and documents.
  • Help establish an organized and secure company data and knowledge foundation.
  • Connect our most important business systems and information sources.
  • Build and launch several practical AI applications.
  • Automate high-volume repetitive processes and unnecessary duplicate entry.
  • Develop executive dashboards and reporting tools.
  • Measure whether the systems you build actually save time, reduce costs or improve decision-making.
  • Establish the technical foundation the company can continue building upon for years.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

We are open to both exceptional recent graduates and early-career candidates with professional experience.

Relevant academic backgrounds could include:

  • Computer Science
  • Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning
  • Computer Engineering
  • Data Science
  • Computational Media
  • Industrial Engineering
  • Analytics
  • Information Systems
  • Mathematics
  • Other highly technical disciplines

More important than a particular degree is your ability to understand difficult problems and build working solutions.

TECHNICAL EXPERIENCE WE VALUE

You do not need experience with every technology listed below.

Experience may come from coursework, internships, co-ops, research, personal projects, startups or professional employment.

Relevant experience may include:

  • Python
  • SQL and relational databases
  • JavaScript / TypeScript
  • REST APIs
  • Large language models and generative AI
  • OpenAI, Anthropic, Google or other AI APIs
  • AI agents and tool use
  • Retrieval-augmented generation (RAG)
  • Vector databases and semantic search
  • Data pipelines and integrations
  • Microsoft 365
  • SharePoint
  • Power BI
  • Power Automate
  • Cloud platforms
  • Workflow automation
  • Git and modern software-development practices

YOU MAY BE A GOOD FIT IF YOU

  • Build things beyond what is required for class or work.
  • Experiment with new AI models, tools and APIs.
  • Enjoy figuring out how systems work.
  • Can take an unclear business problem and turn it into a practical technical solution.
  • Learn new technologies quickly.
  • Are willing to learn an industry you may not already know.
  • Ask good questions.
  • Can communicate technical concepts to nontechnical people.
  • Enjoy seeing something you built actually used by employees.
  • Want significant responsibility early in your career.
  • Prefer building and improving systems rather than simply maintaining them.
  • Are comfortable working closely with company ownership and department leaders.

Construction and real estate experience are not required.

We can teach you our business.

We are looking for someone who can bring strong technical ability, curiosity, problem-solving skills and a current understanding of AI technology.

WHY THIS ROLE IS DIFFERENT

You will not be joining a large technology department and working on one small component of a much larger system.

You will work directly with company ownership and have exposure to virtually every part of the business.

You will have access to real operating problems, real project information and employees who can explain where inefficiencies exist.

You will have the opportunity to design, build, test and deploy systems throughout an active construction and real estate company.

The person who succeeds in this position can grow with the company and potentially take increasing responsibility for Cook Construction & Real Estate's:

  • Artificial intelligence strategy
  • Business systems
  • Software integrations
  • Data architecture
  • Automation
  • Analytics and reporting
  • Internal technology development

For the right person, this can develop into a significant long-term leadership position within the company.

LOCATION

This position is primarily in-office in Gainesville, Georgia.

We believe working inside the business and directly with the people who will use these systems is particularly important while the platform is being developed.

COMPENSATION

Expected base salary: $100,000–$125,000, plus performance bonus and benefits.

Compensation may be higher for candidates with exceptional technical experience or directly relevant professional experience.

Both exceptional new graduates and candidates with several years of professional experience will be considered.

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit your résumé along with links to any relevant:

  • GitHub repositories
  • Applications
  • Websites
  • AI tools
  • Research
  • Demos
  • Automation projects
  • Software or technical projects you have personally built

Please also provide a brief response to the following:

  1. What is the most interesting application, AI tool, automation or technical project you have personally built?
  2. What part of the project did you personally design or code?
  3. What AI models, tools, APIs or technologies are you currently experimenting with?
  4. Give an example of a repetitive business process you believe AI or automation could significantly improve.
  5. Why does the opportunity to build technology inside an operating construction and real estate company interest you?

Cook Construction & Real Estate is an equal opportunity employer.