AI Engineer / Developer

Salary: $75,000$95,000

AI Engineer / Developer

Company:Forrest Fencing
Location:Felton, DE
Job Type:Full-time

About Forrest Fencing

Were a growing outdoor living contractor modernizing operations with AI. We want to embed AI into estimating, ordering/procurement, and office/schedulingso our team can move faster with fewer errors and better customer experience.

Position Summary

As an AI Engineer/Developer, youll design, prototype, and deploy practical AI/automation solutions across our day-to-day workflows. Youll work closely with estimating, purchasing, and office staff to turn real business problems into simple, reliable tools (not research projects).

Responsibilities

• Map current workflows (estimating, ordering, scheduling) and identify high-ROI automation/AI opportunities.
• Build MVPs that:
  • Auto-generate material takeoffs/estimatesfrom inputs (forms, price books, plans).
  • Assist orderingwith SKU matching, vendor pricing checks, and purchase order creation.
  • Improve scheduling/dispatchwith job readiness checks, crew planning, and calendar updates.
• Integrate with everyday tools (e.g., JobNimbus, QuickBooks, CRMs, calendars) via APIs/Zapier/Make.
• Develop small internal web apps/dashboards for staff to review, approve, and track tasks.
• Create data pipelines: clean and normalize price books, SKUs, and historical job data.
• Measure results (accuracy, time saved, error rate) and iterate quickly.
• Document systems, train end users, and provide light ongoing support.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelors Degreein Computer Science, Engineering, or AI related field (required).
• Proficiency in Python(FastAPI/Flask), SQL, and working with REST APIs.
• Experience with at least one AI/ML toolkit (e.g., scikit-learn, OpenAI/Anthropic APIs, Hugging Face).
• Solid understanding of data cleaning, prompt design, and evaluation/QA.
• Clear communicator who enjoys gathering requirements and demoing prototypes.

Preferred Qualifications (Nice to Have)

• Experience building small internal tools (React or simple HTML/CSS/JS front-ends).
• OCR or document parsing (PDF invoices/plans), vector databases (FAISS, Pinecone).
• Workflow automation (Zapier/Make), Google Apps Script, or cloud functions (AWS/Lambda/GCP).
• Familiarity with QuickBooks, CRMs, or scheduling tools; basic knowledge of construction/job costing.
• Git/GitHub, Docker, and basic CI for deploying internal apps.

Success Metrics (First Year)

• Estimating:3050% reduction in time to generate a draft estimate with 95% line-item accuracy.
• Ordering:Automated PO drafts for standard jobs; vendor price variance alerts before approval.
• Scheduling:Calendar/crew assignment assistant functioning with clear readiness checks.
• Adoption:80% of office/estimating staff using at least one AI tool daily.
• Documentation:Clear SOPs and click-to-run scripts or apps for each workflow.

What Youll Work On (Roadmap)

• Month 04: Process mapping, data audit, quick wins (document templates, AI-assisted emails).
• Month 4-8: Estimating assistant MVP tied to our internal price books; PO draft generator.
• Month 8-12: Scheduling assistant (crew load view + auto-updates); dashboards & metrics.

Benefits

• Health, dental, and vision coverage (if applicable).
• Company-paid Group Life Insurance and AD&D).
• Company-paid Short-Term Disability Insurance.
• Voluntary Long-Term Disability, Life, and Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) coverage available for employees and eligible dependents.
• Paid time off and holidays.
• Opportunities for advancement and professional training within the company.
• Training budget for courses/certifications
• Supportive, hands-on environment with direct access to decision-makers
  

Schedule

• MondayFriday (8am-4:30pm); occasional after-hours deploys/demos as needed.