Job Description

This position is a hybrid position, position responsibilities are a combination of those performed remotely and those performed in person on the Cornell University Campus in Ithaca, New York.

No Visa sponsorship available for this position.

What is Cornell University and what is Information Technology @ Cornell?
Cornell University, unique among peers, is the federal land-grant institution of New York State, a private endowed university, and a member of the Ivy League. Information technologies (IT) is a strategic enabler for many functions at Cornell. Check out this link to find out more about IT Cornell

The AI Strategy, Enablement, and Innovation team works closely with faculty, staff, students, and campus partners to build and support AI services. The team also is responsible for piloting emerging tools and platforms, guiding responsible use, and translating institutional needs into practical solutions. The team collaborates across a shared internal toolset that includes Jira, Teams, SharePoint, TDX, workflow automation platforms, LiteLLM, GitHub, Confluence, and Outlook. The team's work spans platform access and support, semester-long projects, consulting engagements, internal tools, and training and enablement, following a structured lifecycle from intake and triage through kickoff, sprint cycles, demo and review, and offboarding/handoff to ensure continuity, quality, and responsible delivery.

What will you do:

The AI Engineer (Temporary) will be an integral part of Cornell University’s AI Program, a pioneering initiative that harnesses the power of generative AI to address real-world challenges critical to the university's mission. Reporting to the Program Manager, this position will work at the intersection of cutting-edge AI technologies and practical implementation, building bespoke solutions that empower university departments, faculty, and students to optimize their workflows, improve decision-making, and unlock new opportunities for innovation. The position combines technical excellence with user-focused development to ensure AI solutions enhance equity, accessibility, and transparency, reinforcing Cornell’s commitment to fostering inclusion and innovation across its campus.

The position will not only collaborate on transformative projects but also shape how higher education harnesses AI to do the greatest good. This is a unique opportunity to engage in high-priority, high-impact projects while shaping how AI transforms higher education in the years to come.

As an individual contributor you will model and support a culture of inclusion, belonging, and wellbeing and continually seek to understand how your role, behaviors, and actions impact the success of this culture.

While position responsibilities vary greatly, the Skills for Success and Leadership Skills for Success are foundational to what is expected of every employee and leader working at Cornell. These skills are essential for individual and organizational success. Staff Skills for Success; Leadership Skills for Success Additionally, every member of our community is expected to foster a culture of belonging and a healthy work environment by communicating across differences; being cooperative, collaborative, open, and welcoming; showing respect, compassion, and empathy; engaging and supporting others regardless of background or perspective; speaking up when others are being excluded or treated inappropriately; and supporting work/life integration of oneself and others.

This role will be responsible for:

• Leveraging AI to tackle challenges such as improving academic advising processes, designing dynamic learning tools, enhancing operational efficiency, and scaling administrative tasks.
• Working on highly visible projects, from creating AI-driven dashboards for personalized student advising to developing natural language processing (NLP) based tools that streamline faculty research searches for media inquiries.
• Collaborating closely with stakeholders across the university, including faculty, researchers, staff, and students, focusing on both immediate problem-solving and long-term innovation.
• Serves as Tech Lead for selected projects, translating stakeholder needs into clear, buildable solutions; facilitating sprint-based work; supporting student engagement where applicable; and contributing to internal operational tools and offboarding documentation.
• Manages AI-related service workflows in TDX, supports access provisioning and ticket triage, builds automation for repeatable processes, and helps deliver consultations, AI Exploration sessions, onboarding materials, guid es, and reusable knowledge resources.

Note: This position is a one (1) year temporary position with benefits, which may be ended or extended based on organizational needs, funding availability and performance.

The salary range for this temporary role is $85,000 to $95,000, based on experience

Required qualifications include:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Science, or related field, with at least 1 year of relevant experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Proficiency in using Python, AI APIs (OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, etc.), machine learning algorithms, and software development frameworks.
• Familiarity with building agentic solutions using frameworks/tools such as workflow automation platforms, agentic coding tools (Claude Code), LangChain, LangGraph, Agents SDK, etc.
• Strong understanding of advanced AI models and architectures, including generative AI models (including LLMs).
• Practical experience in deploying AI apps to production, including containerization technologies such as Docker.
• Familiarity with modern cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure), MLOps pipelines, and version control (Git) to support scalable AI workflows.
• Proven ability to distill complex organizational needs into robust AI solutions.
• Experience addressing real-world challenges using AI, ideally in academic, research, or collaborative environments.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical audiences.
• Proactive stakeholder engagement skills to refine project goals and ensure user-focused solution development.
• Demonstrated commitment to ethical AI practices, ensuring that AI tools are implemented responsibly.
• Ability to cultivate and develop inclusive working relationships with students, faculty, staff, and community members.
• Sound judgment about data risk, permissions, and architectural constraints, and the ability to communicate tradeoffs clearly while aligning work with Cornell-approved platforms and responsible AI practices.
• A passion for translating cutting edge AI into real world solutions within a vibrant academic community.

Preferred qualifications include:

• Master’s Degree.
• Experience building conversational agents or other generative AI applications in higher education or similar environments.
• Proficiency in relational, non-relational, or graph databases.
• Familiarity using frameworks such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, and Hugging Face.
• Familiarity with academic workflows, from course management to research collaboration tools.
• Prior contributions to academic publications, open-source projects, or AI community initiatives.

University Job Title:

Temporary Programmer/Analyst

Job Family:

Temporary Information Technology

Level:

No Grade - Annual

Pay Rate Type:

Salary

Pay Range:

Refer to Posting Language

Remote Option Availability:

Hybrid

Company:

Contact Name:

Susie Jackson

Contact Email:

smm77@cornell.edu

Job Titles and Pay Ranges:

Non-Union Positions

Noted pay ranges reflect the potential pay opportunity for each job profile. The hiring rate of pay for the successful candidate will be determined considering the following criteria:

• Prior relevant work or industry experience

• Education level to the extent education is relevant to the position

• Unique applicable skills

• Academic Discipline

To learn more about Cornell’s non-union staff job titles and pay ranges, see Career Navigator

Union Positions

The hiring rate of pay for the successful candidate will be determined in accordance with the rates in the respective collective bargaining agreement To learn more about Cornell’s union wages, see Union Pay Rates

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EEO Statement:

Cornell welcomes students, faculty, and staff with diverse backgrounds from across the globe to pursue world-class education and career opportunities, to further the founding principle of “... any person ... any study.” No person shall be denied employment on the basis of any legally protected status or subjected to prohibited discrimination involving, but not limited to, such factors as race, ethnic or national origin, citizenship and immigration status, color, sex, pregnancy or pregnancy-related conditions, age, creed, religion, actual or perceived disability (including persons associated with such a person), arrest and/or conviction record, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender expression and/or identity, an individual’s genetic information, domestic violence victim status, familial status, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Cornell University embraces diversity in its workforce and seeks job candidates who will contribute to a climate that supports students, faculty, and staff of all identities and backgrounds. We hire based on merit, and encourage people from historically underrepresented and/or marginalized identities to apply. Consistent with federal law, Cornell engages in affirmative action in employment for qualified protected veterans as defined in the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) and qualified individuals with disabilities under Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act. We also recognize a lawful preference in employment practices for Native Americans living on or near Indian reservations in accordance with applicable law.

2026-07-20