Automation Engineer Contract Jobs in Raleigh, NC

PLEASE NOTE: Bitovi has been engaged by Avalara to lead initial and technical interviews for this role. While Bitovi will conduct the early rounds, the final interview and hiring decision will be made by Avalara directly.
Role Summary
As Avalara scales its AI-first enterprise systems, workflows, and automation footprint, we must improve the clarity, structure, and quality of requirements that drive AI automation and business transformation across the organization. This role exists to translate complex business workflows into well-defined, implementation-ready requirements for AI-enabled automation, agentic workflows, and transformation initiatives that improve solution quality, shorten delivery cycles, and accelerate measurable business value.
This BSA will operate at the intersection of business process design, AI automation strategy, and technical execution, working closely with AI Automation Engineers in an environment centered on n8n, Boomi, APIs, event-driven systems, and AI-enabled orchestration to ensure initiatives are scalable, governed, measurable, and aligned to business outcomes.
How This Role Elevates Avalara
This role strengthens Avalara's automation and transformation ecosystem by improving requirement quality, delivery predictability, and AI automation clarity.
This Business Systems Analyst - AI Automation ,will:

• Reduce rework and cycle time by translating business needs into structured, implementation-ready AI automation requirements
• Improve delivery predictability by defining clear workflow boundaries, system interactions, human-in-the-loop controls, and acceptance criteria
• Enhance employee and operational outcomes by ensuring AI automations are designed with governance, traceability, scalability, and measurable impact in mind
• Advance Avalara's AI-first execution by identifying high-value transformation and agentic automation opportunities across business workflows

Bar Raiser Expectations
As a Bar Raiser, this role is expected to elevate automation maturity across the organization by:

• Holding high standards for clarity, documentation quality, traceability, and business process rigor
• Using structured analysis and data to reduce ambiguity, automation failure points, and downstream rework
• Challenging unclear requirements early to protect delivery timelines and automation quality
• Sharing best practices and improving requirement documentation standards for AI automation and transformation initiatives
• Leaving processes, playbooks, and requirement frameworks stronger and more scalable than they were before

What Your Responsibilities Will Be
Requirements Discovery & Process Analysis

• Partner with stakeholders and AI Automation Engineers to gather, analyze, and document AI automation requirements that reduce ambiguity and downstream rework
• Map and document current-state and future-state processes, identifying transformation opportunities where AI, agents, or workflow automation can improve speed, quality, or scale
• Break down complex workflows into structured, implementable use cases, including decision points, exceptions, approvals, and human-in-the-loop steps
• Identify risks, edge cases, control requirements, and system dependencies before automation development begins
• Create and manage JIRA tickets with detailed requirement descriptions, acceptance criteria, dependencies, and traceability to ensure smooth development, tracking, and delivery of AI automation initiatives

AI Integration-Focused Solution Definition

• Translate business needs into clear functional and technical requirements for AI-enabled workflows, agents, and transformation solutions
• Define system interactions, API touchpoints, event triggers, workflow boundaries, and handoffs between deterministic automation and AI decisioning
• Create detailed user stories, business rules, and acceptance criteria that are implementation-ready for AI Automation Engineers
• Collaborate with architects and AI Automation Engineers to validate feasibility, governance, and solution design before build begins

Data & Interface Analysis

• Analyze data flows across systems and document transformation, validation, and context requirements needed for AI automation outcomes
• Define field-level mappings, prompt and input requirements, exception scenarios, auditability needs, and reconciliation rules to protect data integrity and trust
• Support A2A, MCP, API contract reviews and ensure traceability between business objectives, workflow behavior, and technical implementation

Delivery Enablement & Collaboration

• Participate in backlog grooming and sprint planning to maintain requirement clarity for AI automation and transformation initiatives
• Support testing and UAT validation to ensure AI-enabled workflows behave as intended across normal, exception, and human-review scenarios
• Facilitate alignment between stakeholders, AI Automation Engineers, architects, and delivery teams
• Maintain structured documentation to support auditability, governance, adoption, and long-term maintainability

Governance & Continuous Improvement

• Standardize requirement templates and documentation practices for AI automation, agents, and transformation initiatives
• Support change management for workflow, model, prompt, and automation enhancements
• Improve requirement quality and automation maturity across the organization
• Drive clarity that accelerates responsible AI adoption and improves overall delivery predictability

12-Month Success Signals
Within the first 12 months, this role will have:

• Reduced automation rework and requirement-related defects
• Improved implementation readiness of AI automation stories, business rules, and acceptance criteria
• Established standardized documentation templates adopted across AI automation and transformation initiatives
• Increased automation throughput by reducing requirement ambiguity and improving stakeholder alignment
• Improved traceability between business objectives and delivered AI automation outcomes

What You'll Need To Be Successful
AI Expectations
As an AI-first company, Avalara expects this role to embed AI into requirements analysis, process transformation, and automation strategy.
This role will:

• Identify AI and automation opportunities within business workflows that improve efficiency, decision quality, and scalability
• Use AI tools to accelerate documentation drafting, process analysis, impact assessment, and requirement validation
• Ensure AI-enabled workflows, agents, and human-in-the-loop controls are documented with clear governance and traceability
• Partner with AI Automation Engineers and architects to define measurable AI-driven outcomes, evaluation criteria, and business impact
• Apply AI responsibly with attention to data privacy, security, compliance, and operational risk

Demonstrating applied AI impact, not just tool familiarity is required.
What You Bring

• B.S. in Computer Science or Engineering (required)
• 5+ years of experience as a Business Systems Analyst or Techno-Functional Analyst
• Experience working with AI automation, enterprise workflows, system integrations, APIs, n8n, Boomi, or automation platforms
• Strong understanding of Agentic AI, REST APIs, webhooks, JSON, data mapping concepts, and workflow orchestration patterns
• Experience documenting requirements for automation, AI-enabled workflows, system interactions, and business process transformations
• Ability to interpret technical design documents and collaborate effectively with AI Automation Engineers, architects, and cross-functional stakeholders
• Strong analytical and structured problem-solving skills
• Excellent communication skills across business and technical audiences

Pay Range Details
The base pay range(s) below are provided in compliance with state specific laws. Pay ranges may be different in other locations.
Colorado $126,000-$201,600 (annually)
Washington $126,000-$222,800 (annually)
California $126,000-$244,000 (annually)
NYC $139,200-$244,000(annually)
The pay range above is the general base pay range for a successful candidate in the state listed. The successful candidate's actual salary/wage may be based on various factors, such as geographic location, candidate experience and qualifications, as well as market and business considerations. This role is eligible for an annual bonus based on individual and company performance, depending on the terms of the applicable plan and the employee's role.
Avalara is an AI-first Company
AI is embedded in our workflows, decision-making, and products. Success here requires embracing AI as an essential capability.

• You'll bring experience using AI and AI-related technologies, ready to thrive here.
• You'll apply AI every day to business challenges - improving efficiency, contributing solutions, and driving results for your team, our company, and our customers.
• You'll grow with AI by staying curious about new trends and best practices, and by sharing what you learn so others can benefit too.

How We'll Take Care Of You
Total Rewards
In addition to a great compensation package, paid time off, and paid parental leave, many Avalara employees are eligible for bonuses.
Health & Wellness
Benefits vary by location but generally include private medical, life, and disability insurance.
Inclusive culture and diversity
Avalara strongly supports diversity, equity, and inclusion, and is committed to integrating them into our business practices and our organizational culture. We also have a total of 8 employee-run resource groups, each with senior leadership and exec sponsorship.
What You Need To Know About Avalara
We're defining the relationship between tax and tech.
We've already built an industry-leading cloud compliance platform, processing over 54 billion customer API calls and over 6.6 million tax returns a year. Our growth is real - we're a billion dollar business - and we're not slowing down until we've achieved our mission - to be part of every transaction in the world.
We're bright, innovative, and disruptive, like the orange we love to wear. It captures our quirky spirit and optimistic mindset. It shows off the culture we've designed, that empowers our people to win. We've been different from day one. Join us, and your career will be too.
We're An Equal Opportunity Employer
Supporting diversity and inclusion is a cornerstone of our company - we don't want people to fit into our culture, but to enrich it. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, age, gender, national orientation, disability, sexual orientation, US Veteran status, or any other factor protected by law. If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know.