Entry Data Engineer Jobs in Illinois (NOW HIRING)

Are you looking for an opportunity to do challenging, creative work that makes a real impact? Would you like to be part of a company that respects individual contributions and thrives on collaboration? Do you love to win? Then consider joining Wight & Company. We're a nationally recognized, award-winning architecture, engineering, and construction firm known for a dynamic company culture that fosters innovation and challenges the status quo, and we're looking for a talented professional to join our team.

Wight & Company is seeking an AI Solutions & Data Engineer to help turn artificial intelligence and organizational data into practical solutions for our teams, clients, and projects. This hybrid role will work across architecture, engineering, construction, and business operations to identify valuable AI opportunities, develop AI agents and automated workflows, connect information from multiple systems, and help employees confidently apply AI in their work. The ideal candidate combines technical ability with curiosity, creativity, and strong communication skills. This person should be comfortable building solutions directly, facilitating conversations with teams, translating business challenges into technical approaches, and teaching others how to use new tools effectively. The AI Solutions & Data Engineer will report to the Chief Innovation Officer and collaborate with technology, BIM, operations, and departmental leaders across the company.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Develop AI Solutions and Agents

• Design, build, test, and maintain AI agents that support project delivery and business operations.
• Develop solutions using large language models, retrieval-augmented generation, workflow automation, APIs, and related technologies.
• Connect AI tools with internal applications, document repositories, databases, and third-party platforms.
• Create prototypes and pilot programs that allow teams to evaluate new ideas quickly.
• Establish methods for testing solution accuracy, reliability, security, and business value.
• Help move successful prototypes into maintainable, production-ready solutions.
• Monitor the performance and adoption of deployed AI solutions and improve them over time.

Build and Manage Data Solutions

• Gather, clean, organize, and combine data from multiple business and project systems.
• Develop and maintain data pipelines, integrations, structured datasets, and reusable data services.
• Help establish reliable connections between project, financial, operational, and knowledge-management platforms.
• Improve the accessibility and usefulness of organizational data while maintaining appropriate security and permissions.
• Collaborate with system owners to improve data quality, consistency, documentation, and governance.
• Support dashboards, reporting, predictive analytics, and AI applications that depend on reliable data.
• Identify opportunities to reduce duplicate data entry and improve the flow of information across the organization.

Identify and Prioritize AI Opportunities

• Meet with teams across the company to understand their work, challenges, and opportunities.
• Facilitate workshops and brainstorming sessions focused on meaningful business problems rather than technology alone.
• Translate business needs into clearly defined AI, automation, or data initiatives.
• Evaluate potential solutions based on value, feasibility, risk, scalability, and alignment with company priorities.
• Help departments develop practical roadmaps for adopting AI and improving their use of data.
• Stay informed about emerging AI capabilities and evaluate where they may create value for the company or its clients.

Train and Support Teams

• Develop and deliver practical AI training for employees with varying levels of technical experience.
• Teach teams how to use approved AI tools effectively, securely, and responsibly.
• Create guides, demonstrations, templates, prompt libraries, and other reusable learning resources.
• Coach individuals and teams as they incorporate AI into existing workflows.
• Support a network of internal AI champions who can help expand adoption across the organization.
• Share successful use cases and lessons learned to encourage continuous improvement.

Support Responsible AI and Data Governance

• Help establish technical standards for AI development, data integration, documentation, testing, and deployment.
• Apply appropriate security, privacy, intellectual-property, and data-governance requirements to AI solutions.
• Work with technology, legal, risk, and business leaders to evaluate proposed tools and use cases.
• Maintain clear documentation of data sources, integrations, models, prompts, permissions, dependencies, and system behavior.
• Promote responsible human oversight and clearly communicate the limitations of AI-generated results.

BACKGROUND & EXPERIENCE EXPECTATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, data engineering, information systems, software engineering, or a related field-or equivalent professional experience.
• Experience developing AI-enabled applications, software integrations, data solutions, or workflow automations.
• Proficiency in Python, SQL, APIs, and common data-processing methods.
• Experience working with structured and unstructured data from multiple sources.
• Understanding of modern generative AI concepts, including large language models, embeddings, vector search, tool use, and retrieval-augmented generation.
• Experience developing with cloud platforms, databases, automation tools, or enterprise application ecosystems.
• Ability to translate loosely defined business challenges into practical technical solutions.
• Strong written, verbal, presentation, and facilitation skills.
• Ability to explain technical concepts clearly to nontechnical audiences.
• A collaborative mindset and an interest in working directly with employees across many disciplines.
• Sound judgment regarding data privacy, cybersecurity, intellectual property, and responsible AI use.
• Ability to balance experimentation and speed with reliability, documentation, and long-term maintainability.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience with Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365, Copilot Studio, Power Platform, Fabric, or related Microsoft technologies.
• Experience with AI platforms and APIs such as Azure OpenAI, OpenAI, Anthropic, or similar services.
• Experience with ETL/ELT processes, data warehouses, lakehouses, semantic models, or business-intelligence platforms.
• Familiarity with agent frameworks, orchestration tools, vector databases, or enterprise search technologies.
• Experience with application development, source control, testing, deployment, and DevOps practices.
• Experience delivering technical training, facilitating workshops, or supporting organizational change.
• Familiarity with architecture, engineering, construction, professional services, or project-based organizations.
• Experience integrating enterprise systems such as Microsoft 365, Autodesk Construction Cloud, Procore, Bentley, Unanet, CMiC, Egnyte, or similar platforms.
• Familiarity with BIM, digital project delivery, estimating, construction management, or design technology is beneficial but not required.

Salary Range: $100,000 - $160,000. Individual pay will be based on several factors including experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities of the applicant.

Wight & Company offers excellent benefits and a wonderful work environment. Our comprehensive benefits including medical, dental, vision, disability, life insurance, flexible spending, paid holidays, paid time off, and a 401(k). Our flexible work schedule allows for a healthy work-life balance. For more information about our company, visit our website at www.wightco.com.

Wight & Company is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetics, protected veteran status, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

Wight & Company values diversity in our workforce. We are committed to recruiting, hiring, and promoting people with disabilities and veterans. If you need an accommodation to assist with completing the electronic application, please call us at 630.969.7000 and ask to speak with a Human Resources representative.

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