n8n Automation Engineer (AI + Agents)

About Shift

Shift builds production grade automation and AI systems for real businesses. No demos. No toy workflows. We design and deploy systems that replace manual work, reduce friction, and actually get used.

Most projects start with a customer problem, not a predefined solution. The work requires thinking first, then building cleanly.

The Role

You will be the person building what Shift sells.

Your job is to help translate real customer problems into reliable automation systems and then build them in n8n to a production standard.

This is not a junior role. You should already be comfortable designing, building, debugging, and stabilizing complex n8n workflows without hand holding.

What You Will Build Most Often
• Document intake and document generation workflows
• RAG systems and internal knowledge bots using vector databases and LLMs

Other system types may be added over time, but these two are core.

What Success Looks Like
• You can review a customer problem and help propose a practical automation solution
• You ship working systems quickly, typically within one week
• Your workflows do not fail silently
• You explain what you are building and why, clearly and concisely
• You say “I don’t know” when something is unclear instead of guessing

Responsibilities
• Design and build production n8n workflows end to end
• Integrate LLM APIs such as OpenAI
• Work with vector databases such as Supabase, Pinecone, or similar
• Use Google Drive, Docs, and Sheets APIs
• Work with REST APIs, webhooks, and external services
• Write basic JavaScript inside n8n when needed
• Produce clear architecture notes and documentation
• Handle post delivery stabilization and bug fixes by default

Required Experience

This is non negotiable:
• You have built real production workflows in n8n
• You can debug broken executions on your own
• You have experience integrating AI models and building AI driven systems or agents
• You are comfortable explaining your technical decisions in writing

If you have only followed tutorials, this role is not a fit.

Working Style
• You mostly execute once direction is aligned
• You should still flag unclear requirements or bad assumptions
• You work behind the scenes with limited customer exposure
• You overlap at least 1 to 2 hours with US Eastern time

Engagement and Pay
• Paid per project
• Typical starting rate is $500 per project
• Goal is to grow into 20 to 30 hours per week for the right person
• This is a contractor role with potential to become long term

Who Should Not Apply

Do not apply if you are reactive, wait to be told exactly what to do, or take no pride in your work. This role requires ownership and professional judgment.

How to Apply

To be considered, you must submit:
• Screenshots or a Loom walkthrough of real n8n workflows you built
• A short explanation of what those workflows do and why they were designed that way

Applications without proof of real n8n work will be ignored.