Cellular Sales

Solutions Engineer

ClassificationExempt

Reports to:IT Enterprise Architect

JOB DESCRIPTION

Summary/Objective

As a Solutions Engineer, you will serve as a bridge between business stakeholders and technology solutions, applying your expertise to evaluate organizational challenges and determine the most appropriate technical approach. In this role, that focus is specifically directed toward AI/ML technologies — assessing whether problems are best addressed by solutions such as image recognition, ML forecasting, LLM prompting, or agentic workflows, versus a more deterministic or data-driven approach. Cellular Sales is in the early stages of its AI adoption journey, and this role will work closely alongside an Enterprise Architect to establish patterns, evaluate emerging tooling, and develop repeatable solutions that can scale across the organization. The work is intentionally exploratory in nature, with a practical focus on delivering tangible business value at each stage. You will lead discovery conversations with departments, design and build proof-of-concept solutions leveraging cloud AI APIs, serverless architectures, and modern integration patterns, and guide the organization in responsible, effective adoption of AI tooling. You will work across functions to ensure that prototypes are secure, well-governed, and grounded in practical business value before any investment in full-scale development.

Essential Functions

Partner with business departments to gather and analyze problem statements, translating operational challenges into clearly defined technical requirements.

Evaluate whether a given problem is best addressed by an AI/ML solution (such as image recognition, ML forecasting, LLM prompting, LLM agents, or retrieval-augmented generation) or by a more appropriate deterministic or rule-based data solution, and clearly communicate that recommendation with supporting rationale.

Design and build proof-of-concept prototypes using cloud AI services (AWS Bedrock, Azure OpenAI, Google Vertex, etc.), cloud-native components such as API gateways, message queues, serverless functions, and managed ML endpoints.

Develop lightweight, functional web UIs to demonstrate prototype functionality to stakeholders, prioritizing clarity and usability over production-readiness.

Implement appropriate authentication, authorization, and safety guardrails in all AI prototypes, including prompt injection defenses, output filtering, rate limiting, and role-based access controls.

Evaluate and select among AI solution patterns — including zero-shot and few-shot prompting, fine-tuning, agentic workflows, multi-modal models, and classical ML pipelines — based on problem fit, cost, and feasibility.

Architect event-driven and API-based integration patterns connecting AI services to existing enterprise systems and data sources.

Assess AI capabilities embedded in commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) applications for security risks and operational effectiveness, including evaluating data handling practices, model transparency, vendor access controls, and potential for data exfiltration or unintended disclosure. Benchmark these capabilities against internally developed or self-hosted AI tooling to inform build-vs-buy decisions and flag compliance concerns.

Document prototype architectures, evaluation findings, and recommendation reports in a format accessible to both technical and non-technical audiences.

Stay current with the rapidly evolving AI/ML landscape, assessing new tools, models, and frameworks for organizational applicability.

Collaborate with cloud infrastructure, security, and data engineering teams to ensure prototypes adhere to governance, compliance, and cost management standards.

Mentor junior engineers and serve as an internal subject matter expert on AI solution design patterns and responsible AI practices.

Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Competencies

Analytical Thinking: Ability to deconstruct ambiguous business problems, identify root causes, and match solution approaches to problem characteristics with clear, defensible reasoning.

Technical Breadth: Comfortable operating across a wide spectrum of technologies — from cloud infrastructure and APIs to frontend UI and ML concepts — without requiring deep specialization in all areas.

Communication: Able to translate complex AI concepts into plain language for non-technical stakeholders, and to produce well-structured written evaluations and recommendations.

Customer Focus: Actively listens to department needs, manages expectations around prototype scope, and prioritizes delivering meaningful demonstrations of value.

Judgment and Responsibility: Exercises sound judgment when working with AI systems that may handle sensitive data, recognizing the ethical, security, and compliance implications of AI tooling.

Problem Solving: Thrives in ambiguous, first-of-kind challenges with limited prior precedent, iterating quickly and pivoting approaches based on findings.

Research and Experimentation: Proactively investigates emerging AI tools, frameworks, and methodologies, applying a structured and curious mindset to evaluate their potential applicability and business fit within the organization.

Supervisory Responsibilities

This position has no supervisory responsibilities.

Work Environment

This job is in a professional office environment

Physical Demands

Must be able to perform repetitious hand/eye movement, must have reliable transportation.

Position Type/Expected Hours of WorkFull Time, 8:00-5:00 Monday through Friday

Travel

0-10%

Required Education and Experience

High School diploma or GED

5+ years of IT infrastructure or software engineering experience

3+ years of hands-on experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or Google)

1+ years of direct experience building solutions using AI/ML APIs or frameworks

Demonstrated experience evaluating and prototyping solutions across multiple technology approaches

Preferred Education and Experience

Experience with cloud platforms, preferably AWS, and/or Azure

Experience with serverless compute (AWS Lambda, Azure Functions) and API gateway patterns

Experience with message queuing services (AWS SQS/SNS, Azure Service Bus, or similar)

Experience with Python and/or TypeScript for scripting, API integration, and lightweight application development

Experience with REST and/or GraphQL API design and consumption

Experience developing lightweight frontend prototypes using React, Angular, or similar frameworks for demonstration and stakeholder review purposes

Experience with CI/CD pipelines and version control (Git)

Experience with containerization (Docker) and basic Kubernetes concepts

Familiarity with cloud AI/ML services such as AWS Bedrock, AWS SageMaker, Azure OpenAI, or Azure ML

Familiarity with building and orchestrating LLM-based workflows including agents, tool use, and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG)

Familiarity with classical ML use cases including image recognition, forecasting, classification, and anomaly detection, and when each is appropriate

Familiarity with prompt engineering techniques and LLM safety and guardrail patterns

Familiarity with data pipeline patterns or ETL processes, particularly for preparing data for AI consumption

AWS Certified: Solutions Architect Associate or Professional, Machine Learning Specialty, or Developer Associate

Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert, Azure Developer Associate, or Azure AI Engineer Associate

Ability to assess total cost of ownership for AI prototypes, including API token costs, compute, and storage

Strong documentation and technical writing skills

AAP/EEO StatementReasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Other DutiesPlease note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Salary Grade/Level/Family/Range

$100,000 - $150,000 annually depending on experience and skill level

The journey of Cellular Sales began in 1993 when Dane and Meg Scism embarked on an entrepreneurial venture, purchasing the company for $14,000. At that time, Cellular Sales consisted of a single mall kiosk in Knoxville, Tennessee, and primarily sold Cellular One products. From these humble beginnings, a vision to redefine the wireless retail experience started to take shape. The core mission, right from the outset, was to be the gateway to great wireless experiences, a principle championed by founder Dane Scism. This customer-centric approach, focusing on listening to customer needs and guiding them to solutions that enhance their lives, became the bedrock of the company's philosophy.

Over the years, Cellular Sales experienced significant growth, driven by a commitment to hard work, an exceptional company culture, and the unwavering mission to provide outstanding wireless experiences. The company expanded its footprint beyond Tennessee, with North Carolina becoming the first market outside its home state in 1997. This was followed by expansion into Georgia, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, and Virginia. As the company grew, so did its operational complexity, leading to the establishment of its first contact center in 2007 to manage customer outreach and communication. By 2008, Cellular Sales' rapid growth was recognized, earning it a place on Inc. Magazine's Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies, an honor it would receive nine times. A major milestone was achieved in 2015 with the opening of the Cellular Sales headquarters in Knoxville, TN, consolidating key departments like the National Contact Center, Finance, and HR to support its continued expansion. Today, Cellular Sales stands as Verizon's premier retail partner, operating nearly 800 stores across approximately 40 states with a team of over 7,000 employees. Their dedication to in-person service and providing outstanding customer experiences has solidified their reputation as a leader in the wireless retail industry.

Solutions Engineer