Role overview
Sagebrook Home is a Los Angeles based wholesale importer and distributor of home décor and furniture, selling to major retailers, ecommerce marketplaces, and customers in 38 countries. We are seeking a hands-on AI Automation & Implementation Lead to identify, build, and deploy AI-powered workflows across the company. This person will work directly with department leaders and employees to understand existing processes, reduce repetitive work, improve accuracy, and deliver measurable operational improvements.
We already run a portfolio of AI-driven automations built on Claude, Python, Power BI, and our ERP. This person will take ownership of that portfolio on day one, make it production-grade, and expand it across every department.
The ideal candidate has practical experience with Claude, Claude Code, OpenAI, and Codex, and can independently take an idea from initial discovery through implementation, employee training, and ongoing support.
Key responsibilities
- Take ownership of existing automations. Inherit our current scheduled Python reports, Claude skills, automated email senders, and Power BI queries. Move them to a maintained, version-controlled, and monitored environment with failure alerts, then extend them.
- Identify automation opportunities. Observe how teams work across finance, AR/AP, sales, customer service, purchasing, imports, product development, marketing, ecommerce, and warehouse operations. Document repetitive tasks, bottlenecks, manual handoffs, and common errors.
- Prioritize projects based on business value. Maintain an implementation roadmap based on time savings, accuracy improvements, cost, complexity, and data availability. Determine when AI, conventional automation, or a process change is the best solution.
- Personally build and deploy workflows. Develop AI agents, document-processing tools, internal applications, and automated processes using the Claude and OpenAI APIs, MCP connectors, and custom Python code.
- Connect existing business systems. Integrate workflows with Microsoft Dynamics NAV / Business Central, Power BI, Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Excel, SharePoint), Paylocity, and other business applications in coordination with IT.
- Make automations reliable. Test against real examples, validate outputs, handle exceptions, prevent duplicate actions, and establish monitoring and recovery procedures.
- Establish appropriate controls. Work with IT and department owners to manage data access, protect confidential information, control API spend, and require human approval for consequential actions such as posting to the ERP or sending to customers.
- Train employees and drive adoption. Create practical instructions and reusable workflows, conduct hands-on training for non-technical staff, and improve solutions based on employee feedback.
- Own results and ongoing maintenance. Track actual hours saved, error rates, adoption, and operating costs. Maintain documentation and ensure the company can support and modify each solution without depending on any single person.
Required qualifications
- Demonstrated experience implementing AI or automation solutions that employees use in day-to-day business operations.
- Hands-on experience with Claude / Claude Code and OpenAI / Codex, including connecting AI capabilities to business systems through APIs.
- Strong Python skills. Ability to write, understand, debug, and maintain production code, including AI-generated code.
- Working knowledge of REST APIs, SQL, authentication, scheduled jobs, testing, and version control.
- Experience integrating with an ERP or accounting system.
- Strong business process analysis, project ownership, and communication skills.
- Ability to show completed projects and explain their business impact, reliability, and maintenance requirements.
Preferred qualifications
- Microsoft Dynamics NAV or Business Central experience.
- Power BI and DAX experience.
- MCP server development.
- Experience with an automation platform such as Power Automate, n8n, Make, or Zapier.
- Background in wholesale, distribution, ecommerce, or import/export.
- Prior experience as the first AI hire at a mid-size operating company.
Reporting
This role reports directly to the CEO and works closely with the VP of IT on infrastructure and system access.
Salary Range: $70,000-$90,000 Annually
Location: Los Angeles-On-site