Job Description
Role : Sr. AI Engineer with Semantic Kernel + Microsoft Agent Framework exp. (Azure AI)
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Location : Pittsburgh, PA
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Work Type : Hybrid work setup (2-3 days a week work from office)
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Hire Type : Full-Time with EXL
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Experience : 7+ Years
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Job Requirement:
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Migration Context - Must Have
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Knowledge Search is a containerized, enterprise-grade RAG platform on Azure AI Services with a Django/Python, deployed on OpenShift.
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Semantic Kernel is the current orchestration layer, and the SK → MS Agent Framework migration is a Q3 '26 roadmap item that unblocks Agentic Workflows and the Control Panel.
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The refactor re-platforms SK Native Plugins, Function Calling, Prompt Templates, Memory/Chat History, and Planners/Agents onto the Agent Framework's agents/workflows model.
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Must-Have Skills:
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Semantic Kernel + Microsoft Agent Framework — hands-on experience refactoring SK plugins, planners, function calling, and memory to Agent Framework agents/workflows (this is the critical, hardest-to-source skill)
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Python / Django — to rebuild the orchestration layer without breaking existing API contracts, RBAC, and permissions
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Azure AI Services / RAG — Azure AI Search (hybrid retrieval, semantic ranking), Azure OpenAI (inference + embeddings), preserving retrieval, reranking, prompt assembly, and citation paths
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High-Priority Skills
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Model Context Protocol (MCP) — for tool/connector integration and the Intelligence Layer channel
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OpenShift / containerization — to deploy migrated microservices on OCP
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Observability & Evaluation — Arize Phoenix + OpenTelemetry instrumentation, agent/agentic-system registration, and RAG quality/eval validation to confirm parity
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GitHub / CI-CD / DevSecOps — PR-based workflows and vulnerability remediation
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Medium-Priority Skills
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Redis Enterprise (caching/session state) and Azure APIM (gateway, rate limiting)
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The single most differentiated requirement is combined hands-on Semantic Kernel and Microsoft Agent Framework experience paired with Python/Django, since that is the exact intersection where the refactor happens. The remaining skills (Azure AI Search, RAG, OCP, observability) align with what the team already runs today.