AI Automation Engineer (n8n, AI Agents, Claude Code, Python, Github)

About us
Safe Footpaths is an Australian footpath inspection and remediation business operating in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. We're building an AI-powered operations stack and need one hands-on builder to own it.

What you'll do

• Build and maintain automations in n8n across Pipedrive, Google Workspace, Connecteam and other APIs
• Build AI agents and LLM workflows for sales, quoting, Finance, HR, reporting and operations
• Use Claude Code daily to write, edit and debug Python and JavaScript
• Make every automation safe to run unattended
• Build everything so the founder can understand and change it himself using Claude Code

Built for handover (important)
I use Claude Code myself and need to be able to make changes without you. That means:

• All code and workflow exports live in GitHub repos owned by the company
• A clear folder structure, readable code, and CLAUDE.md / README files explaining how each system works and how to change it safely
• A short runbook for every workflow: what it does, what it touches, how to test it, and how to switch it off
• No hidden logic, personal accounts, or knowledge that only lives in your head

Guardrails you'll be expected to build in

• Access: least-privilege API keys, secrets kept in credential stores (never in code), all accounts owned by the company
• **AI safety:**Human approval before AI sends anything to customers or touches quotes or prices
  Structured outputs with schema validation
  Protection against prompt injection
  Limits on which tools each agent can use
• **Reliability:**A central error workflow with alerts
  Heartbeat checks for silent failures
  Idempotency (no duplicate deals, tasks or invoices)
  Retries with backoff, timeouts, and respect for rate limits
• Change control: test before production, version control, backups, and a change log
• Privacy: careful handling of customer data sent to AI providers, and clear data retention for recordings and transcripts
• Cost: spend caps and alerts on LLM APIs and automation platforms
• Audit trail: logs showing what each automation and AI step actually did

Must have

• Deep, hands-on n8 experience, with real workflows running in production
• Comfortable in Python and JavaScript. You don't need a CS degree, but you must be able to read and understand code, not just paste it.
• Has built AI agents and MCP servers
• Daily use of Claude Code or a similar AI coding tool
• Can spot when AI output is wrong, and verifies it before shipping rather than trusting it blindly
• Solid with REST APIs, webhooks, JSON and Git
• Documents clearly and writes for a non-engineer reader
• Strong troubleshooter who works independently
• Excellent written English

Nice to have

• Pipedrive, Google Apps Script or AppSheet experience

Process

1. Intro call
2. Paid test project: an n8n + LLM workflow with a custom code step, guardrails, and a README/CLAUDE.md so I can modify it myself
3. Walkthrough with the founder, where you explain your build and your code
4. Offer

When applying, include 2–3 examples of automations you've built. For each one, tell us:

• what it does,
• what you coded yourself,
• one way you made it safe to run, and
• how someone else could maintain it.