AI Automation Engineer, Finance & Accounting

Cengage Group

AI Automation Engineer applying AI to finance operations at Cengage, reducing costs and increasing accuracy through automation in finance and accounting.

Posted 5/2/2026full-timeIllinois • Illinois • 🇺🇸 United StatesMid-LevelSenior💰 $150,000 - $200,000 per yearWebsite

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

ERPOraclePythonRPASQL

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Automate accounts payable and accounts receivable processing including invoice capture, matching, and approval
Build reconciliation automations across GL, bank, credit card, and intercompany accounts
Develop expense report processing, policy compliance checking, and anomaly detection systems
Create procurement automations for PO generation, vendor onboarding, and spend categorization
Implement AI-powered financial close acceleration and journal entry automation
Ensure all finance automations meet SOX, internal controls, and audit documentation requirements
Partner with Internal Audit and Controllership on design reviews and control attestation
Build comprehensive logging, lineage, and traceability into every automation
Implement segregation-of-duties and approval workflows correctly in every design
Maintain audit-ready documentation and evidence of all deployed workflows
Track manual hours eliminated, cost savings realized, and processing time reductions
Quantify error rate reduction and the controls impact of automation
Partner with FP&A on ROI reporting and business case development
Identify financial process inefficiencies through data analysis and stakeholder interviews
Deliver weekly updates on automation performance, savings, and roadmap

Requirements

What you’ll need

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Accounting, Finance, or related field
4+ years of experience in finance automation, RPA, or software development for finance functions
Strong proficiency in Python and SQL with experience building production automation
Hands-on experience with LLMs and document AI (OCR, invoice extraction, intelligent document processing)
Working knowledge of accounting principles, GL structures, and financial close processes
Experience with at least one major ERP platform (NetSuite, SAP, Oracle, Workday Financials)
Understanding of SOX controls, audit evidence requirements, and financial compliance
Excellent communication skills to work with Controllers, FP&A, and Internal Audit

Benefits

Comp & perks

Opportunity to shape AI at scale across a global learning company
Direct impact on business outcomes, product, and workforce productivity
Access to cutting-edge AI tools, platforms, and technologies
Collaborative team environment focused on innovation and continuous improvement
Competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits
Professional development and learning opportunities
Flexible work arrangements with remote/hybrid options

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

PythonSQLRPAfinancial automationdocument AIOCRinvoice extractionintelligent document processingERPfinancial compliance

Soft Skills

communicationstakeholder engagementdata analysisproblem-solvingcollaborationorganizational skillsattention to detailtime managementpresentation skillsreporting