AI & Automation Associate

AI & Automation Associate

Belfast | 12-month contract | Potential to progress into a permanent role

MCS Group is building an ambitious, internationally connected talent consultancy. We are investing in technology, data and artificial intelligence to improve how our people work, strengthen our customer service and build a more productive, commercially effective business.

We are now looking for an AI & Automation Associate to help turn that ambition into practical results.

This is not a research role or an opportunity to experiment with technology for its own sake. You will work across the business to understand how work gets done, identify the opportunities that matter and deliver AI and automation solutions that our recruiters and support teams will use.

The initial focus will be on commercial effectiveness and recruiter productivity, but the role will have exposure to the wider MCS Group business.

What you will do

Working with senior leadership, our internal IT Analyst and colleagues across the business, you will:

• Map key recruitment, sales and business support workflows, identifying bottlenecks, repetitive work and opportunities for improvement.
• Assess and prioritise AI and automation use cases according to their commercial impact, feasibility, cost and risk.
• Design, build, test and implement practical solutions, improving them through user feedback.
• Evaluate whether MCS Group should build, buy or partner for particular solutions.
• Define measurable outcomes and track adoption, time savings, productivity improvements and commercial impact.
• Work directly with senior leadership to develop MCS Group's AI strategy and establish the operating guardrails required to manage risk and support responsible adoption.
• Help colleagues understand and adopt new tools, addressing the practical barriers that prevent technology from becoming embedded.
• Contribute to the processes, knowledge and technical foundations required to build a sustainable in-house AI capability.

Within your first 90 days, we expect you to have mapped priority workflows and established a credible pipeline of opportunities. By six months, you should have multiple solutions live and delivering measurable improvements. By the end of the contract, we want our people to be able to point to clear productivity and commercial gains from the work you have delivered.

What you will bring

You will probably have recently completed a degree or postgraduate qualification in artificial intelligence, software engineering, computer science, data science or a related discipline. Equivalent practical experience will also be considered.

We are particularly interested in someone who can demonstrate:

• A sound understanding of generative AI, automation, APIs and modern software development principles.
• The ability to translate business problems into practical technical solutions.
• Strong analytical and structured problem-solving skills.
• Experience gained through a university project, placement, internship or personal portfolio involving AI or automation.
• Great communication skills with the ability to communicate technical ideas clearly to non-technical colleagues.
• Commercial curiosity and an interest in how businesses operate.
• A practical, delivery-focused approach and the confidence to challenge low-value ideas or fashionable tools.
• An awareness of data protection, information security and responsible AI use.

Experience with Microsoft 365, Power Platform, Power Automate, Copilot, Azure services or low-code automation tools would be useful, but we are more interested in your ability to learn, solve problems and deliver outcomes.

Why MCS Group?

You will work on live business problems, with direct access to senior decision-makers and the opportunity to see your work adopted across the organisation. You will have the freedom to explore ideas, but you will also be expected to apply commercial judgement, manage cost and avoid unnecessary complexity or supplier dependency.

This is a 12-month contract. Subject to your performance, the value demonstrated by the role and the future needs of the business, there may be an opportunity to progress into a permanent position and help shape MCS Group's long-term AI and automation capability.

Interested?

Send your CV and a short summary of any relevant project, placement or portfolio work to Darcy Lorimer, Talent Acquisition & HR Specialist at MCS Group, or apply through the link provided.

MCS Group is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. If you require a reasonable adjustment at any stage of the recruitment process, please let us know.

This is an opportunity to do more than learn about AI. You will put it to work.