Ecommerce AI Engineer (Contract)

Ecommerce AI Engineer

Office location: Paddington, London
Working arrangement: Hybrid
Day rate: £250-275
Contract status: Outside IR35
Working hours: 8 hours per day
Contract duration: 12 months
Salt is partnering with a forward-thinking company at the forefront of AI, technology and digital commerce to hire an Ecommerce AI Engineer. You will join a collaborative, commercially focused team, building innovative AI products, ecommerce platforms and digital tools that improve customer experience and business performance.
The Role
As the Ecommerce AI Engineer, you will combine software engineering, AI implementation and commercial problem-solving to build digital platforms and intelligent tools that support business growth.
You will develop high-performing websites, booking and ecommerce journeys, AI communication agents, dashboards and automated workflows. Working closely with engineering, marketing, management and commercial stakeholders, you will turn business requirements into practical, measurable technology solutions.
Key Responsibilities
Digital Platforms and Ecommerce
* Build and manage WordPress websites from initial concept through to launch
* Integrate booking engines, payment systems, ecommerce platforms and customer portals
* Improve website performance, security, accessibility, technical SEO and conversion rates
* Manage GA4, Google Tag Manager, Search Console, Google Ads tracking and A/B testing
* Analyse and optimise customer journeys to increase qualified leads, bookings and revenue
* Develop lead-generation funnels, customer journey maps and revenue-tracking solutions
AI Agents and Automation
* Develop AI assistants for websites, WhatsApp, email and other customer communication channels
* Connect AI agents with CRM, booking and customer-service platforms
* Automate customer enquiries, lead qualification, booking support and follow-up communications
* Build solutions using OpenAI APIs, large language models, RAG, embeddings, vector search and tool calling
* Implement permissions, monitoring, escalation processes and data-privacy controls
* Integrate third-party systems using APIs, webhooks and data pipelines
* Automate repetitive commercial and operational processes
* Create dashboards and reporting tools covering leads, bookings, customer activity and performance
* Maintain strong standards across documentation, testing, monitoring and system reliability
Commercial Innovation
* Identify opportunities to use AI and technology to improve revenue, operational efficiency and customer experience
* Evaluate build-versus-buy decisions and recommend appropriate tools and platforms
* Help transform internal AI tools into repeatable, client-facing products
* Collaborate with engineering, marketing, management and commercial teams to deliver measurable results

Skills and Experience
You should bring:
* At least five years' experience across AI, software engineering, ecommerce, platform engineering or a closely related area
* Strong development skills in Python and JavaScript or TypeScript
* Experience developing and optimising WordPress websites, including custom themes, plugins and API integrations
* Experience integrating booking engines, ecommerce platforms and payment systems
* Practical experience with OpenAI APIs, LLMs, RAG and agentic workflows
* Experience integrating CRM platforms, WhatsApp Business, webhooks and third-party APIs
* Strong SQL, data-integration and dashboard-development skills
* Knowledge of technical SEO, GA4, Google Tag Manager, Google Ads tracking and conversion optimisation
* Experience with Opera Cloud or Opera V5
* The ability to translate commercial and operational requirements into practical technical solutions
* Strong communication, documentation and project-delivery skills

Desirable Experience
Experience in one or more of the following would be beneficial:
* Hospitality, travel or multi-property booking platforms
* WooCommerce, Shopify or similar ecommerce technologies
* HubSpot, Salesforce, Zoho or comparable CRM platforms
* Django, React, Angular, AWS or other cloud and application-development technologies
* WhatsApp Cloud API, Twilio or similar communication platforms
What Success Looks Like
Success in this position will include:
* Delivering effective websites, booking platforms, dashboards and AI tools
* Increasing qualified leads, bookings, conversion rates and customer engagement
* Reducing manual work through intelligent automation
* Developing reliable AI agents with effective accuracy, monitoring and escalation processes
* Creating new commercial opportunities through AI and digital products

Interview Process
Successful applicants will be asked to present examples of their work as part of the interview process.
These examples could include AI agents, commercial websites, booking platforms, dashboards or automation tools. Where possible, applicants should outline the business problem, the technologies used, the results achieved and their individual contribution to the project.
Important Information
* Applicants must be UK residents
* No visa sponsorship is available for this role
* This role is hybrid, with no fully remote option
* Salt contact: Robert Sprigens, (url removed)

*Rates depend on experience and client requirements