Creative Ground LLC — Downers Grove, IL (Remote — Chicagoland Area)
Part-Time | 15–25 hrs/week | Contract-to-Hire
Compensation: $35–$55/hr depending on experience
About Creative Ground LLC
We're a Chicagoland-based digital marketing and AI services agency helping local and mid-size businesses grow through smart strategy and modern technology. We're expanding into AI-powered services — building custom automations, AI agents, and intelligent workflows that solve real problems for real businesses. We move fast, we build real things, and we're looking for someone local who wants to grow with us.
The Role
We're hiring a part-time AI Automation Engineer to join our small, fast-moving team in the Downers Grove area. You'll design and build custom AI-powered systems for our clients — lead follow-up agents, website chatbots, CRM automations, review management tools, email sequences, and more. You'll work closely with our operations lead, and you'll have real ownership over what you build.
This is a builder role. We need someone who can take a client problem, figure out the solution, and ship it — not someone who needs hand-holding.
Hours are flexible and hybrid — some in-person collaboration in the Downers Grove area, with the ability to work remotely the rest of the time.
What You'll Own
- Build and deploy AI agents and workflows using Claude API, Make.com, and Zapier
- Develop client solutions including chatbots, lead agents, email automations, CRM integrations, and internal AI assistants
- Connect AI models to third-party tools via REST APIs and webhooks
- Write and refine system prompts and multi-step agent logic
- Document everything with clear SOPs so builds are repeatable and maintainable
- Troubleshoot and improve live automations
- Collaborate on scoping new client projects and estimating timelines
- Flag new automation opportunities as you see them
Must-Have Skills
- Hands-on Make.com experience — multi-step scenarios, error handling, data transformation
- Working knowledge of Claude API or OpenAI API — real API calls, prompt engineering, production-ready builds
- Comfortable with REST APIs, JSON, and webhooks
- Experience building AI chatbots or agents for actual use cases
- Self-directed — you manage your own time and hit your deadlines
- Strong written communication for documentation and occasional client-facing notes
Nice-to-Haves
- Experience with n8n, Zapier, or GoHighLevel
- Voiceflow or Botpress for chatbot interfaces
- Light coding in Python or JavaScript
- CRM integrations — HubSpot, Pipedrive, Salesforce
- RAG / vector database experience
- Prior agency or freelance client work
What Success Looks Like
Within 60–90 days you've independently built and launched client automations, they run reliably, and clients are happy. That's it.
Why Join Us
- Real ownership from day one — you're building the AI practice, not maintaining someone else's
- Direct access to leadership — no layers, no politics
- Flexible hybrid schedule built around deliverables, not clock-watching
- Work across multiple industries — your portfolio grows fast
- Clear path to full-time as the practice scales
How to Apply
Send your resume and a 3–5 sentence note describing the most complex automation or AI agent you've built — what it did, what tools you used, what problem it solved. No essays needed. We want to know what you've actually shipped.
Must be local to the Chicagoland area.
Pay: $35,000.00 - $57,000.00 per year
Benefits:
Work Location: Remote
