We believe in the power and joy of learning

At Cengage, our employees have a direct impact in helping students around the world discover the power and joy of learning. We are bonded by our shared purpose – driving innovation that helps millions of learners improve their lives and achieve their dreams through education.

Cengage's portfolio of businesses supports student choice by providing a range of pathways that help learners achieve their goals and lead a choice-filled life.

Our culture values inclusion, engagement, and discovery

Our business is driven by our strong culture, and we know that creating an inclusive workplace is absolutely essential to the success of our company and our learners, as well as our individual well-being. We recognize the value of diverse perspectives in everything we do, and strive to ensure employees of all levels and backgrounds feel empowered to voice their ideas and bring their authentic selves to work. We achieve these priorities through programs, benefits, and initiatives that are integrated into the fabric of how we work every day. To learn more, please see https://www.cengagegroup.com/about/inclusion-and-belonging/.

The AI Automation Engineer – Finance & Accounting applies AI to finance operations at Cengage to reduce cost, increase accuracy, and eliminate manual work from AP, AR, reconciliation, and financial reporting workflows. You will partner directly with the Controller, FP&A, and Procurement teams to identify and deliver high-value automation opportunities.

This role demands a rare combination: the technical chops to build production AI automation, the financial fluency to understand GL accounts and reconciliation logic, and the rigor to build audit-ready, controls-compliant systems. The ideal candidate has delivered finance automation in a public company or regulated environment and knows where the landmines are.

Key Responsibilities

Finance Operations AI Automation

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

Controls, Compliance & Audit Readiness

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

Measurement & Financial Impact

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

Required Qualifications

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

Preferred Qualifications

Experience with AP automation platforms (Coupa, Tipalti, Bill.com, Stampli)
Familiarity with RPA platforms (UiPath, Automation Anywhere, Blue Prism)
Background in public company finance environments with SOX compliance
Experience with document AI services (AWS Textract, Azure Document Intelligence)
CPA, CMA, or other finance certifications (or willingness to pursue)
Background in EdTech, SaaS, or subscription business finance operations

Tools & Technologies

You should be comfortable with many of the following:

Languages: Python, SQL, JavaScript/TypeScript
AI/ML: OpenAI API, Anthropic API, AWS Textract, Azure Document Intelligence
ERP: NetSuite, SAP, Oracle, Workday Financials
Finance Systems: Coupa, Tipalti, Bill.com, Concur, BlackLine
RPA: UiPath, Automation Anywhere, Power Automate
Data: Snowflake, PostgreSQL, Databricks

Key Competencies

Financial Fluency — speaks the language of Controllers, FP&A, and auditors
Controls Attitude — builds automations that strengthen rather than weaken controls
Precision & Rigor — delivers audit-ready, documented, traceable systems
ROI Focus — quantifies savings and efficiency in CFO-ready language
Process Design — decomposes complex finance processes into automatable steps
Compliance Awareness — understands SOX, audit, and regulatory requirements

What We Offer

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

Cengage is committed to working with broad talent pools to attract and hire strong and most qualified individuals. Our job applicants are considered regardless of any classification protected by applicable federal, state, provincial or local laws.

Cengage is also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities including during our job application process. If you are an applicant with a disability and require reasonable accommodation in our job application process, please contact us at accommodations.ta@cengage.com.

About Cengage

Cengage, a global education technology company serving millions of learners, provides affordable, quality digital products and services that equip students with the skills and competencies needed to be job ready. For more than 100 years, we have enabled the power and joy of learning with trusted, engaging content, and now, integrated digital platforms. We serve the higher education, workforce skills, secondary education, English language teaching and research markets worldwide. Through our scalable technology, including MindTap and Cengage Unlimited, we support all learners who seek to improve their lives and achieve their dreams through education.

Compensation

At Cengage Group, we take great pride in our commitment to providing a comprehensive and rewarding Total Rewards package designed to support and empower our employees. Click here to learn more about our Total Rewards Philosophy.

The full base pay range has been provided for this position. Individual base pay will vary based on work schedule, qualifications, experience, internal equity, and geographic location. Sales roles often incorporate a significant incentive compensation program beyond this base pay range.

In this position, you will be eligible to participate in the company’s discretionary incentive bonus program. This position's bonus target amount, which is not guaranteed and is dependent on individual performance and overall company results among other factors, is provided below.

10% Annual: Individual Target

$150,000.00 - $200,000.00 USD

AI Automation Engineer, Finance & Accounting