AI Engineer Apprentice (Paid, Part-Time, Path to Full-Time)

OptiCommerceAI | Remote (Chicago area preferred) | $15-25/hr based on experience**About us**OptiCommerceAI builds AI systems for businesses: 24/7 AI voice agents that answer phones and book appointments, AI operating systems, and custom software. Founded in 2025, built entirely on agentic AI. Our agents have handled 400,000+ minutes of live calls. One client, a plastic surgery practice, recovered 656 missed calls and booked 31 consultations in the first 2.5 months. We've shipped ai-enabled software to cut down workflows from 2-3 weeks into 2 hours. **The role**This is an apprenticeship, not a coffee-fetching internship. You will learn two crafts side by side: building production AI systems and growing an AI business. On the build side you start from a proven starter kit and documented playbooks, and everything you build is reviewed before it ships. On the growth side you learn outbound strategy directly from the founder and take over running it. Within a few months you should be building voice agents end to end, building workflows for clients, helping with client relations, and owning the day-to-day of our outbound engine.**What you'll do**Build (roughly two-thirds of your time):- Build AI voice agents on Retell AI: prompts, call flows, booking integrations- Ship backend work with Claude Code: Python, FastAPI, webhooks, third-party APIs (Google Calendar, CRMs, Modal)- Help deliver custom software and automations for clients: dashboards, pipelines, integrations- Test and QA everything before launch, and document what you build so the next build is fasterGrow (roughly one-third of your time):- Learn outbound strategy hands-on: how we pick targets, craft the angle, and iterate on what gets replies- Build and clean prospect lists using our research tools (review mining, call data, scrapers)- Run email and DM campaigns, triage replies, and keep the CRM clean- Book and prep qualified meetings for the founder, and track what converts**What we're looking for**- Current student or recent grad (CS, MIS, or self-taught counts)- 15-20 consistent hours per week, including during the semester- You already use AI coding tools (Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot) by choice- You have shipped at least one real thing: an app, a bot, a site, a tool people used- Clear written and spoken communication- Interested in the business side, not just the code: sales, marketing, and why clients buy- Curious, self-motivated, reliable, and honest about what you don't know**Nice to have**- Python or JavaScript fundamentals- Agentic Coding- Any exposure to voice AI, LLM APIs, or automation tools- Chicago area, for occasional in-person work sessions**Pay and path**$15-25/hr part-time, paid from day one. The first step is a paid one-week test project. The goal is full-time: do great work and there is a full time position at the end of this.**How to apply**Send a link to something you built that people actually used, plus 2-3 sentences on why this role and why you'd be a great fit to work with me to michael@opticommerceai.com with the subject line "Apprentice".