AI Automation Engineer – Internal Ops System (Outlook, WhatsApp, CRM, VoIP)

We are a UK-based property & estate agency upgrading our internal operations. This project is about control, follow-ups, and reliability — not building a SaaS product, dashboard, or customer-facing app. We want a quiet automation layer that makes sure leads, calls, and follow-ups never slip, without changing how our team already works. What we need built (Phase 1 only) A background automation system that handles lettings leads only and: Monitors our Microsoft 365 shared inbox for lettings enquiries Treats missed incoming calls as leads Automatically creates a task with: Owner (auto-assigned) Response timing Re-checks task status after the response window Flags and escalates missed actions Sends a simple daily summary (what was done vs missed) This phase runs in shadow mode (no behavioural changes yet). The system must work around our existing tools, not replace them. What is explicitly out of scope for Phase 1 Sales, valuations, renewals, or other departments Dashboards or reporting UIs CRM replacement or restructuring WhatsApp message parsing beyond basic notifications AI agents talking to customers These may come later, but not in this phase. Tools & skills we’re looking for Automation platforms: n8n / Make / Zapier Microsoft 365 / Outlook automation API integrations Experience building internal ops / enforcement systems Failure-first mindset (monitoring, retries, escalation) How we like to work Clear scope, clear rules Simple, boring solutions that don’t break No over-engineering Short feedback loops Focus on proving fundamentals before expanding We’re hands-on with requirements but don’t want micromanagement. Project structure Phase 1: Small, clearly defined build (lettings only) Open to fixed price for Phase 1 Short timeline focused on proving the core logic Further phases scoped only after Phase 1 works in practice When applying, please include Examples of similar internal automation or ops systems How you handle missed actions and failures How you prefer to structure phase-based builds Apply tot his job