Build an AI Business Operations Autopilot | n8n, AI Agents, CRM & API Integration

Project Overview We are looking for an experienced AI Automation Engineer to build an intelligent operations layer that sits across our business tools and automatically identifies what needs attention, what can be handled automatically, and what should be escalated to a human. The idea is not to build another collection of disconnected automations. We want to create an AI Business Operations Autopilot. The system should continuously receive business activity from different sources such as CRM, email, forms, website enquiries, calendars, support conversations, sales pipelines, spreadsheets, and internal tools. It should then understand the situation and trigger the correct next action. For example: A lead has not replied for four days → decide whether to send a follow-up. A customer sounds unhappy → identify the issue, summarize it, update the CRM, and alert the correct person. A salesperson forgot to follow up → create the task automatically. A high-value lead enters the CRM → enrich the lead, qualify it, prioritize it, and prepare a personalized response. A customer asks a common question → let the AI answer it. A request is unusual or risky → stop the automation and involve a human. A workflow repeatedly fails → log the issue and notify us instead of silently breaking. What We Want to Build We want one central automation layer using n8n as the main orchestration platform. The system may combine: AI Automation AI Integration n8n Workflows AI Agent Development Workflow Automation API Integration CRM Automation AI Chatbot Development GoHighLevel Make.com Zapier OpenAI API Claude API Webhooks REST APIs Airtable Google Sheets Email and calendar integrations However, we do not want AI added everywhere unnecessarily. Part of your job will be deciding whether each task should be handled by: Normal automation → AI workflow → AI agent → human Core System 1. Business Event Hub Different systems should send important business events into one central workflow. Examples: New lead Missed call Customer reply Appointment booked Appointment missed Deal stage changed Payment received Payment overdue Support issue submitted Customer sentiment changed Internal task overdue 2. AI Decision Layer The AI should analyze the event together with available customer and business context. It may determine: urgency customer intent lead quality next best action whether a response should be generated whether the CRM should be updated whether a team member needs to be involved 3. Automated Action Layer Based on the decision, the system could automatically: update the CRM send personalized email/SMS create tasks route leads schedule follow-ups create internal summaries update spreadsheets/databases trigger another workflow notify Slack/Teams call external APIs hand the case to a human 4. Business Memory We would also like the system to maintain useful context about each customer or lead. Instead of every automation treating an interaction as completely new, the system should be able to understand previous activity and use that context when deciding what to do next. 5. Automation Health Monitor This is one of the more important parts. We want the system to monitor its own workflows. For example: If an API fails, a CRM field is missing, credentials expire, or an automation repeatedly errors, the system should capture the failure and generate a useful explanation instead of simply stopping. Ideally we would have a simple dashboard showing: workflows running failed workflows AI decisions leads requiring attention automation savings tasks handled automatically tasks escalated to humans The Goal We want to move from: People constantly checking software to: Software watching the business and telling people where they are actually needed. The final system should reduce repetitive operational work while keeping humans in control of important decisions. What We Are Looking For You should have strong practical experience with: n8n AI Automation AI Integration AI Agents Workflow Automation API Integration CRM Automation OpenAI / Claude APIs Webhooks and REST APIs Experience with GoHighLevel, Make.com, Zapier, Airtable, Salesforce, HubSpot, or similar CRM systems is also useful. We care more about architecture and problem solving than simply connecting apps. When Applying Please do not send a generic AI-generated proposal. Instead, answer these questions: If you were building this system, what would you use as the central event/orchestration layer? Which parts would you make deterministic workflows and which parts would you allow an AI Agent to control? How would you prevent an AI Agent from making an incorrect or risky business action? How would you design error handling so we know when an automation silently fails? What would you build first as a proof of concept? If your approach is strong, this could become an ongoing project where we gradually automate more areas of the business.