Independent AI engineer · remote · overlapping US, UK, EU and Asia-Pacific hours
Need someone to build an AI system for your business? Hire the engineer, not the agency.
I am Nishanthan Janarthanarajah (Nishy), founder of Agent Studio and Flows, and an independent AI and full stack engineer with 7+ years shipping production software for US and international clients. I design and build AI agents, RAG assistants over your own data and workflow automation, and I run two live AI products, Flows and Agent Studio, so you can see finished work before you hire me.
7+
years shipping production software
2
live AI products, built end to end
6 → 31
engineers scaled on one team
Enterprise
RAG and AI screening systems in production
Ready today
Two AI systems you can use today
Before you commission anything custom, see if one of my products already solves the job. Both are designed, built and run by me, and both are free to start.
For businesses that want a process to run itself
Flows
“Describe the process. We run it.”
Describe a process in plain English and Flows connects Slack, Google Sheets, Gmail, SMS and any REST API, runs it around the clock and repairs it with Claude when it breaks. 10 runs a month free.
For teams that need an AI agent behind an API
Agent Studio
“Design the agent. We run it as an API.”
Design an orchestrator and sub-agents on a canvas, add guardrails and a prompt-injection shield, and deploy as a versioned API in one click. 7-day free trial.
Custom builds
Custom AI agents and workflows, built for your business
Products when they fit, custom builds when they don't. If Flows or Agent Studio does not cover your process, I design and build the agent, workflow, assistant or integration your business actually needs, on your data and your tools. Every engagement starts with a short discovery so we build the system that moves your numbers, not the one that sounds impressive.
Custom AI agents that do real work
Agents designed around your process: they plan, call your tools and finish the job, from intake and research to drafting and updating your systems, with approval gates so autonomous work stays safe.
RAG assistants over your data
Assistants that answer from your documents, policies and databases with citations. Built in production on Azure AI Foundry and Azure OpenAI with Pinecone vector search and role-aware guardrails.
Custom workflow automation
Lead capture, reporting, onboarding, support triage or whatever your team repeats every day, wired across the tools you already use. Delivered on Flows when it fits, or built bespoke with the integrations you need.
AI features inside your product
Copilots, chat and generation features embedded in your Next.js or Node.js app, with prompt engineering, evaluation and content safety built in.
MCP servers and agent tooling
Model Context Protocol servers that expose your CMS, design tools, APIs and codebase to AI agents. Proven on Figma design-to-code and headless CMS content automation.
AI discovery and proof of concept
A short, fixed-scope engagement to find where AI actually pays off in your business, a working prototype, and a roadmap to production.
Engineer vs agency
Why businesses hire an independent AI engineer instead of an agency
Directories and vendor lists are built around agencies, so that is who you find first. For most AI systems, a single senior engineer who has shipped this before is the faster and more direct choice.
You talk to the architect
No account manager in between. The person who scopes the system designs it, builds it and answers your questions.
Weeks, not quarters
A fixed-scope discovery, a prototype you can click, then weekly increments. Most first versions ship in weeks.
You own everything
Code, prompts, data, cloud accounts. Handover includes documentation, and you can hire anyone to continue.
Proof you can try
Flows and Agent Studio are live products with paying plans. You can test my judgement on AI systems before a single call.
Enterprise experience without the overhead
I have led delivery for US B2B platforms and scaled a team from 6 to 31, so the process is professional without agency margin on every hour.
When an agency is the better fit
Multi-team platform builds, 24/7 SLAs or procurement that requires a large vendor. In those cases I can also plug into your existing team as the AI lead.
Track record
Work that already runs in production
Enterprise RAG HR assistant
Retrieval-Augmented Generation assistant on Azure AI Foundry with Pinecone vector search, re-ranking and role-based prompt guardrails, answering staff questions over internal policy.
AI interview and screening platform
Candidate screening with LLM-as-a-judge scoring, structured rubrics and human review, built for a hiring team that needed consistency at volume.
PandaDoc marketing platform (US)
Lead engineering for PandaDoc's B2B site on Next.js, Contentful and Vercel at Eight25media: SEO strategy, a Contentful–Smartling localization pipeline and dual-layer caching.
Paycor data migration and Modjoul IoT (US)
Led the Snowflake migration of Paycor's on-prem client data, and architected secure AWS API Gateway and Cognito integrations for Modjoul's IoT asset-management platform.
Flows and Agent Studio
Two AI products designed, built and operated end to end: Next.js on Vercel, Neon serverless Postgres, Claude and Groq models, with paying plans and free tiers.
Scaling a delivery team
Promoted from Senior Engineer to Associate Technical Lead at Verdentra, directing staff augmentation for Paycor and growing the team from 6 to 31 engineers.
Process
How an engagement works
- 01TalkA WhatsApp, email or video call about the job you want done. I tell you honestly whether AI is the right tool, and whether Flows or Agent Studio already covers it.
- 02DiscoverA short, fixed-scope discovery: your data, your tools, the risks, and a prototype you can click.
- 03BuildProduction build with evaluation, guardrails and monitoring, delivered in weekly increments you can see.
- 04RunHandover with documentation, or I keep operating it for you. Either way you own the code and the data.
Locations
Where my clients are
I work remotely from Colombo, Sri Lanka, with overlap for US mornings, full UK and European working days, and Australian and Asia-Pacific afternoons. Kick-off, weekly demos and handover all run over video, WhatsApp and email.
- United States
- United Kingdom
- Europe
- Australia
- Singapore & Asia-Pacific
- Middle East
- Sri Lanka
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I hire someone to build an AI system for my business?
Start with the job, not the technology: which process costs you the most time or money. Then look for an engineer with live systems you can inspect, not slide decks. Message me with that job and I will tell you within a day whether an existing product covers it, or what a custom build would take.
Should I hire an AI agency or an independent AI engineer?
Hire an agency for multi-team platform builds, 24/7 SLAs or procurement that requires a large vendor. Hire an independent engineer when you want to talk directly to the person designing the system, ship in weeks, and own the code without agency overhead. I also work as the AI lead inside existing teams when that fits better.
How long does it take to build an AI system?
Discovery and a clickable prototype usually take one to two weeks. A production first version of an agent, RAG assistant or automation typically ships in a few more weeks, delivered in weekly increments. If Flows or Agent Studio already covers the job, you can be running the same day.
How much does a custom AI system cost?
It depends on your data, integrations and how much already exists, which is why every engagement starts with a fixed-scope discovery that ends in a clear quote. Products are far cheaper: Flows starts free with plans from $10 a month, and Agent Studio has a 7-day free trial with plans from $10.
Can you work in US or European time zones?
Yes. From Colombo I overlap with US mornings, the full UK and European working day, and Australian and Asia-Pacific afternoons. Weekly demos are scheduled in your hours.
What if I only need a small automation, not a whole system?
Use Flows. Describe the process in plain English, connect Slack, Google Sheets, Gmail, SMS or any REST API, and it runs for you with 10 free runs a month. Custom work only makes sense once a process is clearly worth more than the build.
Do you build AI agents with guardrails and prompt-injection protection?
Yes. Custom agents ship with evaluation, guardrails and human-in-the-loop approval, and Agent Studio lets your team design an orchestrator, sub-agents, guardrails and a three-layer injection shield on a canvas and deploy it as a versioned API.
Which platforms and models do you use?
Azure AI Foundry and Azure OpenAI for enterprise work, the Claude API, open models such as GPT-OSS and Llama on Groq, Pinecone for vector search, and Next.js, Node.js, NestJS and Neon Postgres on Vercel and AWS around them. I choose per project, and you keep the accounts.
Will I own the AI system after it is built?
Yes. You own the code, prompts, data and infrastructure. Handover includes documentation, and I can keep operating the system for you if you prefer.
Where are you based and who have you worked with?
I am based in Colombo, Sri Lanka. I lead engineering for PandaDoc's B2B marketing platform at Eight25media, led Paycor's Snowflake data migration and Modjoul's IoT integrations at earlier employers, and have shipped an enterprise RAG assistant and an AI screening platform, all for US clients.
Tell me the job you want done
One message is enough to start. I will tell you whether Flows or Agent Studio already covers it, or what a custom build would take, usually within a day.