Hire vs partner decision
Job descriptions drafted for an AI or automation lead — but payroll, vetting, and ramp time don't match the urgency.
AI operations · Power Platform · Agents in production
Considering hiring an AI operator? Ops is still manual and nothing AI-related is in production
Leadership wants AI leverage across sales, ops, finance, and support — but recruitment is slow, salaries are six figures, and you need something running in production, not a strategy deck. North Ark embeds as your AI operations partner: map workflows, ship Power Platform automations and Copilot agents, measure impact in weeks, and hand over documented systems you own.
- Board or leadership wants AI leverage — but a full-time operator hire is months away
- Manual workflows still dominate — you're the glue between CRM, inbox, and invoicing
- Not ready for $120k+ salary, hiring risk, and onboarding before anything ships
AI Ops sprint $12,500 · Integrations from $5,500 · SOP assistant from $9,500 · 50% to start
Tell us where ops is stuck
Which functions hurt most — sales, finance, support, back office? We'll recommend the right fixed outcome within 4 business hours.
David Goulding delivers this work directly — senior engineering, not a handoff team.
Why you're searching
Something forced this decision — you're not browsing for fun
These are the triggers we hear on fit calls from MDs, IT leads, and ops managers across Brisbane and Australia.
Ops still manual at scale
Growth outpaced systems — leads slip, invoicing waits on copy-paste, reporting takes hours every week.
AI pilots that never land
Demos and ChatGPT experiments — nothing in production with ownership, monitoring, or documented handoff.
Need hands-on builder
Fractional CTO or MSP gives advice — you need someone who maps workflows and ships automations in your stack.
Sound familiar?
You're not alone — this is who we talk to every week
Managing Director
“I want measurable AI ROI without committing to a six-figure hire before we know what works in our business.”
Operations manager
“I'm still the integration layer between our tools — I need production automations, not another workshop.”
IT / ops lead
“We need a senior builder who embeds, ships agents and workflows, and documents everything — not open-ended staff aug.”
What you get
Outcomes you can sign off — not slide decks
Fixed scope, fixed AUD price, named deliverable live in production. Senior engineer delivers, hands over runbooks, and walks you through what's running.
Embed sprint with production delivery
FC-28 maps 2–3 functions, ships 3 production automations or agents, and documents ROI baseline and handoff.
Job-to-cash integration live
OC-01 connects enquiry, CRM, and finance in Power Automate — one painful workflow replaced in 2 weeks.
Governed knowledge assistant
OC-03 replaces shadow ChatGPT with a permissions-aware SOP assistant when document Q&A is the primary pain.
Specific situations
Know exactly what you need? Start here
- Internal AI assistant on your documents
Document Q&A and vector RAG — when knowledge search is the primary pain.
- Workflow automation service
Power Platform and Copilot Studio delivery — the layer behind the embed sprint.
- Fractional CTO advisory
Strategy and governance when leadership needs a technical voice in the room.
Start here
Pick your outcome
AI Ops sprint $12,500 · Integrations from $5,500 · SOP assistant from $9,500 · 50% to start
Ready to embed and ship
Workflow map, 3 production automations or agents, ROI baseline, runbooks — 6 weeks fixed scope.
AI Ops sprint — $12,500CRM to finance still manual
Job-to-cash integration in Power Automate — enquiry to CRM to finance live with monitoring.
Integration sprint — from $5,500Shadow AI on company documents
Permissions-aware SOP assistant with citations — governed alternative to public ChatGPT.
SOP assistant — from $9,500Production outcomes
Buy outcomes — not endless discovery
Fixed AUD price, timeline, and deliverable live in production — senior engineer delivery, not a handoff chain.
FC-28
AI Ops Production Sprint
$12,500
6 weeks
Board wants AI in production — pilots and slide decks aren't enough.
When we're done you have
- Workflow map across 2–3 functions with ROI baseline
- 3 production Power Platform automations or Copilot agents live
- Runbooks, ownership, and optional retainer path documented
Stack: Power Automate · Copilot Studio · Azure Logic Apps · Microsoft Entra ID
Not included: Full-time hire replacement or unlimited automations; Copilot licensing or ad spend
Full-time AI operator hire $120k–$180k+ before outcomes — fixed embed sprint with senior delivery
Done when: Three automations/agents pass UAT in production
50% on signature, 50% on agreed milestone
Book this outcomeOC-01
Job-to-Cash Integration Sprint
$5,500–$7,500
2 weeks
Someone still reconciles CRM, inbox, and finance by hand — even though you already bought the systems.
When we're done you have
- Enquiry → CRM or Dynamics job record → finance draft or status update — running in production
- Failure alerts to email or Teams when a step breaks
- Runbook: pause, replay, and named owner for the integration
Stack: Power Automate · Azure Logic Apps · Dynamics 365 · Microsoft Entra ID
Not included: Full CRM replacement or unlimited extra workflows; Ad spend, licence fees, or open-ended change requests
Agency SOWs from $15k+ — fixed scope, senior delivery, production in 2 weeks
Done when: Both integration paths pass UAT with real data
50% on signature, 50% on agreed milestone
Book this outcomeOC-03
Enterprise SOP Assistant Pilot
$9,500–$12,500
3–4 weeks
Staff paste company documents into public AI tools — you need governed answers from your SOPs.
When we're done you have
- Vector search assistant on one approved corpus with Entra-scoped access
- Grounded answers with citations — not generic chatbot replies
- Pilot group live in Teams or web app with governance one-pager
Stack: Azure AI Search · Azure AI Foundry · Microsoft Entra ID · SharePoint
Not included: Enterprise-wide corpus rollout or unlimited document sets; Copilot licensing or 24/7 SOC
Done when: Pilot group uses assistant for 5 business days; permissions verified
50% on signature, 50% on agreed milestone
Book this outcomeCommon questions
- How is this different from hiring a full-time AI operator?
- A hire means payroll, recruitment, and ramp time before production outcomes — often $120k–$180k+ loaded annually. FC-28 delivers a fixed 6-week sprint at $12,500 with workflow map, 3 production automations or agents, ROI baseline, and documented handoff. You get outcomes first; hire internally later if the scope justifies headcount.
- Who owns the IP and systems you build?
- You do. Automations, agents, repos, and runbooks belong to your business. We document everything so your team or a future hire can operate what we ship.
- Is this staff augmentation?
- No. This is fixed-scope delivery with named outcomes — not open-ended hourly body shop. FC-28 has a defined deliverable list and timeline. Ongoing work is an optional retainer with clear monthly scope, not indefinite augmentation.
- When should we hire internally instead?
- When AI operations is a permanent, full-time function across multiple business units and you have budget for a dedicated operator reporting to the CEO. Many clients start with FC-28, prove ROI, then hire with a clear job spec and systems already running.
- How is this different from an internal AI assistant?
- OC-03 focuses on document Q&A and knowledge search from $9,500. FC-28 spans workflow automation across sales, ops, finance, and support at $12,500 — agents and integrations that replace manual handoffs, not just answer questions from files.
Still deciding? Leave your details
Same form as above — we'll email the right production outcome and book a fit call if useful.
One senior engineer — not a handoff chain
Book a free fit call or pick a production outcome — leave with one recommended SKU, price, and timeline.
AI Ops sprint — $12,500Explore production outcomes · Back to home