Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Technical Solutions Consultant

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WFP celebrates and embraces diversity. It is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status or disability.

ABOUT WFP

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the leading humanitarian organization saving lives and changing lives, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. We are currently seeking to fill an Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Technical Solutions Consultant position in the INKA division, based in Munich, Germany.

Brief description of WFP Innovation Accelerator, INKA:

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the United Nations frontline agency fighting hunger. WFP reaches more than 100 million people every day - delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with smallholder farmers, communities, and governments to improve nutrition and build resilience.

The WFP Innovation Accelerator was named by Fast Company as Most Innovative Non-Profit Organization 2021 for its work in identifying, nurturing, and scaling disruptive start-ups and innovations to end global hunger. Based in Munich, Germany, the Innovation Accelerator provides WFP employees and start-ups with funding, hands-on support, and access to WFP’s global operations. Through the Accelerator, WFP is leveraging unprecedented advances in digital innovation - such as mobile technology, artificial intelligence, and blockchain - and new business models to transform the way it serves vulnerable communities across the world. In 2022, Accelerator supported innovations that positively impacted the lives of more than 37 million people globally. The Accelerator runs programmes with external partners such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Austrian Development Agency, and others.

More information here: http://innovation.wfp.org and https://youtu.be/OnKkQlRdh2c

The Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Technical Solutions Consultant will join the Frontier Innovations team, which is part of the Innovative Finance, Frontier Innovations and Venture Launchpad at the WFP Innovation Accelerator. The Frontier Innovations team actively seeks new ways of delivering humanitarian assistance by exploring cutting-edge technologies such as blockchain, artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, and others.

The incumbent will both develop own solutions as well as support the technical aspects of pilot delivery which will put to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) technologies to catalyze maximum impact at WFP. The role demands the ability to both assess and communicate the technical value of AI technologies to business stakeholders, while applying them to solve complex problems in the field. Lastly, the consultant will be supporting the scouting for and building collaborations with AI thought leaders and organizations. The role is based in Munich but may require travel to the Headquarters (HQ), to work and liaise with the WFP Technology Division (TEC), and other units, based out of the WFP Headquarters in Rome as well as colleagues in Country Offices (COs) and Regional Bureaus (RBs) around the world.

General Information:

Job title: Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Technical Solutions Consultant

Unit: Innovation Accelerator, Innovation and Knowledge Management Division (INKA)

Country: Germany

Duty Station: Munich

Initial contract duration: 5 months (extendable)

Expected Start Date: 01.10.2023

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

The incumbent, reporting to the Head of Innovative Finance, Frontier Innovations and Venture Launchpad, is expected to:

1. Drive the development of selected AI & ML based software solutions from ideation to pilot implementation (Technology Readiness Level 5-6):

• Use available tools and expertise to develop lightweight technology prototypes to test research hypotheses.
• Develop architecture standards, templates, and principles for WFP Innovation Accelerator AI projects in line with corporate standards and present them to the WFP IT Architectural Board for endorsement.
• Map solution design to WFP Enterprise Architecture standards and reference architectures.
• Collaborate with all necessary stakeholders, including business and IT roles, to gather needed input to derive, develop and document an agreed upon solution.
• Drive the project team in applicable operational and procurement processes linked to the projects, as needed.
• Provide guidance on applying agile project management methods (e.g., Scrum, Kanban) in projects, as required.
• Provide effort estimations for software development and appropriate project delivery.
• Liaise with the TEC Division to provide WFP Innovation Accelerator, internal and external stakeholders and vendors with appropriate software-development infrastructure and access to WFP.

2. Present and provide technical insights linked to AI & ML concepts to peers across WFP (HQ, RBs and COs) and external stakeholders in order to introduce and explain the technology and foster appropriate use-case ideas:

• Advise and support innovation teams on key decisions regarding technical product features, technology elements, and relevant technology vendors/partners.
• Coach project teams from ideation to implementation (as applicable), using methodologies such as human-centered design, lean start-up, project management and SCRUM.
• Participate and carry out discussions with WFP colleagues in other divisions or in WFP operations to showcase the potential value of AI to address humanitarian and food security challenges.
• Provide technical inputs to Frontier Innovation and Accelerator strategy and plans.

3. Support the overall Innovation Accelerator operations:

• Provide analysis & content preparation (data on projects, PowerPoint presentations, briefs, etc.) for corporate priority topics and management meetings;
• Participate and carry out discussions with colleagues in other divisions or external stakeholders on topics related to innovation;
• Support other core processes of the Innovation Accelerator (e.g. innovation sourcing; innovation bootcamps; sprint programme; thought leadership; scale-up enablement; innovation services; knowledge management) as required;
• Support the Head of the Innovation Accelerator and the Director of Innovation and Knowledge Management with any other activities as required.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, (Applied) Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning or equivalent. Master’s degree is a plus. Certifications in software architecture (CITA-P, SOA, or alike) is also a plus.

Experience: At least 3 years of technical experience relevant to Artificial Intelligence or Machine Learning technologies such as Natural Language Processing (NLP), Computer Vision, Deep Learning, etc.

Languages: Fluency in oral and written English is mandatory. Intermediate knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish) or Portuguese (one of WFP’s working languages) is considered advantageous.

TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

Technical skills and expertise

• Experience in developing and implementing AI and ML solutions, with a focus on foundational techniques such as Natural Language Processing (NLP), Computer Vision, Deep Learning, or Robotics.
• Knowledge of data analysis, data preprocessing, and feature engineering techniques to support the development of AI and ML models.
• Familiarity with cloud-based AI services and platforms, such as Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud, and exposure to deploying AI models in a scalable manner.

Specific AI frameworks and libraries experience

• Familiarity with common AI frameworks and libraries such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, or Keras, and ability to utilize them for basic AI model development and training.
• Exposure to popular AI libraries and tools for natural language processing, computer vision, or other AI domains, such as spaCy, OpenCV, or scikit-learn.

AI-related software engineering skills

• Basic proficiency in software engineering best practices, version control systems (e.g., Git), and collaborative development workflows for AI applications.
• Programming skills in languages commonly used in AI development, such as Python, Java, Scala, or R, and ability to write clean and maintainable code.

AI deployment and productization familiarity

• Exposure to deploying AI models in development or testing environments and understanding the basic concepts of integrating AI solutions with existing systems or APIs.

Knowledge of AI ethics and responsible AI practices

• Awareness of ethical considerations in AI development, including bias mitigation, fairness, and privacy protection.
• Basic understanding of responsible AI practices, including data governance and transparency in AI decision-making.

REQUIRED SKILLS | WFP COMPETENCIES

• Passionate to build and apply technology innovations (e.g. mobile apps, blockchain, artificial intelligence and machine learning) for social impact.
• Knowledge and experience implementing agile project management methodologies and able to get things done in an hands-on way.
• Proven track record in driving projects - effectively delivering impactful elements of projects in a fast-moving environment, ideally for new businesses, new business models, start-ups.
• Able to generate new and original solutions to complex problems, to design new product ideas, and to develop non-functional requirements for technical prototypes.
• Strong analytical skills to assess business requirements to develop innovative projects.
• Strong communication skills, collaborative spirit, able to partner with a wide range of people at all levels and across different cultures and to act with credibility and diplomacy.
• Self-motivated and able to work with a high degree of autonomy.
• Sets a high-level of ambition for the project and own work to achieve impact for the vulnerable people we serve.
• Fully committed and motivated to achieve the aims of the UN World Food Programme.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

WFP offers a competitive compensation package which will be determined by the contract type and selected candidate’s qualifications and experience.

Please visit the following website for detailed information on working with WFP: http://www.wfp.org

Click on: “Our work” and “Countries” to learn more about WFP’s operations.

Only shortlisted candidates will be notified.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

Closing Date: 19 July 2023

VA Reference number: 828178

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Female applicants and qualified applicants from developing countries are especially encouraged to apply. WFP has zero tolerance for discrimination and does not discriminate on the basis of HIV/AIDS status.

No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.

WFP has a zero-tolerance approach to conduct such as fraud, sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to WFP’s standards of conduct and will therefore undergo rigorous background verification internally or through third parties. Selected candidates will also be required to provide additional information as part of the verification exercise. Misrepresentation of information provided during the recruitment process may lead to disqualification or termination of employment

WFP will not request payment at any stage of the recruitment process including at the offer stage. Any requests for payment should be refused and reported to local law enforcement authorities for appropriate action.