AI and Data Specialist

Job Posting Organization:
UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is intended, every childbirth is safe, and every young person's potential is fulfilled. Established in 1969, UNFPA operates in over 150 countries and has a mission to promote the right of every woman, man, and child to enjoy a life of health and equal opportunity. The organization focuses on four interconnected outcomes: ending unmet need for family planning, ending preventable maternal deaths, ending gender-based violence and harmful practices, and adapting to demographic change through evidence and rights-based policies. UNFPA is committed to ethical standards and principles, ensuring that its staff embody these values and work towards high-impact results in a rapidly changing global environment.

Job Overview:
The AI and Data Specialist will play a crucial role in establishing the AI, Data, and Knowledge practice within the Digital Center of Excellence (CoE) at UNFPA. This position is integral to advancing the organization's Digital Strategy for 2026-2029, focusing on leveraging program-related data to enhance programming at global, regional, and country levels. The specialist will serve as an IT Leader and Product Manager, overseeing the full lifecycle of AI and data products, ensuring they meet the needs of UNFPA programs and support accelerated impact. The role requires collaboration with stakeholders to develop AI strategies, manage end-to-end AI initiatives, and establish best practices for AI development and ethical usage across the organization.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The AI and Data Specialist will be responsible for several key areas:

• Artificial Intelligence Strategy and Solutioning: Collaborate with stakeholders to formulate the AI strategy and implementation roadmap, manage AI initiatives from ideation to deployment, and design scalable AI solutions.
• Artificial Intelligence and Data Governance: Lead the design and maintenance of AI and Data Governance Frameworks, ensuring ethical usage and compliance, and develop training initiatives on AI principles and data literacy.
• Data Architecture: Own the design and maintenance of enterprise data architecture, define the architecture for the data lifecycle, and establish data modeling standards.
• Product Manager of AI and Data Solutions: Act as the Product Manager for key data solutions, develop product vision and strategy, manage the development lifecycle, and define KPIs for product success.
• Additional duties related to the Digital Strategy and Digital CoE as required by UNFPA leadership.

Required Qualifications:
Candidates must possess an advanced university degree in Information Technology, Business Administration, or a related discipline. A first-level university degree combined with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced degree. A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience in developing AI solutions, data pipelines, or complex software applications is required. Candidates should have a solid background in data management, cloud architecture, secure APIs, and IT process governance. Experience with Google Cloud and Google AI environments is highly desirable, along with familiarity with digital product development and agile methodologies. Awareness of AI ethics and security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">information security best practices is also important.

Educational Background:
An advanced university degree in Information Technology, Business Administration, or a related field is required. Alternatively, a first-level university degree with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced degree.

Experience:
Candidates should have at least seven years of increasingly responsible professional experience in developing AI solutions, data pipelines, or complex software applications. Experience in delivering working data models, code, AI models, and deployed solutions independently and efficiently is essential. Familiarity with the UN system or similar international organizations is desirable.

Languages:
Fluency in English is mandatory, while knowledge of other official UN languages, particularly French and/or Spanish, is desirable.

Additional Notes:
This position offers a competitive net salary along with health insurance and other benefits. UNFPA promotes a work environment that reflects gender equality, diversity, integrity, and a healthy work-life balance. The organization encourages applications from women, LGBTQIA+ individuals, minority ethnic groups, indigenous populations, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups. Reasonable accommodations may be provided for applicants with disabilities to support their participation in the recruitment process. UNFPA is committed to equal opportunities in terms of appointment, training, compensation, and selection for all, regardless of personal characteristics.