Engineering Lead - AI for Knowledge Hub

Job Posting Organization:
The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, commonly known as UN-Habitat, is an agency of the United Nations that focuses on promoting socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities. Established by the UN General Assembly, its mission is to provide adequate shelter for all and to improve the quality of life in urban areas. UN-Habitat operates in numerous countries around the world, working towards sustainable urban development and addressing the challenges of urbanization. The organization is dedicated to fostering partnerships and collaboration among various stakeholders to achieve its goals, and it employs a diverse workforce of professionals committed to making a positive impact on human settlements globally.

Job Overview:
The Engineering Lead for the AI for Knowledge Hub will play a crucial role in establishing engineering and infrastructure capacity for the AI for Knowledge Initiative. This position involves deploying the AI for Knowledge Platform for global use by UN-Habitat staff and creating repeatable engineering practices, documentation, and operational processes to ensure the platform's maintenance and scalability for future public availability. The role is situated within the Knowledge and Innovation Branch of UN-Habitat, which is responsible for generating data and analysis that contribute to high-level global reporting and identifying emerging innovations that can enhance the impact of UN-Habitat's work. The Engineering Lead will collaborate closely with the Machine Learning Lead and Team Lead to shape the technical roadmap and ensure that infrastructure decisions align with the organization's mission and product direction.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The Engineering Lead will be responsible for a variety of tasks, including shaping the technical roadmap of the Initiative, serving as a technical counterpart to partners and stakeholders, designing the Hub's architecture to be secure and scalable, establishing engineering standards and workflows, developing and maintaining backend APIs and service components, implementing security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">security and access control measures, ensuring infrastructure reliability and operational readiness, producing and maintaining technical documentation, and building engineering capacity as the initiative scales. The role requires a proactive approach to problem-solving and the ability to translate product requirements into practical technical solutions, ensuring that the platform is robust and ready for deployment across various Country Offices and for public use in the future.

Required Qualifications:
Candidates must possess an advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in fields such as Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Engineering, Data Engineering, Information Systems, Physics, Maths, or a related quantitative/technical field. Alternatively, a first-level university degree combined with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced degree. Additionally, at least 2 years of relevant work experience in software engineering, data engineering, or platform/infrastructure roles is required, along with experience in end-to-end ownership of at least one production system, cloud infrastructure, version control, CI/CD, containerization, backend services, relational databases, secure deployment practices, operational reliability, and technical documentation.

Educational Background:
The educational background required for this position includes an advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in a relevant technical field such as Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Engineering, Data Engineering, Information Systems, Physics, or Maths. A first-level university degree may be accepted if accompanied by additional qualifying experience. This educational foundation is essential for understanding the complexities of software and infrastructure engineering necessary for the role.

Experience:
The position requires at least 2 years of relevant work experience in software engineering, data engineering, or platform/infrastructure roles. Candidates should have experience in end-to-end ownership of production systems, cloud infrastructure, version control, CI/CD, and containerization. Additionally, experience in developing backend services and APIs, operating relational databases, secure deployment practices, operational reliability, and collaborating with non-technical stakeholders is essential. Desirable experience includes working with infrastructure-as-code tools, programming in Python and TypeScript/JavaScript, and mentoring engineers.

Languages:
Fluency in English (both oral and written) is required for this position, as English is one of the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. Knowledge of French is also beneficial, as it is another working language of the UN. Proficiency in these languages is crucial for effective communication within the organization and with external stakeholders.

Additional Notes:
The position is expected to last for a duration of 6 months. It is important to note that the United Nations does not charge any fees at any stage of the recruitment process, including application, interview, or training. The organization is committed to maintaining the integrity of its recruitment processes and does not request information regarding applicants' bank accounts.