Artificial Intelligence Researcher/Data Engineer

Company: UNHCR
Job Title: Artificial Intelligence Researcher/Data Engineer
Location: Home-Based
Target Start Date: July 15, 2024
Job Posting End Date: June 30, 2024

About UNHCR

UNHCR is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights, and building a better future for refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people. We operate in over 125 countries, using our expertise to protect and care for millions of displaced individuals worldwide.

About UNHCR Innovation

UNHCR Innovation Service is a multi-year, inter-departmental initiative seeking efficient, effective, and creative solutions to address challenges that refugees face across UNHCR operations worldwide. The goal is to ensure protection, self-reliance, empowerment, and dignity for persons of concern (PoC). We focus on rethinking the ways we work, involving PoC in program designs, and leveraging good practices in the humanitarian sector.

About RiMAP

RiMAP (Rights Mapping and Analysis Platform) is UNHCR’s web-based tool designed to provide insights into the legal landscape of rights for refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced, and stateless persons. RiMAP aims to map and analyze domestic laws and policies across UNHCR's 138 operations and all 193 UN member states, identifying protection gaps and facilitating regional and cross-regional analysis. The core platform is scheduled for global availability in the second half of 2024.

Role Overview: Artificial Intelligence Researcher/Data Engineer

The Artificial Intelligence Researcher/Data Engineer will work at the intersection of AI, machine learning, and law & policy analysis. Collaborating with legal experts, the main goal is to research and develop an internal “Virtual Legal Assistant” for UNHCR staff by the end of the project. The role involves stages of research and development, each ending with a report and recommendations for subsequent work.

Key Responsibilities

Initial Stage:

• Conduct a literature review and deliver a 6-10 page report summarizing findings and preliminary platform/tool recommendations.
• Identify users, stakeholders, priority needs, and data sources; deliver a 5-page report on recommended priorities and project scope.
• Develop criteria for human evaluation of AI outputs and demo a proof-of-concept platform.
• Conduct a participatory online workshop to refine evaluation criteria and deliver a report with recommendations.

Subsequent Stages:

• Refine the evaluation framework and platform; log prompts, RAG processes, and models.
• Source code to be shared via UNHCR-approved repositories.
• Produce a draft report summarizing findings and recommendations for a prototype Virtual Legal Assistant.
• Validate recommendations through an online workshop and develop a high-level business requirements document.
• Undertake the formal development of the Virtual Legal Assistant prototype.
• Deliver a final analytical report summarizing the project’s key learnings, recommendations, and future work.

Qualifications and Experience

Education: Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in fields related to computer science, data science, AI, information technologies, or any STEM-related area with strong data analytics components.

Work Experience:

• 2-5 years in data science, computer science, cognitive systems, software engineering, IT, or innovation.
• At least 1 year in applied research with Generative AI or natural language processing.

Key Competencies:

• Interest in humanitarian and development issues related to AI, machine learning, international law, and human rights.
• Experience in software development (e.g., Python, Javascript, PHP, HTML/CSS, REST APIs).
• Knowledge of LLM GenAI platforms (e.g., OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini).
• Experience with various database technologies (e.g., MySQL, SQLServer).
• Proven experience implementing new projects within large organizations.

Desirable Experience/Knowledge

• Knowledge of AI agent orchestration platforms (e.g., MS Autogen, CrewAI, Langchain).
• Experience with MS