Course Guide Fellow (AI, ML, NLP)

Background
  Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are core principles at UNDP:  we value diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate, we foster inclusion as a way of ensuring all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, and we ensure equity and fairness in all our actions. Taking a ‘leave no one behind’ approach to our diversity efforts means increasing representation of underserved populations. People who identify as belonging to marginalized or excluded populations are strongly encouraged to apply. Learn more about working at UNDP including our values and inspiring stories.
  UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.  

UNDP works in about 170 countries and territories, helping to eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities and exclusion, and build resilience so countries can sustain progress. As the UN’s development agency, UNDP plays a critical role in helping countries achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Istanbul International Center for Private Sector in Development (ICPSD) is the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) global organization mandated to leverage the role of the private sector in development. The ICPSD was established in Istanbul, Türkiye based on the Partnership Framework Agreement signed between the Government of the Republic of Türkiye and the United Nations Development Program in March 2011. The center is one of the six global thematic policy centers of UNDP, supports the private sector and foundations to become transformative partners in development through research, advocacy, facilitation of public-private dialogue and brokering partnerships. ICPSD leads UNDP’s global work on private sector and foundations and supports UNDP’s offices all around the world.  

The SDG AI Lab is a joint initiative of UNDP BPPS (Bureau for Policy and Programme Support) team, and it is hosted under UNDP ICPSD. The SDG AI Lab provides research, development, and advisory support through innovative digital solutions in harnessing the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for sustainable development. The Lab aims to strengthen the UNDP’s internal and its partners’ capacities for the increasing demand for digital transformation. 

UNDP ICPSD’s SDG AI Lab, UN Technology Bank will jointly implement the Frontier Tech Leaders (FTL) Program for the LDCs (Least Developed Countries) to bridge the digital divide and contribute to the 2030 Agenda of sustainable development.  The Frontier Tech Leaders Program trains tech specialists in Least Developed Countries to develop digital solutions for developmental challenges. In this sense, it will inspire youth and provide them with the means for action. With a focus on encouraging young women to pursue education and careers in the field of technology, the Program will promote the gender equality in the field of frontier technologies.

The Programme has its fourth country implementation in Angola with the aim of graduating minimum 50 young participants from the Frontier Tech Leaders Bootcamp in Angola. The Frontier Tech Leaders Programme in Angola is tailored for sustainable tourism development agenda of the government’s strategic priorities. The FTL Programme will include specific courses on utilizing frontier technologies for the sustainable tourism development, sustainable tourism focused capstone project and a specialized webinar for raising awareness on the use of frontier technologies for sustainable tourism development. The young participants will also benefit from community training activities, Virtual Digital Business Incubation Programme and global FTL community. 

SDG AI Lab’s Data Science Fellowship modality is based on UNDP’s Fellowship policy. The objective of the Data Science Fellowship is to provide the opportunity to work on how to deploy frontier technologies such as Data Science, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning, Deep Learning (DL), Natural Language Processing (NLP), GIS, and Blockchain on development issues. In particular, the Fellow will support Frontier Tech Leaders Program’s training and community activities. 

  Duties and Responsibilities  

The Fellow will assist in the following duties and responsibilities:

 

№  Duties and responsibilities % of time 1

Support Frontier Tech Leaders Training component

• Plan and prepare materials for learning collaboratives on Machine Learning Bootcamp in Portuguese
• Conduct learning collaborative sessions on topics covering Machine Learning Bootcamp & government officials training in Portuguese
• Host office hours for learners’ questions and inquiries
• Teaching and assistance to students individually or in small groups
• Facilitate communications and discussions among learners
• Monitor and report each learner’s progress 
• Cultivate a positive, organized learning atmosphere 

 

50 % 2

Support Frontier Tech Leaders Portuguese speaking community

• Support Programme team in organizing community events in Portuguese and engaging Portuguese speaking participants to the Program
• Provide support to the Programme team in establishment of FTL Angola and other Portuguese speaking country communities
• Facilitate communications and discussions within the FTL community

 

30 % 3

Development and implementation of digital solutions for SDGs with utilizing AI/ML/DL/NLP

• Support capstone projects, hackathons and project formulation and deployment throughout the Program
• Develop ML and DL models applying supervised and unsupervised techniques on structured and unstructured Big Data
• Build and deploy AI/ML/DL models using the relevant techniques 
• Design and implement data quality procedures to support data quality management activities for data pipelines
• Research and experiment with customized software using the relevant techniques for the data such as NLP and GIS 

 

10 % 4

Other

• Provide as needed support to the Technical Specialist as required for, amongst others, participating in meetings, conferences, providing administrative support, drafting meeting minutes and performing other functions and duties. 

 

10 %

 

Required Skills and Experience

Education: 

Candidates must meet one of the following educational requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Statistics, Data Science, Mathematics, or related field is required. 
• Master’s degree in Computer Science, Statistics, Data Science, Mathematics, or related field is an asset.

IT skills:

• Strong proficiency in Python 
• Knowledge of open-source software library such as TensorFlow, Scikit-Learn, Pandas, and NLTK is an asset
• Familiarity with the Software Development tools including Git and GitHub
• Strong understanding of Machine Learning, Deep Learning and Natural Language Processing
• Completion of AI/DL/ML certification from Coursera (i.e. Stanford University Machine Learning Specialization by Andrew Ng) is an asset

Language skills:

• Fluency in Portuguese and English with excellent reading and writing skills is required

Other competencies and attitude:

• Interest in innovative teaching, learning and assessment;
• Flexibility and capacity to teach (remotely) across a range of AI courses.
• Willingness and capacity to undertake continuous professional development related to technology use and to teach on these matters.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills including presentation skills, both face-to-face and online.
• Ability to engage and develop working relationships with program participants and project stakeholders
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability
• Responds positively to feedback and differing points of view
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude.

 Additional Information

• The UNDP Fellowship Program is designed to offer exposure to development issues and first-hand experience of the day-to-day work of UNDP .
• Home-based: Fellows are expected to work remotely; no relocation is required.
• Hours worked: Full-time (40 hrs/wk) 
• There is no expectation of employment with UNDP following a fellowship.

Application procedure

The application should contain:

• Brief Cover Letter (in English) stating interest in and qualifications for the post;
• Current and complete CV in English;

Candidates who are selected for must submit prior to the interview the following documents:

• Official document(s) confirming meeting at least one of the educational requirements.

Stipend

• During the time of the fellowship, UNDP will provide a monthly stipend which will be determined for each duty station based on the stipend rates published yearly by the OHR Policy and Compensation Unit. The stipend will be paid on a monthly basis.

  Disclaimer
  Important information for US Permanent Residents ('Green Card' holders) 
  Under US immigration law, acceptance of a staff position with UNDP, an international organization, may have significant implications for US Permanent Residents. UNDP advises applicants for all professional level posts that they must relinquish their US Permanent Resident status and accept a G-4 visa, or have submitted a valid application for US citizenship prior to commencement of employment. 
  UNDP is not in a position to provide advice or assistance on applying for US citizenship and therefore applicants are advised to seek the advice of competent immigration lawyers regarding any applications.
  Applicant information about UNDP rosters
  Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.
  Non-discrimination
  UNDP has a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual exploitation and misconduct, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.  
  UNDP is an equal opportunity and inclusive employer that does not discriminate based on race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status. 
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