AI for Knowledge Initiative Lead (Consultant)

Result of ServiceEstablish the UN-Habitat AI for Knowledge Initiative. Develop the UN-Habitat AI for Knowledge Action Plan. Develop the UN-Habitat AI for Knowledge Hub (user friendly platform for the six core projects). Work LocationNairobi Expected duration12 months Duties and ResponsibilitiesThe United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat, is the agency for human Settlements. It is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all. The position is located in the External Relations, Strategy, Knowledge and Innovation Division (ERSKI) of UN-Habitat in Nairobi. ERSKI is responsible for strategic planning, programmatic direction and operationalization of UN-Habitat's focal point role for the New Urban Agenda in the UN system; knowledge management, data and reporting; innovation; resource mobilization; and strategic partnerships. The Knowledge and Innovation Branch is responsible for generating data and analysis which feeds into high-level global reporting on substantive findings as well as identifying emerging innovations and solutions which are scalable, expanding and leveraging greater impact of the UN-Habitat work programme and strategy. The consultant will be reporting to the Programme Management Officer, and he/she will be responsible for the following tasks: Lead the establishment of the UN-Habitat AI for Knowledge Initiative - Team Coordination: Create and dynamically update workplans for each team member. - Team Training: Assess strength and skill gaps and facilitate training and mentorship initiatives. - Partnerships: Develop initiative partners from UN-Habitat, the UN System, and the private sector. - Advocacy: Broadcast success metrics, case studies, and impact reports to amplify reach. Lead the development of the UN-Habitat AI for Knowledge Action Plan - AI Frameworks: Create AI maturity, prioritisation, M&E, risk and resource assessments. - AI Benchmark: Map and benchmark AI guidance, bodies, and initiatives in UN-Habitat / UN System. - Exploration Phase: Design, initiate, and evaluate exploration capacity building and project portfolio. - Transformation Phase: Design and initiate transformation capacity building and project portfolio. Lead the development of the UN-Habitat AI for Knowledge Hub - Core Infrastructure: Define use cases, and design and build the core Azure infrastructure. - 2026 New Urban Agenda Report: Design and lead development of tailored project solutions. - World Cities 2026: Design and lead development of tailored project solutions. - Housing Library: Design and lead development of tailored project solutions. - SDG11 Report: Design and lead development of tailored project solutions. - WUF13 Reports: Design and lead development of tailored project solutions. - Best Practices Database: Design and lead development of tailored project solutions. - Scale Infrastructure: Scale the core Azure infrastructure to service the entire agency. - AI & Machine Learning: Engineer features, fine-tune, evaluate, and distil GenAI and ML models. - Version Control: Manage Git repo and create CI/CD pipelines in Azure DevOps. - Data Security: Manage and audit security compliance in line with UN and industry best practices. - Documentation: Develop accessible documentation and architecture diagrams Qualifications/special skillsAdvanced university degree (master's degree or equivalent) in Computer Science, Data Science, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Information Systems, Information Technology, Statistics, Business Analytics, Data Analytics or any other related science course. A first-level university degree in combination with two (2) additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree Generative AI and Machine Learning experience is required. Azure, Python, and SQL experience is required. Data pipeline development experience is required. International Development experience is desirable. LanguagesEnglish and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this position, fluency in English (both oral and written) is required. Additional InformationNot available. No FeeTHE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.