AI Research Specialist

UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development. UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management and human resources.

UNOPS Global Portfolios bring together a range of expertise to help partners deliver impact worldwide.

With hubs in New York, Geneva and Vienna, and expert teams operating across regions, we lead complex, multi-regional initiatives that advance sustainable development, peacebuilding and climate action.

We work in close collaboration with the UN family, governments and other local and international partners. Our work ranges from supporting mine action in some of the world’s most fragile and conflict-affected contexts, to expanding access to healthcare and clean water, to helping protect the environment.

From Geneva, UNOPS strives to facilitate the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), by working with governments, other United Nations (UN) agencies and partners. This includes supporting platforms and hosting high-profile, flagship initiatives and funds focusing on health, nutrition, water and sanitation, sustainable cities, environment,  energy, climate and trade.

UNOPS is a recognized resource for the UN system in Geneva – from fund management and oversight and advisory services, to providing hosting solutions to a range of global initiatives, as well as operational support to partner organizations.

UNOPS provides quality services, integrated solutions and management support to UN agencies, initiatives and partners in a strategic, cohesive, cost-effective and results-oriented manner. Geneva is also home to UNOPS Europe and Central Asia Regional Office

Launched in 2019 as a joint initiative between UNICEF and ITU, Giga has set the ambitious goal to connect every school in the world to the internet. Half of the world’s population has no regular access to the Internet. Millions of children leave school without any digital skills, making it much more difficult for them to thrive and contribute to local and global economies. This has created a digital divide between those who are connected and those who are not, a divide that has become even wider during the Covid-19 pandemic. UNICEF and ITU have therefore joined forces to create Giga, an initiative to connect every school in the world to the Internet and address this new form of inequality.  

Giga focuses on connecting schools so that children and young people have access to information, opportunity, and choice. It also uses schools as anchor points for their surrounding communities: if you connect the school, you can also connect local businesses and services. This creates opportunities for service providers to generate revenue from paying users, making connectivity more sustainable. A 2021 report by the Economist Intelligence Unit found that a 10% increase in school connectivity can increase effective years of schooling by 0.6% and increase GDP per capita by 1.1%.  

You can read more about Giga’s work at https://giga.global/ and by following us on X/Twitter @Gigaglobal

Giga’s mission is supported by advanced data science and AI-driven mapping to identify connectivity gaps, optimize investment, and expand access efficiently and equitably. To date, over 2.1 million schools across 136 countries have been mapped using AI and satellite imagery. Giga has supported governments in over 40 countries and helped increase connectivity in more than 20,000 schools globally.

As part of the Global Portfolio Office, UNOPS Geneva provides comprehensive solutions in secretariat hosting, operational support, and fund management. We manage global programmes, including the Water, Environment and Climate (WEC) Portfolio, offering project management, procurement, HR, and financial services. Geneva hosts the secretariats of eight global partnerships focused on health (RBM, Stop TB, ATscale), nutrition (SUN), water/sanitation (SHF), humanitarian leadership (GELI), urban development (Cities Alliance), and disaster displacement (PDD). We also provide fund management for EIF and UN Water, and operational support to Geneva-based partners like the Global Fund and UNHCR. 

UNOPS Geneva Office is providing support to a wide range of portfolios, including UNEP, UNICEF, UNHCR, and other partners. 

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

About Giga

Launched in 2019 as a joint initiative between UNICEF and ITU, Giga has set the ambitious goal to connect every school in the world to the internet. Half of the world’s population has no regular access to the Internet. Millions of children leave school without any digital skills, making it much more difficult for them to thrive and contribute to local and global economies. This has created a digital divide between those who are connected and those who are not, a divide that has become even wider during the Covid-19 pandemic. UNICEF and ITU have therefore joined forces to create Giga, an initiative to connect every school in the world to the Internet and address this new form of inequality.  

Giga focuses on connecting schools so that children and young people have access to information, opportunity, and choice. It also uses schools as anchor points for their surrounding communities: if you connect the school, you can also connect local businesses and services. This creates opportunities for service providers to generate revenue from paying users, making connectivity more sustainable. A 2021 report by the Economist Intelligence Unit found that a 10% increase in school connectivity can increase effective years of schooling by 0.6% and increase GDP per capita by 1.1%.  

You can read more about Giga’s work at https://giga.global/ and by following us on X/Twitter @Gigaglobal

Giga’s mission is supported by advanced data science and AI-driven mapping to identify connectivity gaps, optimize investment, and expand access efficiently and equitably. To date, over 2.1 million schools across 136 countries have been mapped using AI and satellite imagery. Giga has supported governments in over 40 countries and helped increase connectivity in more than 20,000 schools globally.

The position will be based in Barcelona, Spain, as part of the Giga Barcelona Tech Centre. The consultant’s on-site presence facilitates collaboration, engagement with local partners, and participation in key events.

Under the supervision of the Innovation Manager, the AI Research Specialist will coordinate Giga’s Applied Science workstream, ensuring that artificial intelligence and data science are effectively applied to advance Giga’s mission. The consultant will play a key role in designing and implementing AI-driven research, managing collaborations, and translating technical findings into actionable insights for advocacy, planning, and operational decision making.

Your main responsibilities and tasks will be:

• Lead the implementation of Giga’s Applied Science roadmap, including AI mapping, optimization, QoS, and social science research.

• Support the design and execution of applied AI and machine learning research related to connectivity mapping, monitoring, and impact assessment.

• Provide technical guidance and coordination to Giga teams on AI, data science, and research methodology.

• Foster academic and non-academic partnerships with universities, research labs, and private sector actors.

• Contribute to the publication and dissemination of scientific research, including journal papers and conference presentations.

• Communicate technical findings clearly to both technical and non technical audiences, ensuring research outcomes inform programmatic decisions.

• Represent Giga in relevant AI, data science, and connectivity forums.

• Contribute to reporting, knowledge sharing, and documentation of applied research results.

Monitoring and Progress Controls      

Required

• An advanced University Degree (master’s degree or equivalent) preferably in data science, Computer Science, AI or a related field is required.

• A first level University Degree (Bachelor`s degree or equivalent) in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of the Advanced University Degree.

Required

• A minimum of 5 years of professional experience in AI research or applied data science is required.

• Experience in machine learning, optimization, and data analysis using Python is required.

• Proven record of applied research and scientific publication is required.

Desired

• Experience in both academic and industry/start up settings is desirable.

• Experience with cloud-based platforms (especially Azure ML) an asset.

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes. 
• Please note that UNOPS will at no stage of the recruitment process request candidates to make payments of any kind.
• Applications to vacancies must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement. Applications received after the closing date will not be considered. 
• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments. 
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. 
• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities. 
• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. 
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few mandatory courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. For more information on a retainer contract here. 
• For more details about the contract types, please click here.
• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda. 
• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.