AI in a Box fellow

Better Than Cash
Better Than Cash

Software Engineering, Data Science · Full-time

Dakar, Senegal

Posted on Sep 11, 2026
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Tiered Approach

In line with the commitment to safeguard capacity and support personnel already in the Organization, a majority of UNDP UNCDF/UNV vacancies are advertised using a tiered application process whereby:

  • Tier 0: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV IP staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments, whose posts will be abolished, or contracts will be terminated or not renewed during 2026.
  • Tier 1: Other UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments
  • Tier 2: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA), personnel on regular PSA contracts, and Expert and Specialist UN Volunteers
  • Tier 3 or no tier indicated: All other contract types from UNDP/UNCDF/UNV and other agencies, and other external candidates

Please make note of the Tier(s) indicated in the vacancy title, if any, and ensure that you satisfy the eligibility to apply.

Background

UNDP Senegal, in partnership with the UNDP Seoul Policy Centre (USPC), is implementing the AI in a Box pilot initiative. The initiative deploys offline-capable edge AI devices at partner government institutions, addressing a common constraint: public institutions hold large volumes of paper or unstructured digital records that cannot be processed using cloud-based AI tools due to data sovereignty, connectivity, and cost constraints. AI in a Box provides a locally controlled, offline AI compute environment that brings document digitization, OCR, and intelligent search capabilities within reach of institutions that would otherwise be excluded.

The pilot is organized into three parallel batches, each anchored by one Country Office working hands-on with USPC. UNDP Senegal is the anchor case for Batch 3 — Extraction from Digital Documents, working most intensively with the USPC technical team. Pipelines and lessons validated in the anchor case feed directly into a shared playbook used by cohort Country Offices across the batch.

In this context, UNDP Senegal is partnering with the Ministry of Justice to address a critical gap in the management of judicial records. The Pikine Guédiawaye tribunal’s archives — comprising 150,000 to 200,000 pages of scanned judicial documents — have completed phase-one digitization but remain unstructured and unsearchable. The pilot will establish an AI-assisted extraction and indexing pipeline to turn these scanned PDFs into structured, queryable records feeding the Ministry’s e-justice platform. All processing takes place on a locally deployed edge AI device; no judicial data is transmitted to external cloud services.

To deliver this pilot effectively, UNDP Senegal is recruiting a Fellow who will serve as the primary in-country implementation coordinator — managing day-to-day relations with the Ministry partner, coordinating operational logistics, tracking implementation progress, and acting as the principal communication link between UNDP Senegal, the Ministry of Justice, and the USPC technical team. While deep technical expertise is not required, the Fellow must have sufficient understanding of AI and data systems to engage meaningfully with the USPC technical team, assess the quality of outputs, and flag issues that require technical attention

Duties and Responsibilities

The Fellow will assist in the following duties and responsibilities:

ilot Implementation and Project Coordination (45%)

  • Lead the day-to-day coordination of the AI in a Box pilot, ensuring that pipeline deployment, data extraction, and system integration activities progress as planned.
  • Serve as the principal point of contact on the ground, coordinating across government partners, UNDP Senegal, and the USPC technical team, and escalating issues to the supervisor or USPC as appropriate.
  • Troubleshoot technical issues, identify root causes, and implement long-term scalable solutions.
  • Participate in ongoing platform enhancements, modernization initiatives, and strategic technology projects.
  • Build and maintain productive working relationships with Ministry stakeholders, ensuring that partner needs and feedback are accurately conveyed and addressed throughout implementation.


Monitoring, Reporting, and Documentation (35%)

  • Track implementation progress against agreed milestones and maintain regular reporting to the supervisor and USPC technical team.
  • Document operational lessons, context-specific adaptations, and key decisions in formats suitable for sharing with cohort Country Offices and for inclusion in the AI in a Box shared playbook.
  • Participate in the AI in a Box community of practice, representing the Senegal anchor experience in batch-level meetings and contributing to knowledge exchange across the batch.

Support, Collaboration, and Capacity Building (20%)

  • Provide ad hoc support for various activities as required, ensuring that these efforts contribute to the strategic objectives of UNDP Senegal related to enhancing AI and digital innovation.
  • Collaborate with UNDP units, partner governments, and external stakeholders on initiatives that fall within UNDP Senegal’s mandate, focusing on strengthening partnerships and cooperation for development outcomes.
  • Participate in knowledge sharing and continuous learning activities related to development cooperation, both within UNDP and in the broader development community. Engage in forums, workshops, and networks to enhance the Fellow’s expertise and contribute to the team’s strategic goals.

Competencies

Achieve Results
LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline
Think Innovatively
LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements
Learn Continuously
LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback

Adapt with Agility
LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible
Act with Determination LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident
Engage and Partner
LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships
Enable Diversity and Inclusion
LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination

Other Competencies and Attitude :

  • Familiarity and experience working with the Senegalese public sector, more specifically in its judiciary, is an advantage.
  • Interest and motivation in working in an international organization and contributing to development outcomes.
  • Strong coordination and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple workstreams and stakeholder relationships simultaneously.
  • Proactive and initiative-taking, with the ability to identify problems early and propose solutions.
  • Communicates effectively when working in teams and independently, across both technical and non-technical audiences.
  • 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.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Candidates must meet one of the following educational requirements:

  • Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Project Management, Public Administration, International Development, Computer Science, Information Technology, Data Science, Information Systems, Library and Information Science, Business Administration, or a related field.
  • Demonstrated experience in digital project coordination, digital innovation, or development cooperation work may be considered in lieu of a directly matching degree.

IT Skills

  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office productivity tools.
  • Familiarity with data systems, digital document management, or AI tools — at a level sufficient to understand pipeline outputs, assess quality, and communicate effectively with a technical team.
  • Software engineering or application development experience preferred.
  • Knowledge of basic programming concepts, Linux, and Docker is desirable. The ability to carry out routine software and container updates under remote supervision is an advantage.

Location and Mobility
The fellow is to be based in Dakar or in its nearby region for the duration of the assignment.
The assignment will require various movements to Pikine Guédiawaye during the duration of the assignment.
Willingness to move and assist USPC with further projects in other UNDP Country Offices, leveraging what has been learnt during the assignment, is a strong advantage.

Language Skills

  • Fluency in French and English is required.
  • Knowledge of Wolof is a strong advantage.

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination.

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles.

Right to select multiple candidates

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.

Use of AI by candidates

Applicants are invited to read UNDP’s guidance for candidates on using AI responsibly in UNDP recruitment and selection

Scam alert

UNDP does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process. For further information, please see www.undp.org/scam-alert.

Duties and Responsibilities As the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System, UNDP serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Its work is carried out at the HQ, Regional and Country Office levels, forming a contiguous spectrum of local knowledge to cutting-edge global perspectives
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