Applied AI Engineer

About the role

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is hiring an Applied AI Engineer to design, deploy, adapt, test, and validate AI systems in humanitarian programme environments across East Africa and beyond. Founded in 1933, the IRC operates in more than 40 countries. This role sits within the IRC Technology department and works directly with country-level programme teams to ensure AI tools deliver results in the field. Deadline: 31 August 2026.

Responsibilities

• Design and build AI-powered flows, structured agents, and decision-support tools for IRC country offices.
• Deploy and adapt language models and agentic systems for low-bandwidth, high-stakes contexts.
• Test and validate AI systems against accuracy, usability, and safety standards in field settings.
• Co-design solutions with programme staff in Kenya and other East African countries.
• Monitor deployed systems and iterate on quality and coverage using field feedback.
• Write technical documentation and user guides for non-technical IRC programme staff.
• Identify and evaluate new AI tools or frameworks relevant to humanitarian programme delivery.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Machine Learning, or a related technical field, or equivalent professional experience.
• Minimum 3 years of experience designing and deploying AI or machine learning systems in production.
• Hands-on experience with large language model APIs (Anthropic Claude, OpenAI GPT, or equivalent) and agentic frameworks such as LangChain, LlamaIndex, or AutoGen.
• Proficiency in Python and experience with REST APIs and structured data pipelines.
• Strong communication skills; able to translate technical concepts for non-technical audiences.
• Experience working with NGOs, UN agencies, or international organisations preferred.

Nice to have

• Experience working in Sub-Saharan Africa or other crisis-affected contexts.
• Exposure to multilingual NLP or Swahili/French language models.
• Familiarity with responsible AI frameworks or data ethics in humanitarian settings.
• Prior IRC, UNHCR, or WFP deployment experience.

How to apply

Visit careers.rescue.org and search “Applied AI Engineer.” Create a Workday account and complete the online application: CV, motivation statement (600 words maximum), and two work samples or links to relevant projects. Submit before 31 August 2026. Candidates based in Nairobi and across East Africa are encouraged to apply.