Data Scientist

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Description

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The World Bank Group is a unique institution with 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide, dedicated to ending extreme poverty, increasing shared prosperity, and promoting sustainable development. We work with public and private sector partners, investing in groundbreaking projects and using data, research, and technology to develop solutions to the most urgent global challenges. We are utilizing our extensive data assets to design and target our interventions, to assess and report on their impact, and to empower our client countries in their journey toward economic prosperity.

Our ambition to be a data-driven Knowledge Bank comes with a commitment to quality and openness in data processes and products. A Chief Statistician’s office was recently established in the Bank’s Development Data Group to lead the charge in fostering collaboration, innovation, and data quality. A technical team within that Office is being formed, which brings together experts in statistics, data science, data engineering, economics and econometrics, and geography to support the mission of the Chief Statistician. The team focuses on developing and supporting standards and best practices, producing open tools and training materials, incubating and promoting responsible innovation, and coordinating data collection, management, and dissemination activities. The team collaborates closely with internal and external partners, including client countries, academia, and organizations dedicated to global development.

The Opportunity:

We are seeking a highly motivated “full-stack” Data Scientist with expertise in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), including natural language processing (NLP) and predictive analytics, to join our dynamic team. As a member of our technical unit, you will play a pivotal role in assessing and developing open tools and best practices for applying machine learning and AI to drive positive and sustainable socio-economic impact in low-income countries. This is a unique opportunity to contribute your creative skills and domain knowledge to shape the future of global development.

If you are a forward-thinking data scientist ready to make a profound impact on global development and be part of an international team committed to tackling some of the world’s most pressing challenges, we invite you to join us on this exciting journey.

Key Responsibilities:

The Office of the Chief Statistician seeks a full-stack Data Scientist with excellent AI, ML, and data lifecycle management skills. The position is based at the Bank’s headquarters in Washington, DC. The key responsibilities include:

• Collaborate with a diverse, international team to identify opportunities for AI and machine learning interventions in development projects.
• Support the application of AI/ML approaches in data management and dissemination tools (metadata generation and augmentation, automated quality control, development of recommender systems and advanced discovery solutions for the Bank’s data catalogs, and contribute to the development of interactive knowledge dissemination platforms).Assess and develop open-source tools and methodologies to solve complex challenges related to poverty alleviation and economic development.
• Apply state-of-the-art machine learning techniques, including NLP and predictive analytics, to extract insights from extensive datasets.Explore generative AI and prompt engineering for structured data extraction from unstructured data.Contribute to developing and assessing tools and methods for nowcasting and forecasting, in close collaboration with economists, statisticians, and subject-matter specialists.
• Contribute to developing and assessing tools and methods for data fusion, with a particular focus on integrating geospatial data with survey and census microdata.Foster partnerships with external stakeholders and experts to drive innovation and knowledge sharing.Ensure data quality and ethical considerations in all AI and ML projects; participate in reviews and assessments of World Bank practice.Contribute to developing and delivering specialized ML, AI, and advanced data analytics training programs.

Selection Criteria:

• Master’s degree in analytical fields such as statistics, data science, computer sciences, economics, mathematics, or physics and 5 years of relevant work experience.Strong data analysis skills, preferably with experience working with socio-economic and geospatial data (satellite imagery).
• Technical experience in various aspects of data science; creative problem solving with strong skills in design and problem formulation; metadata standards; data curation; data acquisition, cleaning, and management; data interpretation and analysis; and the presentation and communication of reproducible results.
• Proven AI and machine learning expertise, with experience in NLP, deep learning, large language models, and predictive analytics.
• Knows the “under-the-hood” of ML models and can troubleshoot as needed.
• Adapt existing AI and ML models and methods to applications relevant to development data.
• Working experience in information retrieval, relevance optimization, entity recognition, and recommendation systems is preferred.Strong programming skills (Python and/or R) and experience with relevant libraries and frameworks.
• The ability to write clean and maintainable code is strongly preferred.Knowledge of software development for publishing Data Science prototypes and applications is desirable (Docker, FastAPI, Javascript/Vue.js/React, Streamlit, etc.)Experience using collaborative platforms (Github, Google Colab, others).Strong commitment to quality, transparency, and openness.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to learn new methods quickly.Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
• Excellent communication skills and capacity to present technical issues to non-experts.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work collaboratively in an international and interdisciplinary environment.
• Commitment to the mission of poverty alleviation and economic development.
• Excellent written and spoken English. Knowledge of another international language may be an advantage but is not required.
• Willingness to move to Washington D.C. The position will require frequent formal and informal interaction with teams across the World Bank. Only candidates ready to move to Washington D.C. should apply).
• Candidates are requested to provide a link to their GitHub repository, project portfolio, and other relevant materials supporting their application in their cover letter or CV (please provide full explicit URL).

Source: https://worldbankgroup.csod.com/ats/careersite/JobDetails.aspx?id=24393&site=1

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