UNOPS: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineer – Copenhagen

General Information

Position Title

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineer

Job Category

Information and Communications Technology

Duty Station(s)

Home based

Seniority Level

Mid Level

ICS Level

ICS 10

Contract Type

ICA – LICA – Specialist – Regular

Contract Level

LICA 10

Posting Start Date

18-Dec-2025

Posting End Date

12-Jan-2026

Duration

Ongoing contract (subject to good performance, availability of funds, organizational requirements and project duration)

Job Highlight

Under the supervision of UNOPS Project Manager and in close coordination with the IAH Head of Digital Solutions, the AI Engineer will support a variety of cross-functional digital and analytics initiatives that drive efficiency, insight, and innovation across OHCHR.

About the Region

The UNOPS Global Portfolios Office (GPO) unites the New York Portfolios, including the Peace and Security team (PSC); the Geneva Office; and the Vienna-based Water, Environment and Climate (WEC) teams, to maximize global impact, foster efficiencies and streamline global programmes. Leveraging our collective expertise and networks, GPO supports UNOPS” strategic priorities and the SDGs across over 130 countries. We deliver project management, fund management, advisory services, project implementation, and HR services, working closely with major global partners. Our thematic focus includes sustainable development, climate action, health, peace & security, and humanitarian action.

About the Country/Multi-Country Office

Not Required – part of GPO/NYPO

Job Specific Context

UNOPS has signed an agreement with the United Nations to implement defined activities in support of Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Innovation and Analytics Hub (IAH). In alignment with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (henceforth referred to as “OHCHR”) Management Plan 2024/2027 (OMP), the objective of the IAH is to strengthen the organization’s culture of innovation and “inject new data, technology and innovative tools and thinking into OHCHR”.

Supported by partners, OHCHR is working to strengthen its foundational data capabilities and build digital public goods of global significance. This includes the Human Rights Data Exchange as the UN’s first open data platform for human rights, and the Human Rights Advisory Service envisioned under the Global Digital Compact. Supported by the Innovation and Analytics Hub, these initiatives will expand access to trusted human rights data, transform it into actionable insights, and provide timely, rights-based guidance to governments, civil society, and private sector entities worldwide.

Role Purpose

The successful candidate will directly contribute to OHCHR’s digital transformation and data-driven decision-making. Their work will increase the efficiency of internal processes by integrating AI agent minimum viable products (MVPs) with OHCHR systems and improve access to relevant and actionable insights across the human rights community by developing an AI-enabled interface for human rights data as a service. The AI Engineer supports technical teams with specialized expertise, ensuring solutions successfully leverage AI technology for OHCHR’s mission and operational needs.

The incumbent of this position will be personnel of UNOPS under its full responsibility.

Functions / Key Results Expected

Under the supervision of the UNOPS Project Manager and in close collaboration with the IAH, the AI Engineer will perform the following key functions:

1. AI Agent Development & Orchestration

• Implement custom retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) pipelines with vector search, document intelligence, and function calling

• Develop agentic AI systems with multi-step reasoning and dynamic response generation using Model Context Protocol (MCP)

• Maintain orchestrator routing logic, resolve agent coordination issues, and ensure proper response aggregation

• Implement thread/run execution patterns for conversational AI with memory management

2. Enterprise Integration & Data Architecture

• Engineer secure integrations between AI systems, OHCHR”s Data Foundation (Fabric/OneLake), APIs, and application layers

• Build AI-driven querying capabilities and interactive data visualizations for Data as a Service

• Develop and maintain APIs, microservices, and frontend code (JavaScript/React/Next.js)

• Ensure compliance with UN Data Architecture standards (medallion lakehouse, data quality frameworks)

3. AI Testing, Security & Compliance

• Perform evaluation, testing, and benchmarking of AI models across providers (Azure/OpenAI, Google, AWS, open-source)

• Manage red teaming, validation pipelines, and bias detection/mitigation strategies

• Collaborate with the UN Office of Information and Communications Technology (OICT) and Data Protection Officer on Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs), personally identifiable information (PII) detection, and data classification mechanisms

• Integrate information security controls and participate in audits following OICT Technical Procedures

4. Operational Excellence & Knowledge Transfer

• Maintain technical documentation (architecture diagrams, API specs, deployment procedures, troubleshooting guides)

• Implement monitoring, logging, and alerting for system health and performance optimization

• Design and execute testing strategies (unit, integration, AI model validation)

• Provide technical guidance to team members and contractors; support capacity building for OHCHR staff

Skills

Artificial Intelligence, JavaScript, Microsoft Azure, Python, Software Development, Solution Architecture

Competencies

Develops and implements sustainable business strategies, thinks long term and externally in order to positively shape the organisation. Anticipates and perceives the impact and implications of future decisions and activities on other parts of the organisation.

Treats all individuals with respect; responds sensitively to differences and encourages others to do the same. Upholds organisational and ethical norms. Maintains high standards of trustworthiness. Role model for diversity and inclusion.

Acts as a positive role model contributing to the team spirit. Collaborates and supports the development of others. For people managers only: Acts as positive leadership role model, motivates, directs and inspires others to succeed, utilizing appropriate leadership styles.

Demonstrates understanding of the impact of own role on all partners and always puts the end beneficiary first. Builds and maintains strong external relationships and is a competent partner for others (if relevant to the role).

Efficiently establishes an appropriate course of action for self and/or others to accomplish a goal. Actions lead to total task accomplishment through concern for quality in all areas. Sees opportunities and takes the initiative to act on them. Understands that responsible use of resources maximizes our impact on our beneficiaries.

Open to change and flexible in a fast paced environment. Effectively adapts own approach to suit changing circumstances or requirements. Reflects on experiences and modifies own behavior. Performance is consistent, even under pressure. Always pursues continuous improvements.

Evaluates data and courses of action to reach logical, pragmatic decisions. Takes an unbiased, rational approach with calculated risks. Applies innovation and creativity to problem-solving.

Expresses ideas or facts in a clear, concise and open manner. Communication indicates a consideration for the feelings and needs of others. Actively listens and proactively shares knowledge. Handles conflict effectively, by overcoming differences of opinion and finding common ground.

Education Requirements

• An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent), preferably in computer science, information systems, data science, AI/ML, engineering, mathematics, or in a field related to the post description, with five (5) years of relevant experience is required; OR
• A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree or equivalent), preferably in computer science, information systems, data science, AI/ML, engineering, mathematics or in a field related to the post description, with seven (7) years of relevant experience, is desirable

Experience Requirements

Required:

Relevant experience is defined as experience in the following fields:

• Experience in AI context protocols and agentic system architecture, building and owning production-grade multimodal RAG systems, function calling, and/or multi-agent AI orchestration;
• Experience in Python, FastAPI, LangChain, Azure AI services, Node.js, JavaScript/TypeScript (React, Next.js) or similar frameworks;
• Experience with Microsoft Azure (Azure AI Foundry, Fabric/OneLake and API Management) and hybrid cloud architectures.

Desired: (The following experiences are optional. Candidates who do not have them are welcome to apply)

• Experience in applying agile methodologies, delivering working code, and deploying solutions independently with minimal supervision;
• Experience in secure APIs, identity management (Entra ID), and access management;
• Knowledge of enterprise data catalog tools (Informatica IDMC, Microsoft Purview), automated data classification, or master data management platforms;
• Awareness of AI ethics, responsible AI frameworks, bias testing methodologies, and human rights considerations in AI system design;
• Experience working with the UN ICT governance framework and applying its guardrails.

Language Requirements

LanguageProficiency LevelRequirementEnglishIntermediateRequired

Additional Information

• 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.

Terms and Conditions

• 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.