AI and Data Platforms Lead – 1 year contract

The African Climate Foundation

. Lead the technical design, development and iterative improvement of the online data platform and visualisation tools .

Posted 9/21/2026contractRemote • South AfricaSeniorWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates expertise in leading the design and development of online data platforms and visualization tools, with a strong focus on integrating AI applications and ensuring accessibility and scalability. Proficient in Python, SQL, and cloud infrastructure, with a solid understanding of data protection and cybersecurity in nonprofit or research environments.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Python ProficiencySQL ProficiencyData Platform DevelopmentAI Application IntegrationCloud Infrastructure Experience

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Data EngineeringAPIsData VisualizationMachine LearningData IngestionData TransformationData StorageMetadata ManagementVersion ControlTesting Processes

Soft Skills

Excellent Communication SkillsCollaborationTraining and Support

Tools & Technologies

Cloud InfrastructureOpen-Source ToolsAutomated WorkflowsData Analytics ToolsVersion Control Systems

Industry Keywords

Open Data PlatformsGeospatial DataEnergy DataPublic-Interest TechnologyData ProtectionCybersecurityAI Governance

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

CloudCyber SecurityEmber.jsPythonSQL

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Lead the technical design, development and iterative improvement of the online data platform and visualisation tools
Translate user needs into a prioritised product roadmap, prototypes, specifications and tested releases
Work with Ember to adapt or integrate relevant platform components while building independent ACF-AEF capability
Design for accessibility, low-bandwidth use, maintainability, multilingual expansion and responsible open access
Implement analytics, usage monitoring and user-feedback processes
Design scalable data ingestion, transformation, storage, metadata, versioning and publishing pipelines
Integrate structured and unstructured data from public, partner and internal sources using APIs, automated workflows and documented manual processes
Collaborate with the Junior Data Scientist on validation, provenance, reproducibility, access control and release standards
Maintain technical documentation, source-code repositories, testing processes, backups and business-continuity arrangements
Identify, prototype and deploy AI applications for data discovery, extraction, classification, cleaning, summarisation, visualisation, research and internal knowledge management
Develop retrieval, search and assisted-analysis tools connecting users to trusted ACF-AEF data and evidence
Evaluate build-versus-buy choices and select appropriate open-source or commercial tools
Create human-in-the-loop evaluation processes addressing hallucination, bias, confidentiality, intellectual-property and security risks
Monitor AI developments and provide briefings, demonstrations and guidance to ACF and AEF teams
Work with analysts, programme teams, communications colleagues and external users to understand workflows and adoption barriers
Provide training, templates and technical support for safe and effective use of AI and data tools
Manage technical vendors and contributors and conduct code and security reviews where necessary
Report to the Project Director

Requirements

What you’ll need

Degree or equivalent practical experience in computer science, data engineering, information systems, software engineering, computational science or a related field
At least 6 years of relevant experience in software, data-platform, data-engineering or applied-AI roles, including delivery of user-facing tools
Strong proficiency in Python and SQL
Experience with APIs and databases
Familiarity with modern web-based data visualisation approaches
Practical experience with cloud infrastructure, deployment, version control, testing and secure data workflows
Hands-on experience applying large language models or machine-learning tools to real organisational use cases
Ability to explain technical choices, risks and trade-offs clearly to non-technical colleagues
Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English
Applicants must have the legal right to work in the country where they are based
Desirable: experience with open-data platforms, geospatial data, energy data, development indicators or public-interest technology
Desirable: knowledge of data protection, cybersecurity, AI governance and model evaluation in nonprofit or research environments
Desirable: experience supporting organisations operating across multiple African countries and variable digital infrastructure

Benefits

Comp & perks

Fixed term contract for 12 months, renewable based on mutual agreement and project success
Remote working considered for candidates based on the African continent
Opportunity to work on African energy transitions, data platforms, applied AI, research, grant-making and knowledge management
Training, templates and technical support provided to colleagues using AI and data tools
Multidisciplinary collaboration with ACF, AEF, Ember and other partners