This opportunity is open to all nationalities with the right to work in The Netherlands

About Laterite

Laterite is a data, research and analytics firm that helps clients understand and analyze complex development challenges. We provide high-quality research services and software solutions for social impact, focusing on five sectors: education, public health, agriculture, youth & livelihoods and urbanization & migration. Based in East Africa, we offer tested data collection systems, an expert research and analytics team and a thorough understanding of the local context. This unique combination enables us to carry out full-cycle research projects, from design to data collection and analysis.

We work with universities, think tanks, international NGOs, multilateral donor organizations, foundations, and government ministries and agencies.

Our network of offices currently includes the Netherlands, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Sierra Leone and Peru. The team brings together more than 90 full time local and international staff, as well as 1,500 enumerators across countries, in a dynamic work environment. We are proud to be a culturally diverse organization.

You can find out more about Laterite on our website at: www.laterite.com

Job Description & Key Responsibilities

This AI Developer position is affiliated with Laterite’s analytics team. You will work on the development and implementation of AI-driven applications and software solutions for social impact. Projects will include building and integrating knowledge graphs using Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), implementing generative data augmentation using large language model (LLM) pipelines, and data scraping for constructing models in Google Earth Engine. Additionally, you will develop AI models for automated quantitative and qualitative data analysis to enhance decision-making processes in socio-economic development.

A key part of Laterite's work involves working with large datasets, including survey and geospatial data. You will use this data to build AI models and integrate them into user-friendly applications to improve the precision and effectiveness of our research outputs. You will also work on client-focused, innovative AI-driven solutions in the field of international development.

A non-exhaustive list of potential projects you might work on includes:

• Intelligent knowledge hubs. Develop knowledge hub chatbots for social impact data. Enhance data retrieval processes by integrating automated data curation pipelines with knowledge graphs, RAG, and LLM agents. This initiative involves curating unstructured data, establishing nodes and relationships within knowledge graphs, and combining these elements with a RAG pipeline to generate comprehensive, actionable insights.
• AI-powered applications for rapid data collection in WhatsApp. Develop tools to collect rapid surveys from the field (e.g., with teachers, farmers, enumerators), integrated in WhatsApp, and including automated analysis and insight generation from responses using an LLM pipeline.
• Automating research processes and data analysis. Develop AI applications that automate time-consuming research tasks for Laterite’s research team (e.g., transcription, translation, quantitative and qualitative data analysis, survey development and testing), increasing efficiency and reducing manual data handling.
• Generative Data Augmentation and evaluation. Test whether we can create LLM pipelines or fine-tuned LLM models to generate synthetic quantitative or qualitative data. Evaluate the quality of this data against real data.
• Google Earth Engine Models: Implement and refine data scraping techniques to build and calibrate models within Google Earth Engine, focusing on environmental and socio-economic variables. This will help in making informed decisions based on the latest satellite and geospatial data.

This is a challenging position that will provide you with hands-on experience in AI application development, various types of data (administrative, geospatial, survey, etc.) handling, coding, and product development. You will work alongside our senior research and management teams, who will offer guidance and mentorship throughout.

Specifically, we would like to draw on your expertise to:

• Develop and implement AI-driven applications across our key sectors: Agriculture, Education, Public Health, Youth & Labor, Urbanization & Migration.
• Integrate AI models and LLM pipelines into existing workflows and systems
• Scout for reliable data sources that can be leveraged to build robust classification and prediction models.
• Construct detailed documentation that supports the understanding and replication of our AI models, applications and methodologies.
• Design and conduct validation tests to verify the accuracy and reliability of our AI applications before they are deployed in real-world scenarios.

Requirements

Profile

Our ideal candidate is recent graduate who is entrepreneurial, creative, passionate about international development and social impact, structured in their thinking and demonstrates strong analytical and software development skills. They will be able to effectively solve problems, adapt to changing situations, and translate complex research needs into technical solutions.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, or related fields
• Strong programming abilities in Python
• Experience developing applications with LLMs
• Familiarity with AI frameworks and tools, particularly in the areas of data scraping, knowledge graphs, and machine learning
• Familiarity with cloud services and working with server environments
• Familiarity with version control and collaborative development tools (e.g., Git, GitHub)
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English
• Strong understanding of research methodologies and processes

In addition, we welcome:

• Proficiency in working with data manipulation tools such as Excel, Google Sheets, or STATA
• Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills, self-motivation, and the drive to thrive in a fast-paced environment where timelines can often be unpredictable
• Experience working in or passion for international development and social impact

Benefits

What’s in it for you?

We offer an initial one-year contract, with a view to extending this upon satisfactory performance. We offer a flexible working environment, including the choice to work from home a couple of days per week and the possibility of working from a remote location of your choice for up to 6 weeks per year. Laterite offers 23 days of annual leave. We are also committed to supporting learning and development of our team members, providing an annual learning budget of up to $1,000 per person and 10 days of time off for professional learning each year.

Our office is in the heart of Amsterdam, about fifteen minutes’ walk from Amsterdam Centraal Station. The salary range for this role will start at EUR 37,880 annual gross, commensurate with experience. Salaries are pegged against Laterite’s pay matrix, and grades are reviewed every 12 months.