Overview

Leveraging deep expertise in strengthening healthcare systems, CHAI has launched an ambitious Artificial Intelligence (AI) initiative to support Ministries of Health to systematically capture and scale the benefits of AI. The CHAI AI program seeks to support Ministries to reimagine what is possible with technology, building towards a vision of 7AI Native Health Systems8 that makes health care delivery accessible, high-quality, and efficient. There are four pillars of the strategy: (1) bringing the capabilities of world-class clinical intelligence or 7AI Doctors8 to every clinician and patient, (2) developing and deploying new 7AI Diagnostics8 that decentralize and improve quality of diagnoses, and (3) health systems AI applications, or the creation of 7National Health Intelligence Centers8 that improve systems capacity in disease surveillance, financial and workforce management, supply chain, and beyond. Finally, (4) to fully realize the potential of these uses of AI, CHAI is also supporting Ministries of Health to strengthen 7AI Foundations8, including physical and digital infrastructure, governance, and workforce strategy.

 

Position Overview

 

The Associate Director, Applied AI will serve as CHAI's senior technical expert in machine learning and AI, advising CHAI projects and Ministries of Health on best practices for the responsible deployment of ML and AI. The individual will bring depth across both traditional machine learning and data science1supervised learning, optimization, time series, and related methods1and hands-on experience with newer AI tools such as large language models and agentic systems. This combination allows the individual to guide teams toward the right technical approach for a given problem, rather than defaulting to any single method.

 

This is a senior role that begins with significant individual-contributor and senior-advisor work and grows over time into building and leading a global team of technical experts. The individual will support a broad and varied portfolio of projects, providing technical guidance to CHAI teams and government partners at every stage1from framing a problem and selecting an approach, through model development, to measuring and validating performance. A central and somewhat distinctive part of the role is quality assurance: ensuring that CHAI teams and external technical partners follow sound practices in model building, evaluation, and performance measurement.

 

The individual will work across program areas and country offices, acting as a trusted technical reviewer and advisor rather than the sole builder. As the portfolio grows, the individual will recruit, mentor, and lead a team of technical experts capable of supporting projects across CHAI's work. This role reports to the Senior Director, Head of AI and involves regular travel to CHAI program countries.

Responsibilities

• Serve as CHAI's senior technical advisor on machine learning and AI, guiding CHAI projects and Ministries of Health on best practices for responsible model development and deployment
• Advise teams on selecting appropriate technical approaches across both traditional machine learning and data science (e.g., supervised learning, optimization, time series) and newer AI tools (e.g., large language models, agentic systems)
• Provide quality assurance across a broad portfolio of projects, reviewing the work of CHAI teams and external technical partners to ensure sound practices in model building, evaluation, and performance measurement
• Establish and promote standards, methods, and guidance for rigorous model development and validation across the AI team's work
• Provide hands-on technical guidance and senior-advisor support to a wide range of projects at varying stages of maturity
• Recruit, mentor, and build a global team of technical experts to support projects across CHAI's work as the portfolio grows
• Partner with government counterparts to build their capacity to develop, evaluate, and sustain ML and AI solutions
• Translate technical concepts and trade-offs clearly for non-technical audiences, including senior government and program stakeholders
• Stay current with developments in machine learning and AI and assess their relevance and applicability to CHAI's work
• Undertake other responsibilities as needed to advance the technical quality of the AI team's work

Qualifications

• Passion for AI and its potential to improve health systems in low- and middle-income countries
• 8 to 12+ years of relevant professional experience in machine learning, data science, or a closely related technical field
• Deep expertise in traditional machine learning and data science methods, such as supervised learning, optimization and linear programming, and time series analysis
• Hands-on experience with newer AI tools and approaches, including large language models and agentic systems
• Demonstrated ability to evaluate model quality and rigorously measure and validate model performance
• Advanced degree in a quantitative or technical discipline such as data science, statistics, biostatistics, bioinformatics, computer science, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience
• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical audiences
• Ability to think strategically, handle ambiguity, and problem solve in a fast-paced, limited-structure, multicultural environment
• Willingness to undertake regular travel to CHAI program countries, including occasional multi-week periods

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience applying machine learning or AI in health, global health, or global development contexts
• Experience working in low- and middle-income country settings
• Experience working with governments or Ministries of Health
• Experience building, mentoring, or leading technical teams

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