Grant programme manager volunteer roles in Belfast

Girls in Sport: Fundraising Trustee 

Note this in an unpaid role

Role Specification

1. Introduction from the Board

Thank you for your interest in joining Girls in Sport as our new Fundraising Trustee. Established in 2017, we are a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) dedicated to improving the lives of young people.We are currently working in West Africa.

Sport for Social Impact

We believe that sport can be a powerful conduit for social change - from the grassroots.In sport we are challenging gender stereotypes. With a focus on locally led interventions in protected settings, our initiatives integrate physical activity and nutrition, that focuses on facilitating grassroots initiatives in driving forward attitudes to gender in communities, by sport empowerment, and fostering literacy outcomes for girls at risk, or affected by GBV, trauma, FGM, and child marriage. We work to empower girls in some of the world's hardest to reach settings. 

As we move through 2026, we are looking for a strategic leader to help us diversify our funding and scale our impact in Sierra Leone and wider communities where we replicate our model.

2. About Girls in Sport

Our Mission:

We use the soft power of locally led sport programmes to promote sustainable development in advancing gender parity in communities facing poverty, conflict, and gender-related risks. Our Sponsor a Champion initiative uses sport and access to education to foster equal opportunities and support safeguarding awareness, literacy, and child protection.

Key Areas of Impact:

• Sport for Social Impact: Using sport to challenge attitudes to gender, and to empower young women to build self-reliance, resilience, and confidence to achieve the same aspirations as the boys. 
• Education & Literacy: Closing the gap in literacy between boys and girls through targeted school sponsorship interventions. 
• Social Welfare: Beneficiary and community sensitisation in safeguarding and protection, targeting the most at-risk beneficiaries, and signposting pathways to social welfare and trauma-support stakeholders in-Country. 
• Location: Remote:Secretariat - Girls in Sport UK (GISUK)

3. Job Description: Fundraising Trustee

Role Purpose:

The Fundraising Trustee will advise the board and head of programmes in the provision of strategic oversight of our income generation, ensuring Girls in Sport has the resources needed to sustain its international programmes. You will oversee the development of a diverse funding mix, with a specific focus on high-value partnerships and institutional grants.

Key Responsibilities:

• Governance: Act as a member of the Board of Trustees, sharing legal and financial responsibility for the charity’s management.
• Fundraising Strategy: Provide advice and support on strategy, focusing on Trusts & Foundations, Major Donors, and Corporate Partnerships.
• Income Generation: Champion fundraising at Board level and encourage supporters to contribute to income-generation efforts.
• Compliance: Ensure all activities adhere to fundraising regulations and best practices, including the Code of Fundraising Practice.
• Ambassadorship: Act as a spokesperson for the charity, promoting its work and helping to raise its profile within philanthropic networks.

4. Person Specification

Essential:

• Commitment to the charity’s mission and values regarding gender equality, sustainable development, and youth empowerment.
• Robust knowledge and experience of fundraising (e.g., trusts, corporates, or major donors).
• Strategic thinker, able to balance long-term planning with practical advice.
• Understanding of the legal duties and responsibilities of charity trusteeship.
• Experience of fundraising in an international development or small charity context.
• Existing networks that could support the charity’s fundraising efforts.

Desirable:

• Familiarity with Sierra Leone, West Africa or regional sub-Sahara socio-economic contexts and cross-border programming challenges in navigating funding and grant-making agencies 
• Existing networks that could support the charity’s fundraising efforts.

5. Commitment & Timeline

• Time Commitment: Approximately two hours per month.
• Meetings: We currently hold bi-annual Board meetings (online/in-person mix) plus occasional sub-group meetings.
• Term: two years, renewable three times. 

6. How to Apply

To apply, please submit a CV including relevant expertise, and an expression of interest and commitment to the mission.

Girls in Sport (Charity No. 1175997). Registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation in England and Wales.

Position Overview

An exciting and unique internship opportunity to work closely with key senior operational staff in a respected UK international development charity; this position has strong vocational content for anyone looking to break into the international development sector with future possibilities of progression into roles within the UK and/or Madagascar.

The post holder will gain hands-on experience in international development, gain understanding and skills across a wide range of duties associated with programmes development, corporate fundraising, volunteer coordination, and practical charity management.

The internship spans a minimum of six months and is a remote role. The diversity of activities that will be undertaken provides training for an early-career development professional who can effectively and efficiently deal with a comprehensive range of tasks related to the complex world of overseas development work.

Reporting to: Grants and Administrative Assistant

Location: Remote

Commitment: Part-time, two days a week for a minimum of six months - with full flexibility to choose which two days you work, and the option to adjust or change those days as needed.

Salary: N/A (voluntary)

Responsibilities:

1. Supporting the Programmes & Partnership Manager in securing trust and foundation funding, which will include: performing donor research; drafting, proofreading, and editing grant applications and reports (in part or in full); and ad hoc administration relating to donor management.

2. Supporting the Corporate Liaison Officer to secure corporate funding, which will include: researching potential donor companies; supporting corporate facing marketing materials; and supporting creation of report and proposal materials.

3. Supporting the Managing Director and the Director of Programmes and Operation, to ensure the smooth running of the organisation, which will include: preparing financial reports and documentation; note taking at trustees’ meetings; supporting development of policy and procedural documentation; building on fundraising and networking opportunities; and supporting the recruitment process.

It should be noted that the successful candidate will take on a variety of tasks outlined above. While SEED Madagascar will make every attempt to tailor the tasks to the post-holder’s desired area of experience, this will be balanced by the priorities of the organisation.

Desired Knowledge/Experience/Skills/Qualifications

• Hold or be studying towards an undergraduate degree in or relating to international development (or have equivalent professional/experiential background).

• Knowledge and/or keen interest in development and/or conservation issues facing least developed countries such as Madagascar; previous experience living or working in a developing country would be an asset.

• Knowledge and/or keen interest in at least one of SEED Madagascar’s five core areas (community health; sustainable livelihoods; environmental conservation; education infrastructure and water, sanitation and hygiene); previous experience of community-based work would be an asset.

• Excellent analytical skills and ability to gather and assimilate information from various sources, compile documents (reports and proposals), and identify lessons learnt and best practice.

• Sound ability to adapt material for different audiences.

• Be able to conduct internet research.

• Be able to work both independently and as part of a team.

• Be able to financially support themselves for the duration of their internship as there is no stipend available for travel or sustenance.

• Strong written English is essential, French and/or Malagasy would be an asset.

• Be willing to take on mundane tasks such as drafting thank you notes for donors

"We are looking for 3 candidates to join our volunteer enhanced professional development programme and gain real world experience in your chosen field). While we only have 3 vacancies available through this programme, other options are available if your skills match our criteria".

Job description

Quilombo UK is looking for a Bid Writer (Grant & Funds), who loves to face work challenges; to join their growing team.

The Bid Writer (Grant & Funds) will play a critical role by assisting the manager to prepare the proposal that helps the organization to further develop and establish.

This role offers a great opportunity for the right person who is looking to; gain experience in the Third Sector; love to 'give back to their community'. The role is for you if you are looking for flexibility and autonomy. Where necessary specific training will also be provided to help you develop and grow your skill set.

Main Responsibilities

• Apart from writing proposals, you will also be reviewing and editing previously written content wherever necessary.
• Working with other team members to produce bid responses and writings
• Helps in writing funding applications for the varied projects that we run in order to meet our organisational objectives.
• Also helps in presentations and all supporting documentation.

General tasks

• Contribute to staff meetings and other internal meetings with views and suggestions etc.

Essential

• You must be based in the UK
• You will need to have good written skills
• Able to write effective, concise and compelling content
• You will be self-starting and willing to research and look for new funding opportunities that match our aims and objectives;
• Ability to work on tight deadlines
• Well organized, proactive and able to deliver tasks efficiently.
• Able to speak confidently with a variety of stakeholders.
• Good time-management skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word and excel.
• To show professionalism at all levels and in all environments
• Strong team player
• Ability to work independently and ask for clarification when needed.

The volunteering program with Quilombo UK requires a minimum of 16 weeks of commitment. We are looking for someone who can offer 12 hours a week, Monday - Friday (2 times a week).

Please note that this is a volunteering unpaid role.

Job Types: Part-time, Volunteer

Benefits: Work from home

Experience:

• Technical Writing: 2 years (preferred)

Work Location: Remote

Director of Grants and Foundations (Volunteer, Unpaid)

Remote (United States; Canada; United Kingdom)

Part-time

View all jobs

The Role: Director of Grants and Foundations (Volunteer)

• Location: Remote

• Commitment: Part-time (volunteer, pro bono role)

• Contribution Requirements: Minimum 10-15 hours a week; minimum 3 months

Professional Volunteering

Professional volunteering is skills‑based service performed with the same reliability, accountability, and quality expected in a paid professional role. Volunteers are core contributors whose work directly supports our mission of global compassion, collaboration, and action.

Expectations include:

• Consistent weekly availability

• Timely communication and responsiveness

• Ownership of assigned tasks and follow‑through

• Participation in team meetings and workflows

• Alignment with organizational values and processes

About Solution Community:

Solution Community is an international non-profit organization, pioneering an innovative social platform dedicated to enabling actionable change. With volunteers from over 70 countries, we are a testament to the power of global collaboration. Our team members bring experiences from some of the world’s most successful companies, including Apple, Toyota, Google, Netflix, Walmart, Meta, and many others, creating a rich tapestry of knowledge and passion.

Our Mission:

To foster a global community of compassion, uniting individuals and organizations to solve the world’s social problems. We are the bridge that connects non-profits, businesses, philanthropists, and volunteers, empowering them to create meaningful change for current and future generations.

Our Vision:

Imagine a world where every person has the opportunity to thrive - a world united by collaboration, compassion, and action. At Solution Community, we are bringing that vision to life, driving transformative change that reshapes the future.

What Will You Do?

As Lead Grants and Foundations, you will:

• Fundraising strategy: Design and implement a comprehensive strategy for identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding foundation, corporate, and government grant prospects.

• Grant writing and management: Oversee the entire grants lifecycle, from researching funding opportunities and writing compelling proposals to managing awards, ensuring compliance, and submitting reports.

• Team leadership: Lead and mentor a team of grants professionals, such as grants managers and coordinators, to meet or exceed annual funding goals.

• Relationship management: Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with foundation program officers and other institutional funders. Serve as the primary point of contact for major funders.

• Cross-departmental collaboration: Work closely with finance, programs, and leadership to develop grant budgets, gather data for proposals, and ensure funded projects are implemented successfully.

• Compliance and reporting: Ensure the organization adheres to all grant requirements, including financial and programmatic reporting, and prepares for audits.

• Financial oversight: Manage the grant budget and expenditure tracking, and provide financial reports to both funders and internal leadership

Who Are We Looking For?

We are seeking a passionate individual with:

• Experience: A proven track record in grant writing, fundraising, or foundation relations, ideally within non-profit or social impact sectors; at least 3-5 years of experience.

• Skills: Exceptional writing, storytelling, and project management abilities. Attention to detail is a must!

• Passion: A deep commitment to Solution Community’s mission of fostering global collaboration and compassion.

• Collaboration: The ability to work effectively within a diverse, multicultural team.

• Autonomy: Proactive and self-motivated, capable of managing tasks independently in a remote setting.

What We Offer

• Global collaboration with leaders and strategists from top global companies

• Meaningful impact on global causes and communities

• A vibrant, multicultural team spanning 70+ countries

• A supportive environment rooted in compassion, integrity, innovation, and collaboration

• Flexible work life with full autonomy

• Opportunities for personal and professional growth

• A formal recommendation upon successful completion of your volunteer term.

About Quilombo UK

Quilombo UK is a social justice organisation dedicated to inspiring individuals to "See, Think, Behave and Speak Differently" about equality, diversity, and inclusion. We create engaging experiences—ranging from our Beyond Bias training to our "Voices for All" podcasts—that raise awareness and empower unheard voices within our diverse communities.

While we host the Professional Development Programme (PDP) to support career changers and newcomers to the UK, the Bid Writing department operates as a core strategic function focused on the long-term financial sustainability and growth of the organisation's mission. This role is essential for securing the resources required to tackle discrimination and support equality across all our platforms.

Operations Manager of Department (Bid Writing)

The Opportunity

This position offers a significant career step-up, providing experience in managing high-stakes fundraising and income-generation strategies within a social justice framework. In this Operations Manager capacity, you will gain the leadership credentials and strategic oversight necessary to advance your professional trajectory while ensuring the financial sustainability of our mission to empower unheard voices.

Role Purpose

The Operations Manager of Department (Bid Writing) sits between Directors and Managers, turning high-level income-generation goals into a clear, deliverable bid-submission pipeline. You own the direction, research structure, and delivery control of the department to ensure that all grant applications, tenders, and funding proposals are submitted with high quality, accuracy, and pace.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Pipeline Planning: Turning Director funding objectives into a practical calendar of bid submissions, including research phases, drafting cycles, and submission deadlines.

• Manager Leadership: Coaching Bid Managers to coordinate research and evidence-gathering effectively, ensuring all proposal components are visible in MeisterTask.

• Assurance & Quality Control: Reducing rework by refining the "case for support" and ensuring all bids are proofed against funder requirements before reaching the final sign-off stage.

• Director Reporting: Providing weekly reports on the bid pipeline (submitted, pending, and upcoming), WIP status, and risks to funding timelines.

• Culture & Standards: Ensuring all proposals align with Quilombo UK’s tone, values, and professional communication standards.

Additional Professional Benefits

• Career Development: A full CV and profile review conducted by our Talent Acquisition and Learning & Development teams.

• Operational Support: Access to the services of the Legal, HR, PR, and Graphic Design teams for up to 10 hours per month for professional or departmental support (e.g., legal review of contracts or graphic design for proposal decks).

• Proactive Recruitment: Use of the Talent Acquisition team to actively search out new roles and opportunities via industry portals and LinkedIn.

Requirements

• Proven experience in bid writing, grant applications, or technical writing.

• A portfolio of successful funding bids, tenders, or professional writing samples / CV.

• Familiarity with research methodologies and project management software (such as MeisterTask).

• Flexibility and openness to work on a variety of funding streams (trusts, foundations, and government tenders).

• Focused, organised, and able to prioritise complex tasks under tight deadlines.

• To show professionalism at all levels and in all environments.

• Strong team player with the ability to lead through others.

• Excellent written communication skills with a keen eye for detail.

• Degree in English, Creative Writing, Business, or a related field is a plus.

• This is a 100% remote-only position.

Desirable

• Committed to working with the community with a passion for helping others less fortunate.

Selection Process

• Informal interview.

• Requirement of two professional references.

Are you interested in making a difference to the lives of children and young people? Is there a skatepark in your area? If so, this role could be for you.

We are a UK registered youth development charity that uses teaching and learning to skateboard in a structured and supportive environment as a platform to develop the skills and abilities of children and young people.

The Role: Chapter Leader

As a Chapter Leader with the Skateboarding Foundation (SF), your role is to set up and run a Local Chapter that gives young people access to skateboarding and life skills through the SF ‘Eduskate’ programme.

Training, materials, resources, equipment and ongoing support, advice and guidance will be provided.

Key responsibilities

Your key responsibilities include:

• Setting up and running the chapter
• Recruiting coaches
• Recruiting learners
• Coordinating the delivery of the coaching programme
• Raising funds and spreading the word
• Helping us monitor and evaluate the programme
• Giving three/four hours a month of your time

You’ll have overall responsibility for the chapter’s activities, compliance, and smooth running. You’ll provide direction and support to your chapter committee, chair meetings, and ensure volunteers, coaching programmes, and fundraising are well managed.

The role involves motivating the team, planning chapter development, and stepping in where needed to keep things on track. You’ll also liaise with the national Board of Trustees, keeping them informed of key decisions and changes. 

Strong leadership, organisation, and a passion for youth development (and ideally skateboarding) and the charity’s mission are essential.

Job Title: Bid Writer Assistant                                                                         

Reports To: Department Manager 

Location: Remote

Employment Type: Volunteer (12 hours/week for 6 months)

About the Project – “Solta o Jogo”
“Solta o Jogo” is a vibrant cultural competition and festival celebrating Brazilian heritage through Capoeira, music, dance, acrobatics, and a Brazilian arts & crafts fair. Hosted at Kingston University Townhouse, the event invites the community to participate in free performances, workshops, and exhibitions promoting cross-cultural understanding.

As part of this initiative, we are seeking a Bid Writer to support Quilombo UK in securing vital funding and resources to further our mission. This remote volunteer role is ideal for someone who is passionate about community impact, writing, and making a meaningful difference in the Third Sector. You'll work with a supportive team, gain hands-on experience in funding applications, and help shape the sustainability of impactful community programmes.

Position Overview:
The Bid Writer Assistant plays a key role in researching, drafting, and editing compelling proposals and funding applications for various projects run by Quilombo UK. The role involves close collaboration with department leads, collecting relevant data, and ensuring submissions align with organisational goals and funder expectations. It offers the flexibility to work independently, with the support of experienced professionals and tailored training where required.

Key Responsibilities:

Proposal & Bid Development:

• Research, draft, and edit funding proposals tailored to specific grants, donors, and partners.

• Review and refine existing proposals to ensure clarity, compliance, and impact.

• Collaborate with internal teams to gather relevant content, project insights, and financial information for bids.

• Develop supporting documents and presentations to accompany applications.

Strategic Input & Collaboration:

• Contribute to the bid strategy, suggesting creative and relevant ideas aligned with organisational goals.

• Maintain and manage a structured “bid plan” with timelines, approval processes, and submission deadlines.

• Liaise with HR, Finance, Marketing, and Project teams to align bid content with current projects and strategic direction.

Reporting & Organisation:

• Ensure accurate tracking and reporting of bid statuses.

• Organise bid-related documentation, supporting strong internal knowledge management.

Required Qualifications:

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in English, Communications, Business, or related fields.

Experience:

• Prior experience writing funding proposals or grant applications.

• Familiarity with fundraising, community initiatives, or nonprofit funding is desirable.

Skills:

• Strong written communication and persuasive writing skills.

• High attention to detail, organisation, and ability to meet tight deadlines.

• Proficiency in Microsoft Word; Excel knowledge is a plus.

• Confidence in researching, planning, and collaborating across teams.

• Ability to work independently and maintain professionalism and confidentiality.

Benefits:

• Gain real-world experience in nonprofit fundraising and proposal writing.

• Work with a collaborative and values-driven team.

• Receive feedback and development opportunities in bid strategy and funding.

• Build a strong portfolio of written proposals and funding successes.

• Flexible working hours with full remote access.

• Reimbursement of travel expenses if attending occasional in-person meetings.

Equality Statement

Quilombo UK is committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse environment. We promote equal opportunities in line with the Equality Act 2010. Discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated, and we encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds.

Spread the Word — Become Our Communications Officer!

Volunteer Role | Lyonic Scots Society

Are you someone who loves sharing stories, creating engaging posts, and getting people excited about something meaningful?

Want to help raise awareness of a growing cultural society — no Scottish heritage required?

Then we’d love to have you as our Communications Officer.

The Lyonic Scots Society is looking for a creative, organised, and enthusiastic communicator to help us promote our work, celebrate our achievements, and support the Clan Chief in raising the profile of the Lyonic Scots.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Creating engaging posts and updates for our social media channels.

• Helping shape our public voice and messaging.

• Promoting events, projects, and Society news.

• Working with the committee to share information clearly and consistently.

• Helping raise awareness of the Lyonic Scots locally and online.

What We’re Looking For

• Someone confident with social media and communication tools.

• A friendly, creative person who enjoys writing and sharing ideas.

• Comfortable planning and scheduling posts.

• Able to communicate clearly and positively.

• No need to be Scottish — just bring your enthusiasm and communication skills.

What You’ll Get

• A fun, creative role in a warm and welcoming volunteer community.

• Experience in charity communications and social media management.

• The chance to help shape the public image of the Lyonic Scots Society.

• A supportive committee who’ll value your ideas and energy.

• The satisfaction of helping a cultural society grow and thrive.

If you’re ready to help us share our story and raise awareness of the Lyonic Scots Society, we’d love to hear from you.

Get in touch — your voice could help us reach the world.

Interested in supporting victims/survivors of domestic abuse?

We are currently recruiting Trustees to help us take the charity forward into the future.

Herts Domestic Abuse Helpline is a registered charity led by a Board of Trustees.

The Trustees (all unpaid volunteers) act individually and collectively, to provide overall stewardship of the charity, in accordance with our governing document and relevant legislation. In essence we look after the staff, volunteers and the organisation, so they can support the community.

You don’t need specific qualifications or experience to be a trustee and we welcome people of all ages, backgrounds and experience.

Prospective candidates will need to:

• Have empathy with the work of the Helpline

• Be able to devote the necessary time and effort

• Have well-developed communication and interpersonal skills

• Have good judgement

• Be able to work as a team

• Have the ability, commitment and drive to take the organisation forward

Trustee Opportunities

For any charity succession planning is important and with that in mind we are currently looking for people to join our Board as Trustees.

1. Chair: Our Chair will be stepping down soon after 15 years and we are looking for someone to learn the ropes beside her before taking on the role. 

2. Treasurer: After 10 years, our Treasurer is looking to retire in the next year. The Treasurer’s role description is on our website.  

3. General Trustees: Please see the role description on our website

If you would like to apply please complete the application form on our website.  You are welcome also to email Chris Roach, Chair, at that address to arrange an informal chat.

Bring the Community Together — Become Our Events Officer!

Volunteer Role | Lyonic Scots Society

Do you love organising gatherings, planning fun activities, and creating moments people remember?

Want to help a growing cultural society come alive through events — no Scottish heritage required?

Then we’d be thrilled to welcome you as our Events Officer.

The Lyonic Scots Society is looking for an enthusiastic, organised, and creative volunteer to help us plan and deliver events that celebrate our community and support the Clan Chief in promoting the Lyonic Scots.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Planning and coordinating Society events, both online and in person.

• Working with the committee to bring ideas to life.

• Helping organise venues, schedules, and event logistics.

• Promoting events alongside our Communications Officer.

• Creating welcoming, engaging experiences for members and supporters.

What We’re Looking For

• Someone organised, proactive, and full of ideas.

• Comfortable planning activities and coordinating details.

• A friendly communicator who enjoys working with others.

• Keen to help build a vibrant, active community.

• No need to be Scottish — just bring your enthusiasm and event‑planning flair.

What You’ll Get

• A fun, creative role in a warm and welcoming volunteer society.

• Experience in event planning and community engagement.

• The chance to shape the social side of the Lyonic Scots Society.

• A supportive committee who’ll value your energy and ideas.

• The satisfaction of bringing people together and helping our community thrive.

If you’re ready to help us create memorable events and strengthen the Lyonic Scots community, we’d love to hear from you.

Reach out and join us — your ideas could make all the difference.

VOLUNTEERS WANTED 

Bright Connections Needs You!

We’re starting up a small, local community charity with one big mission: bringing people together and helping break social isolation.

Right now, we’re at the very beginning — building things from scratch, getting set up, getting registered, and shaping what Bright Connections will become. And honestly… we can’t do it alone.

We’re looking for volunteers who can:

• Help us get things off the ground.

• Share ideas, skills, or just enthusiasm.

• Support with setting up and registering the charity.

• Be part of creating something positive for our community.

No experience needed — just good vibes, a bit of time, and a passion for helping people feel less alone.

If you want to be part of something new, meaningful, and full of heart, come join us.

Let’s build Bright Connections together 

African Development Choices (ADC) is a UK-registered charity on a mission to reduce poverty by empowering communities to make more informed choices in the management of public resources.

ADC’s purpose is to enable communities to independently meet their needs for essential services, such as clean water and safe sanitation, and improve lives in Africa.

At ADC we encourage a working culture of seeking and giving input, showing and taking initiative, and commitment to the organisation and its purpose.

We now have an exciting opportunity for a volunteer Senior AI Agent Architect to join ADC and help build a live prototype of MajiGuard AI.

Main purpose of job:

To lead the technical design and hands-on development of MajiGuard AI, an agentic AI prototype that helps ADC identify underused WASH resources, structure recovery and reallocation cases, and verify that recovered value reaches facility upgrades and operations and maintenance.

Division: Technology / AI Innovation

Department: Product & Engineering

Position reports to: Head of AI Innovation

Direct reports for the position: Volunteer AI engineers, developers and technical contributors

Main Duties & Responsibilities:

• Lead the end-to-end architecture of MajiGuard AI, including the selection and integration of models, agent workflows, orchestration tools, retrieval systems, data structures and human-in-the-loop controls appropriate for a live prototype.

• Translate ADC’s operational goals into practical AI workflows, especially for identifying underused WASH resources, standardising evidence and case preparation, supporting recovery and reallocation decisions, and verifying delivery of value to facility improvements and ongoing operations and maintenance.

• Build and iterate a live prototype using pragmatic, cost-effective tooling, with strong attention to reliability, traceability, security, maintainability and ease of future scaling.

• Design structured inputs, prompts, evaluation criteria and decision logic so that outputs are useful to non-technical ADC teams working across programmes, research, partnerships and leadership.

• Establish a technical roadmap for the prototype, including architecture choices, milestone planning, testing priorities, deployment options and documentation for future funders, partners and developers.

• Work closely with ADC leadership to shape the product vision and ensure the prototype aligns with ADC’s wider governance and public service innovation model.

• Advise on suitable approaches for data governance, privacy, model risk, hallucination control, auditability and responsible AI use in the context of public-resource management and service delivery.

• Define and monitor prototype success metrics, including usefulness, accuracy, turnaround time, workflow fit, and operational learning that can strengthen grant applications, partnerships and future product development.

• Support the transition from local experimentation to a live prototype environment, including basic cloud or hosted deployment thinking, version control practices and engineering handover readiness.

• Mentor and coordinate other volunteer technical contributors where relevant, helping ADC build a small but high-quality AI capability around MajiGuard AI.

Knowledge, skills, and experience:

Essential

• 8+ years of relevant experience in AI, machine learning, applied NLP, intelligent automation, agentic systems, or modern software engineering for production-grade data or AI products

• Strong hands-on experience designing and building AI systems, including LLM-based applications, retrieval-augmented generation, agent workflows, orchestration frameworks, evaluation pipelines and API integrations

• Experience taking ideas from concept or prototype stage into a usable live product, pilot or production-like environment

• Excellent technical judgement on model selection, system design trade-offs, latency, reliability, observability and cost-conscious engineering

• Strong programming ability, ideally including Python and modern backend tooling, with the ability to work across architecture, implementation and troubleshooting

• Experience designing structured workflows where AI outputs must be reviewable, auditable and useful for operational decision-making
• Ability to simplify complex technical concepts for non-technical stakeholders and translate mission goals into practical product choices
• Interest in using AI to strengthen public service delivery, accountability, governance, resource allocation, or adjacent social impact problems
• Ability to actively take initiative and help set things up in a start-up environment
• Ability to actively seek and give input in a collaborative team environment
• A committed team player with good communication skills
• Available to volunteer at least 8-12 hours a week

Desirable

• Experience with agentic AI products involving workflow automation, task routing, multi-step reasoning, document intelligence or evidence-based case management
• Experience with cloud deployment, containerisation, CI/CD, databases, vector stores, authentication and production monitoring for AI systems
• Experience working on civic tech, govtech, development, WASH, infrastructure, audit, compliance or public-finance-related products
• Experience working in an early-stage start-up or mission-driven organisation and comfortable operating with ambiguity
• Experience mentoring engineers or leading small technical teams across different locations and time zones

What ADC Offers You

This is a volunteer, remote and unpaid position with the following benefits:

• A chance to play a foundational role in shaping MajiGuard AI from concept into a live prototype with real strategic relevance to ADC’s mission
• An opportunity to apply advanced AI and product-building skills to a meaningful public-interest challenge connected to WASH, accountability and service delivery in Africa
• An opportunity to work with a diverse global team and contribute to an organisation seeking systemic social change
• Professional learning, leadership and portfolio-building opportunities through high-ownership work
• Work reference provided

This job description is a written statement of the essential characteristics of the job, with its principal accountabilities, incorporating a note of the skills, knowledge and experience required for a satisfactory level of performance. This is not intended to be a complete, detailed account of all aspects of the duties involved.

Here at African Development Choices, we celebrate diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our teams are made up of people from all over the world and we welcome all applications. If you are disabled or have a long-term health condition, and you require any reasonable adjustments for your application with us, please let us know by contacting recruitment(at)africandevelopmentchoices(dot)org.