Head of partnership volunteer roles

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.

Inclusive Boards is delighted to be supporting Scope in their search for their next Chair of Trustees!

About Scope

Scope is the national disability charity. We have been at the forefront of disability equality for 7 decades. We work with disabled people to break down barriers in society and challenge the injustices which persist to this day.

Our strategic ambition is to achieve An Equal Future with disabled people by 2033.

We have 3 goals.

First, to close the employment gap. So that all those disabled people who want to work have the opportunity to.

Second, to end the Disability Price Tag. So that there is no longer a financial penalty associated with disability.

Third, to grow the movement for disability equality. With partners, communities, individuals, funders and supporters to help us.

About the Chair of Trustees opportunity

Primary Objectives:

• Provide leadership to the Board of Trustees. So the Board steers the charity for its future. Guide the Board in setting the charity’s direction and strategy. So strategy achievement is in line with Charity Commission guidelines.
• Work closely with the Chief Executive (CEO). Make sure the Board and the executive team work together to deliver disability equality with the 16 million disabled people in the UK.
• Uphold Scope’s mission and values. Develop and carry out Scope’s aims in line with our mission, vision, values, and legal responsibilities. Promote a “One Scope” culture of teamwork, where the Board and executive team work in a collaborative way that reflects Scope’s values. 
• Support and oversee the CEO’s performance. On behalf of the Board, support the CEO to lead effectively. This includes setting clear objectives and running annual performance reviews. 
• Empower every Trustee. Help get the best from every Trustee by encouraging everyone to bring their unique talents and skills. Encourage Trustees to support relevant executive team members.

Person Specification

Experience and Qualifications (Essential):

• Leadership experience. Experience of leading at a senior or Board level in a high-profile organisation. 
• Commercial awareness. Experience of taking a commercial perspective. Willingness for a considered risk appetite.
• Understanding of governance. A clear understanding of being a Trustee. This includes the duties and responsibilities that come with the role.
• Ability to lead meetings. Skilled in chairing meetings and encouraging participation. Clear communication and working well with people skills. Able to represent Scope externally with high profile individuals.
• Strategic vision and engagement. Able to guide others to focus on big picture strategy and lead decisions on it. 
• Building consensus. Skilled at finding consensus with others. 
• Network and influence. A network of contacts that can support Scope’s work. 
• Supporting executive performance. Ability to work with and support the Chief Executive. 

Desirable (Bonus) Experience:

• Understanding of the disability and charity sectors. Knowledge of issues affecting disabled people and the voluntary sector. 
• Personal or lived experience of disability is considered a strong advantage.

We are looking for a new independent trustee who can bring fresh perspectives and objective judgment from outside our immediate membership to join our very committed board. The successful candidate will need to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of charity law and regulation.

Location: Attendance at 4 board meetings (mainly online but with 1-2 in London) each year, and attendance at the Board strategy day.

You may also be required to attend the Council’s annual general meeting and any other general meetings. There may also be additional requirements upon appointment and periodically thereafter for training days in the Council’s office in central London. There will be a full induction as part of the onboarding process.

Remuneration: This is as voluntary unpaid role. Reasonable travel expenses will be reimbursed.

About: The Council of Deans of Health is a membership organisation and charity representing over 100 UK universities and colleges engaged in education and research for nursing, midwifery, and the allied health professions. At any one time, our members educate around 200,000 current and future professionals and carry out research that improves the population’s health and wellbeing.

Our Board of Trustees is responsible for oversight of the administration and management of the Council, which is led by the CEO who is accountable to the Board. The role of the Board includes setting and monitoring the implementation of the Council's strategy, and ensuring its financial sustainability and its compliance with legal requirements. The Board of Trustees will play an important role in taking forward the Council’s strategy, overseeing the continued growth of the Council, ensuring its financial sustainability, and avoiding exposing the charity’s assets, beneficiaries or reputation to undue risk. The Board comprises a mix of trustees drawn from our member organisations and independent trustees from a range of different professional backgrounds and experience.  

Key responsibilities:

• Contribute to the overall strategic direction of the Council, including taking forward the Council's agreed strategy.
• Ensure the Council complies with its governing document, company law, charity law and any other relevant legislation or regulations.
• Oversee the Council’s financial management with the overall aim of achieving financial sustainability.
• Safeguard the organisation and advise on diversification of income to support the Council’s development.
• Work effectively and collaboratively with the Chair and other Board members in providing support and effective scrutiny to the Council's senior staff team.

Some of the essential competencies we are looking for all Trustees:

• Demonstrate a commitment to understanding the Council's business, the sector context and wider policy issues across the four nations of the UK.
• Demonstrate excellent communication skills and an enabling, inclusive approach.
• Ability to think strategically and offer advice, guidance, support and constructive challenge to oversee the effective delivery of the Council’s strategic objectives.
• Demonstrate a track record of collaborative working in an organisation with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Ideally, have experience at senior management or board level in other organisations and experience of charity governance.

Full details of the role and responsibilities required can be found in the candidate information pack. Please apply by following the instructions in the candidate information pack. The closing date is 22 May 2026 at 4pm. 

The food system is unsustainable and unjust, and it’s damaging the health of a generation. We are a youth activist movement set up to challenge a food system that’s been set up to fool us all. We're looking for a new Chair who shares our passion for empowering youth leadership and transforming our food system