AI Engineer
- Full-time
- Directorate: NEA
- Grade: CF5
Company Description
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an international organisation comprised of 38 member countries, that works to build better policies for better lives. Our mission is to promote policies that will improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world. Together with governments, policy makers and citizens, we work on establishing evidence-based international standards, and finding solutions to a range of social, economic and environmental challenges. From improving economic performance and creating jobs to fostering strong education and fighting international tax evasion, we provide a unique forum and knowledge hub for data and analysis, exchange of experiences, best-practice sharing, and advice on public policies and international standard-setting.
The Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) is an intergovernmental agency which operates under the framework of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). It facilitates co-operation among countries with advanced nuclear technology infrastructures to seek excellence in nuclear safety, technology, science, related environmental and economic matters and law. The mission of the NEA is to assist its 34 member countries in maintaining and further developing, through international cooperation, the scientific, technological and legal bases required for a safe, environmentally sound and economical use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. It strives to provide authoritative assessments and to forge common understandings on key issues as input to government decisions on nuclear technology policies.
The NEA is seeking a highly skilled AI Engineer to support the development, deployment and governance of AI-based solutions across the Agency. This role will focus on designing and implementing AI services using Azure AI Hub and Azure AI Foundry, enabling secure and compliant integration of AI capabilities into NEA business processes. The successful candidate will collaborate with internal stakeholders across technical and administrative divisions, gather and translate business requirements, and build AI-powered applications and workflows — including retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), intelligent search, data classification, document summarisation, and workflow automation.
The AI Engineer will work under the supervision of IT Systems Manager, in close coordination with the IT team, data stewards, and subject-matter experts from across the Agency.
Job Description
Main Responsibilities
AI Solution Design and Development:
- Design and implement AI solutions using Azure AI Foundry and Azure AI Hub, including RAG pipelines, custom copilots, and AI-assisted workflows.
- Translate user requirements into functional and technical designs, integrating NEA data sources with secure and controlled access.
- Develop and fine-tune prompt engineering and model orchestration for high-value use cases.
- Build connectors and APIs to integrate AI capabilities with existing NEA systems such as Microsoft 365, SharePoint Online, and Invenio RDM.
- Ensure the operational reliability, performance, and security of AI services.
- Establish monitoring, evaluation and continuous improvement mechanisms for AI deployments.
- Maintain version control, documentation, and traceability of AI models and workflows.
Stakeholder Engagement and Capacity Building:
- Work closely with NEA Heads of Division and Office to identify opportunities for AI integration.
- Work closely with the NEA IT team and support the development of AI competencies in the team.
- Conduct workshops and design sprints to elicit requirements and co-develop prototypes with end users.
- Provide training and guidance to end users on using AI tools securely and effectively.
- Collaborate with internal stakeholders to identify and implement AI-based opportunities.
AI Governance:
- Contribute to the NEA AI strategy and roadmap, ensuring alignment with organisational priorities and AI principles.
- Ensure technical governance, security, and compliance of AI systems with OECD and international standards, including data protection and export control obligations.
- Define and maintain best practices for responsible AI use, including documentation, transparency, and auditability of models and prompts.
Other:
- Carry out other related duties assigned by the IT Systems Manager.
Qualifications
Ideal Candidate Profile
Academic and Professional Background
- A university degree in computer science, data science, AI/ML engineering, information systems, or a related field.
- At least five years of relevant professional experience, including demonstrable experience designing and deploying AI applications in production environments.
- Proven experience with Azure AI services (AI Hub, AI Foundry, OpenAI Service) or equivalent enterprise AI platforms e.g. GCP / AWS.
- Experience developing RAG architectures, intelligent search, or workflow automation solutions.
- Familiarity with data governance, cybersecurity, and export control considerations for sensitive or controlled data would be an advantage.
Tools & Technical Skills
- Proficiency in Python or another programming language commonly used in AI development.
- Experience with LLM integration, vector databases, and prompt engineering.
- Familiarity with cloud environments (Azure preferred) and containerisation (Docker/Kubernetes).
- Experience with Microsoft 365, SharePoint Online, API integrations and commons AI SDKs.
- Knowledge of responsible AI principles, ethical frameworks, and relevant compliance standards (e.g., GDPR, ISO 27001).
- Project management experience and familiarity with Agile or DevOps methodologies is an advantage.
- Proven enterprise experience with Microsoft Copilot
- Strong knowledge of the Microsoft ecosystem (Windows Server, Active Directory, SharePoint Online, Entra ID, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Azure)
- Knowledge of Identity and Access Management (IAM), and modern authentication and authorisation protocols (SAML, OAuth and Open ID) would be an advantage
- Experience with a Linux-based Operating Systems would be an advantage
Additional Information
Core Competencies
- OECD staff are expected to demonstrate behaviours aligned to six core competencies which will be assessed as part of this hiring processes: Vision and Strategy (Level 1); Enable People (Level 1); Ethics and Integrity (Level 2); Collaboration and Horizontality (Level 2); Achieve Results (Level 2); Innovate and Embrace Change (Level 2).
- To learn more about the definitions for each competency for levels 1-3, please refer to OECD Core Competencies.
Languages
- Fluency in one of the two OECD official languages (English and French) and knowledge of the other, with a commitment to reach a good working level.
Closing Date
- This vacancy should be filled as soon as possible, and applications should reach us no later than 26 February 2026 at 23:59 (Paris time).
Contract Duration
- 24 month fixed-term appointment, with the possibility of renewal to a maximum of 36 months.
What the OECD offers
- Monthly salary starts at 7 782,39 EUR, plus allowances based on eligibility, exempt of French income tax.
- Click here to consult the Staff Regulations applicable to officials of the OECD. Please note that from 1 July 2025, all Official appointments will be made under the OECD’s new contractual modalities.
- Click here to learn more about what we offer and why the OECD is a great place to work.
- Click here to browse our People Management Guidebook and learn more about all aspects relating to people at the OECD, our workplace environment and many other policies supporting staff in their daily life.
- Please note that the appointment may be made at one grade lower in the specified job family, based on the qualifications and professional experience of the selected applicant.
- This vacancy may be used to create a pool of candidates for comparable positions, both for open-ended and fixed-term functions.
Selection Process
For retained candidates, the selection process may include a video-recorded interview, job-based assessment and panel interviews.
The OECD is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes the applications of all qualified candidates who are nationals of NEA or OECD member countries, irrespective of their racial or ethnic origin, opinions or beliefs, gender, sexual orientation, health or disabilities.
The OECD promotes an optimal use of resources in order to improve its efficiency and effectiveness. Staff members are encouraged to actively contribute to this goal.