AI Governance & Data Protection Expert

About the role

The AI Governance & Data Protection Expert will lead the design and implementation of a Responsible AI framework for the WHO Regional Office for Africa’s Monitoring, Evaluation, Special Initiatives and Change Management Unit. This role ensures that AI/ML solutions are secure, transparent, ethically compliant and aligned with international health standards.

Key responsibilities

• Design and implement governance protocols, ethical guidelines and human‑in‑the‑loop safeguards for AI/ML models.
• Conduct Data Protection Impact Assessments and ensure data pipelines comply with WHO standards, GDPR and regional data‑sovereignty regulations.
• Develop testing procedures to detect and mitigate algorithmic bias, promoting equitable AI‑driven insights.
• Collaborate with technical architects to maintain data lineage, confidentiality and secure access across decentralized platforms.
• Advise on emerging AI regulations (e.g., EU AI Act, WHO AI for Health guidance) to keep deliverables future‑proof.
• Create and deliver AI literacy and ethical data‑use training modules for WHO staff.

Required profile

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) with at least 6 years of relevant experience, or Bachelor’s degree with 9 years.
• Minimum 5 years experience in the health‑sector or related field.
• Prior involvement in at least one MCC assignment (e.g., DQR, evaluation, M&E).

Required skills

• AI governance and ethical AI frameworks
• Data protection, GDPR compliance, DPIA execution
• Algorithmic bias detection and mitigation
• Predictive analytics and natural language processing (NLP)
• Design of decision‑support dashboards
• Human‑in‑the‑loop model oversight