Consultant - AI Solutions Development

The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) is an international non-profit, research-for-development organization that works with governments, civil society, and private sector organizations to solve water-related issues in developing countries and scale up solutions. IWMI is headquartered in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and is a CGIAR research center with offices in 15 countries and a global network of researchers operating in about 56 countries.

Governance and institutional challenges are becoming increasingly central to efforts aimed at strengthening food, land, and water systems, particularly in the context of wider global megatrends and growing development pressures. Addressing these challenges requires closer attention not only to governance arrangements and institutional performance but also to the political economy of policymaking and implementation, policy coherence across sectors and scales, and the metrics through which progress is understood and assessed. This creates a strong need for approaches that can generate more integrated, context-sensitive, and analytically useful insights to support learning, engagement, and decision-making in complex policy environments.

Within this broader context, the present assignment is situated. IWMI is seeking to develop an innovation-oriented solution building on its PILA framework that can strengthen how different forms of particularly qualitative evidence are generated, organized, and used for analytical and decision-support purposes at all stages of the policy cycle. The intention is to support more systematic and grounded engagement with information that is often dispersed across sources, uneven in quality, and difficult to interpret in an integrated manner, and therefore of limited use to decision-makers in the design, implementation, and/or monitoring and evaluation of policies.

The assignment will therefore contribute to IWMI’s wider efforts to strengthen evidence-informed policy and institutional analysis, improve program learning, and advance practical approaches for generating insights that are both analytically robust and relevant to real-world decision-making.

OBJECTIVE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

• To develop a secure, AI-enabled tool that enables the systematic use of field-based and contextual evidence in policy and institutional analysis, including the ability to connect with relevant quantitative information where necessary and appropriate.
• To deliver a functional and scalable tool that has essential technical, analytical, reporting, and safeguarding features, including capabilities for future refinement and institutional application.
  

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Support the design and development of a practical digital tool that can strengthen the generation, organization, and use of qualitative and other relevant evidence for policy, institutional, and program learning purposes.
• Enable more systematic and timely analysis by incorporating selected AI-enabled functionalities and appropriate workflows for bringing together qualitative and quantitative information.
• Facilitate the presentation of outputs through accessible dashboards, reporting features, and other user-oriented interfaces that support learning, analysis, and decision-making, including the provision of policy landscape and policy coherence visualizations.
• Ensure that the proposed solution is developed with due attention to usability, privacy, security, and ethical considerations, while remaining suitable for further refinement and institutional application.

DELIVERABLES

1. Inception Report and Detailed Work Plan, setting out the refined scope of work, proposed methodology, implementation plan, timelines, consultation process, and key technical considerations for the assignment.
2. Functional Specifications and System Architecture, outlining the overall tool structure, core user and administrative functions, main modules, integration requirements, and the proposed technical approach for development.
3. Initial Working Version of the tool, demonstrating the agreed foundational functionalities, including core user workflows and essential administrative features.
4. Enhanced Tool Version with Integrated AI-Enabled and Data Features, incorporating the agreed analytical functionalities, selected AI-enabled components, and initial refinement based on testing and feedback.
5. Dashboard and Reporting Module, including user-oriented visualizations and reporting functions, incorporating feedback from system review, user testing, and technical validation in the Indian context.
6. Final Functional Release, Documentation, and Handover Package, including the completed working version of the tool, essential technical and user documentation, and recommendations for further refinement and institutional application.

The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) is an international non-profit, research-for-development organization that works with governments, civil society, and private sector organizations to solve water-related issues in developing countries...

MINIMUM EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:

• Master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data Science, Information Technology, or a closely related field.
• Formal academic or professional training in AI/ML, digital product development, or software systems design.
• Relevant qualifications demonstrating the ability to lead the development of applied AI-enabled digital platforms.

EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

Essential:

• Demonstrated experience in designing and developing AI-enabled digital tools or applications, from concept through to prototype or deployment.

• Proven experience in full-stack development, including frontend and backend systems, databases, APIs, and cloud-based deployment.

Desirable:

• Experience with qualitative or mixed-method data collection tools, survey platforms, or participatory research systems.
• Experience working with mobile-first, low-bandwidth, multilingual, or voice-enabled applications.
• Previous experience working with international research organizations, development agencies, or multidisciplinary teams in applied research settings.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES:

Essential:

• Strong knowledge of AI/ML applications relevant to multilingual interaction, qualitative data collection, insight generation, and automated reporting.
• Strong ability to translate user needs into practical technical solutions and functional product designs.
• Ability to develop secure, user-friendly systems suitable for non-technical users and diverse operating contexts.
• Strong communication and documentation skills, with the ability to explain technical concepts clearly and work effectively with multidisciplinary teams.

Desirable:

• Ability to integrate qualitative and quantitative data sources into clear dashboards, reports, and decision-support outputs.
• Familiarity with privacy-by-design, ethical AI, and secure data management practices in digital research environments.
• Ability to work independently, manage deliverables efficiently, and adapt to evolving technical and programmatic requirements.

The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) is an international non-profit, research-for-development organization that works with governments, civil society, and private sector organizations to solve water-related issues in developing countries and scale up solutions. IWMI is headquartered in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and is a CGIAR research center with offices in 15 countries and a global network of researchers operating in about 56 countries.

Governance and institutional challenges are becoming increasingly central to efforts aimed at strengthening food, land, and water systems, particularly in the context of wider global megatrends and growing development pressures. Addressing these challenges requires closer attention not only to governance arrangements and institutional performance but also to the political economy of policymaking and implementation, policy coherence across sectors and scales, and the metrics through which progress is understood and assessed. This creates a strong need for approaches that can generate more integrated, context-sensitive, and analytically useful insights to support learning, engagement, and decision-making in complex policy environments.

Within this broader context, the present assignment is situated. IWMI is seeking to develop an innovation-oriented solution building on its PILA framework that can strengthen how different forms of particularly qualitative evidence are generated, organized, and used for analytical and decision-support purposes at all stages of the policy cycle. The intention is to support more systematic and grounded engagement with information that is often dispersed across sources, uneven in quality, and difficult to interpret in an integrated manner, and therefore of limited use to decision-makers in the design, implementation, and/or monitoring and evaluation of policies.

The assignment will therefore contribute to IWMI’s wider efforts to strengthen evidence-informed policy and institutional analysis, improve program learning, and advance practical approaches for generating insights that are both analytically robust and relevant to real-world decision-making.

OBJECTIVE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

• To develop a secure, AI-enabled tool that enables the systematic use of field-based and contextual evidence in policy and institutional analysis, including the ability to connect with relevant quantitative information where necessary and appropriate.
• To deliver a functional and scalable tool that has essential technical, analytical, reporting, and safeguarding features, including capabilities for future refinement and institutional application.
  

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Support the design and development of a practical digital tool that can strengthen the generation, organization, and use of qualitative and other relevant evidence for policy, institutional, and program learning purposes.
• Enable more systematic and timely analysis by incorporating selected AI-enabled functionalities and appropriate workflows for bringing together qualitative and quantitative information.
• Facilitate the presentation of outputs through accessible dashboards, reporting features, and other user-oriented interfaces that support learning, analysis, and decision-making, including the provision of policy landscape and policy coherence visualizations.
• Ensure that the proposed solution is developed with due attention to usability, privacy, security, and ethical considerations, while remaining suitable for further refinement and institutional application.

DELIVERABLES

1. Inception Report and Detailed Work Plan, setting out the refined scope of work, proposed methodology, implementation plan, timelines, consultation process, and key technical considerations for the assignment.
2. Functional Specifications and System Architecture, outlining the overall tool structure, core user and administrative functions, main modules, integration requirements, and the proposed technical approach for development.
3. Initial Working Version of the tool, demonstrating the agreed foundational functionalities, including core user workflows and essential administrative features.
4. Enhanced Tool Version with Integrated AI-Enabled and Data Features, incorporating the agreed analytical functionalities, selected AI-enabled components, and initial refinement based on testing and feedback.
5. Dashboard and Reporting Module, including user-oriented visualizations and reporting functions, incorporating feedback from system review, user testing, and technical validation in the Indian context.
6. Final Functional Release, Documentation, and Handover Package, including the completed working version of the tool, essential technical and user documentation, and recommendations for further refinement and institutional application.

The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) is an international non-profit, research-for-development organization that works with governments, civil society, and private sector organizations to solve water-related issues in developing countries...

MINIMUM EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:

• Master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data Science, Information Technology, or a closely related field.
• Formal academic or professional training in AI/ML, digital product development, or software systems design.
• Relevant qualifications demonstrating the ability to lead the development of applied AI-enabled digital platforms.

EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

Essential:

• Demonstrated experience in designing and developing AI-enabled digital tools or applications, from concept through to prototype or deployment.

• Proven experience in full-stack development, including frontend and backend systems, databases, APIs, and cloud-based deployment.

Desirable:

• Experience with qualitative or mixed-method data collection tools, survey platforms, or participatory research systems.
• Experience working with mobile-first, low-bandwidth, multilingual, or voice-enabled applications.
• Previous experience working with international research organizations, development agencies, or multidisciplinary teams in applied research settings.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES:

Essential:

• Strong knowledge of AI/ML applications relevant to multilingual interaction, qualitative data collection, insight generation, and automated reporting.
• Strong ability to translate user needs into practical technical solutions and functional product designs.
• Ability to develop secure, user-friendly systems suitable for non-technical users and diverse operating contexts.
• Strong communication and documentation skills, with the ability to explain technical concepts clearly and work effectively with multidisciplinary teams.

Desirable:

• Ability to integrate qualitative and quantitative data sources into clear dashboards, reports, and decision-support outputs.
• Familiarity with privacy-by-design, ethical AI, and secure data management practices in digital research environments.
• Ability to work independently, manage deliverables efficiently, and adapt to evolving technical and programmatic requirements.