Application Guide

How to Apply for AI/ML Engineer

at The Agency Fund

🏢 About The Agency Fund

The Agency Fund is a US-based non-profit that embeds engineers and product managers directly inside evidence-based nonprofits across East Africa, South Asia, and beyond. Unlike typical tech companies, TAF builds AI systems that power real-world interventions—like coaching field workers, supporting nurses, and advising farmers—with a focus on human agency and social impact. The team is small (22 people), flat, and entrepreneurial, offering a rare chance to do cutting-edge AI work with direct social benefit.

About This Role

As an AI/ML Engineer at TAF, you'll design, build, evaluate, deploy, and improve AI/ML systems that power platforms for nonprofits—such as evaluation infrastructure, AI coaches, clinical copilots, and farmer chatbots. You'll also serve as an ML expert for partner organizations, helping them leverage AI effectively. This role is impactful because your work directly enhances service delivery and development outcomes for millions of people in low-resource settings.

💡 A Day in the Life

A typical day might involve collaborating with a partner nonprofit to understand their needs, then prototyping an ML model for a chatbot that advises farmers on planting schedules. You could spend time debugging a deployment issue for a clinical copilot, analyzing user feedback to improve an AI coach, and meeting with the team to discuss evaluation metrics for a new experiment. The work is varied, hands-on, and directly tied to making a difference.

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🎯 Who The Agency Fund Is Looking For

  • **Hands-on ML engineering experience**: Proven ability to build and deploy ML models in production, with strong coding skills in Python and familiarity with frameworks like PyTorch or TensorFlow.
  • **Experience with NLP and conversational AI**: Background in developing chatbots, copilots, or coaching systems, ideally using large language models and retrieval-augmented generation.
  • **Cross-cultural collaboration and adaptability**: Comfort working with diverse, remote teams and partner organizations, and willingness to understand local contexts in East Africa, South Asia, etc.
  • **Mission-driven and entrepreneurial**: Passion for using AI for social good, with a bias toward action and ability to thrive in a flat, fast-paced environment.

📝 Tips for Applying to The Agency Fund

1

Highlight any experience you have working with nonprofits, NGOs, or in international development contexts—TAF values understanding of the sector.

2

Showcase projects where you built AI systems that had a direct user impact, especially in low-resource or challenging environments.

3

Emphasize your ability to work remotely and collaboratively across time zones, as TAF is a remote-first team with global partners.

4

Demonstrate familiarity with evaluation metrics for AI systems in social impact contexts (e.g., fairness, robustness, user engagement).

5

Tailor your resume to include keywords from the job description like 'AI coaches', 'copilots', 'chatbots', and 'evaluation infrastructure' to show alignment.

✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter

In your cover letter, focus on: (1) your motivation to use AI for social good and why TAF's mission resonates with you; (2) specific examples of AI/ML systems you've built and deployed, especially those involving NLP or conversational interfaces; (3) your experience collaborating with diverse stakeholders, particularly in global or low-resource settings; and (4) your ability to work autonomously and wear multiple hats in a flat organization.

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🔍 Research Before Applying

To stand out, make sure you've researched:

  • → Read The Agency Fund's website and recent reports to understand their portfolio of partner organizations and the types of AI systems they've built.
  • → Research the specific challenges of deploying AI in low-resource settings (e.g., intermittent connectivity, low digital literacy) and how TAF addresses them.
  • → Explore the backgrounds of the team members on LinkedIn to understand their expertise and how you might complement it.
  • → Look into the evidence base behind behavior change programs and clinical decision support to speak credibly about the domains.
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💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics

Based on this role, you may be asked about:

1 How would you design an AI coach to train field workers in behavior change programs, ensuring it works effectively in low-connectivity environments?
2 Describe a time you had to evaluate and improve an ML model for a real-world application. What metrics did you use, and how did you handle trade-offs?
3 How would you approach building a clinical copilot for nurses in South Asia, considering constraints like data privacy, limited training data, and cultural nuances?
4 Tell us about your experience with large language models and how you would mitigate risks like hallucination or bias in a chatbot for farmers.
5 How do you prioritize features and technical decisions when working with nonprofit partners who may have limited technical expertise?
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⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Focusing only on technical prowess without showing empathy for end-users or understanding of the social context—TAF values human-centered design.
  • Submitting a generic cover letter that doesn't mention TAF's mission or specific projects—they want to see genuine interest in their work.
  • Overemphasizing experience in big tech without connecting it to nonprofit or resource-constrained environments—TAF seeks candidates who can adapt to diverse constraints.

📅 Application Timeline

This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.

Typical hiring timeline:

1

Application Review

1-2 weeks

2

Initial Screening

Phone call or written assessment

3

Interviews

1-2 rounds, usually virtual

✓

Offer

Congratulations!

Ready to Apply?

Good luck with your application to The Agency Fund!

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