Consultant - AI Chatbot Application

Job Description

Title: Consultant - AI Chatbot Application

Company Name: Heifer International Bangladesh

Vacancy: --

Age: At most 40 years

Job Location: Rajshahi

Salary: Tk. 35000 (Monthly)

Experience:

• At least 2 years
• The applicants should have experience in the following business area(s): NGO

• Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Information Technology

• Bachelor`s degree in information technology or data-related field

• At least 2 years
• The applicants should have experience in the following business area(s): NGO

• Age At most 40 years

• 2 years’ experience with data management in Excel or Google Sheets

• 2 years’ experience in community organization or outreach

• Strong verbal and written communication skills

• Strong spoken and written English fluency

• Experience in training facilitation and training curriculum development using participatory methodologies

• Experience of field data collection

• Good analytical skills and ability to verify information

Essential Competencies:

• Ability to prepare and present documents in a well-designed and attractive format with superior attention to detail

• Good team player with the ability to train and work cooperatively with a diverse staff in several locations

• Ability to perform multiple tasks with minimal supervision

• Willingness to work with a flexible schedule

• Willingness to extensively travel to rural areas

Heifer International is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, status as a protected veteran, among other things, or status as a qualified individual with some form of specially-abled.
Function of the Position: The Consultant - AI Chatbot Application will play a key role in a prototype project – the Farmer AI Advisory Chatbot. This initiative by Heifer International Bangladesh (HIB) and mPower aims to provide smallholder farmers in Bangladesh with quick and intuitive expert answers to their farming questions. Farmers will access the Chatbot via WhatsApp or other suitable application by speaking or typing their question in their local language, or by sending a photo. The Chatbot will use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to understand the question and provide an expert answer specific to the farmer’s value chain and location. HIB and mPower plan to deploy the Chatbot with a combination of farmer workshops and individual farmer engagement.
The Consultant - AI Chatbot Application will serve as the project’s main local presence and support the work in specific area. First, they will play a central role in creating awareness, promoting the AI chatbot, selecting appropriate participants from specified farmer groups and training farmers to use the Chatbot. Second, they will engage farmers and CAVE or other necessary stakeholders individually to drive adoption and provide ongoing feedback to the development team. Third, they will collaborate with Heifer’s Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) team to evaluate the Chatbot’s adoption and impact. To accomplish those goals, the Consultant - AI Chatbot Application will demonstrate strong community outreach, organization and support skills. They will also excel at digital tool use and training, as well as collaboration with diverse teams.
Duration: Initially till 30 June 2027; further renewal will depend on performance, availability of the fund and necessity of works.
Responsibilities And Deliverables: (including approximate percentage effort)
Ensure professional standards of work are implemented, maintained, and completed on time (80%)

• Collaborate with Heifer, implementing partners and mPower on Chatbot deployment planning

• Increase Chatbot awareness with real-world and social media interactions

• Organize, participate and facilitate AI Chatbot training, workshops and awareness sessions in SHG

• Train cooperative staff, CAVE and farmers individually, by group on Chatbot use

• Support farmers to resolve questions and issues with the Chatbot

• Collect technical and managemental topics to include in the AI chatbot for working value chain

• Follow up individually with farmers to evaluate Chatbot adoption

• Provide periodic updates to Heifer and mPower on Chatbot adoption and issues

• Facilitate, conduct farmer surveys and interviews on Chatbot use

• Manage survey data in collaboration with Heifer’s M&E team

• Provide input on future Chatbot updates based on farmer feedback

Coordination, Monitoring, and Reporting (20%)

• Visit and supervision of the project sites, collaborate with farmers, SHGs, cooperatives with the purpose of understanding the context, monitor progress, and a follow up on recommendations.

• Reporting of the progress and discuss next steps as appropriate on regular basis (monthly)

• Ensure the project milestones, objectives and requirements are fulfilled.