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AI Specialist

By August 6, 2025No Comments

What You’ll Do

Reporting to the Director of CIOOS, the AI Specialist central to advancing CIOOS’s mission by applying artificial intelligence to make oceanographic information more discoverable, usable, and accessible. This role will be instrumental in the development of innovative tools that improve how users access and interact with ocean data.

Working collaboratively with internal CIOOS developers, regional associations, and external partners, you will create scalable applications that improve multilingual search, enable dynamic data exploration, and integrate cross-platform metadata. With a background in AI, data science, or machine learning, you will bring a critical lens to applying cutting-edge technologies to real-world data accessibility challenges. Your ability to turn conceptual AI capabilities into practical, well-documented features will ensure that the project delivers both innovation and usability.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

  • Design and implement AI-enhanced search tools (e.g., semantic search, NLP, LLMs) to support user interaction with CIOOS’s ocean data catalogues.
  • Develop, test, and maintain machine learning models for tagging and classifying datasets using frameworks such as Essential Ocean Variables (EOVs) and other marine taxonomies.
  • Build scalable tools to harvest, index, and process metadata, ensuring robust multilingual and thematic search capabilities.
  • Prototype and support the implementation of AI-generated responses to user queries, leveraging agent-based AI and dynamic data retrieval.
  • Collaborate with the CIOOS technical team to ensure seamless integration with the existing infrastructure and to support deployment and maintenance planning.
  • Produce technical documentation and user documentation to ensure clarity and scalability of developed solutions.
  • Contribute to the exploration and adoption of emerging AI technologies and best practices to inform future CIOOS initiatives, bringing forward recommendations for consideration.
  • Other duties as assigned.

What You’ll Bring

  • Degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, or a related field.
  • 3+ years of relevant experience in a similar role involving AI, machine learning, or data science applications.
  • Proven experience in developing and deploying NLP/semantic search tools, machine learning pipelines, and working with large datasets.
  • Familiarity with LLMs (e.g., BERT, GPT-based models), multi-label classification, vector databases, and knowledge graph integration.
  • Demonstrated experience with agent-based AI and federated search approaches considered an asset.
  • Experience working with oceanographic, environmental, or scientific datasets is a strong advantage.
  • Proficiency with Python, PyTorch/TensorFlow, and modern ML frameworks and libraries.
  • Strong documentation, communication, and collaboration skills to support a multidisciplinary project environment.
  • Strong interpersonal and communication skills (both written and oral) with a collaborative mindset
  • An independent problem solver who shows initiative and creativity, but who is able to easily work with a multidisciplinary team of scientists, developers, and communicators
  • Bilingualism (English/French) is an asset.

You will work virtually and generally maintain regular business hours, Monday to Friday, totaling 40 hours per week, including a one-hour daily lunch break. Additional hours outside of normal working hours may be required from time to time. Some travel will be required.

What We Offer

  • Work with a passionate team dedicated to advancing marine research
  • Contribute to having a positive impact on Canada’s marine environment
  • Be part of a collaborative and inclusive work culture
  • Grow and develop professionally
  • Vacation and leave allowances
  • Group health and dental plans
  • Save for your future through contribution to matched RRSP program
  • Be compensated fairly and competitively – MEOPAR pays in line with the Canadian government’s salary scales and offers a comprehensive benefits plan and generous leave allowance
  • MEOPAR is a Canada-wide employer – this position is open to candidates across Canada on a remote work basis.

Position: 

Full-Time, Permanent

Location:

Canada (Remote)

Closing Date:

August 14, 2025 11:59 PM Newfoundland time

Apply Now

MEOPAR is a Canada-wide employer – this position is open to candidates across Canada on a remote work basis.

MEOPAR is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to equity and diversity within its community and promotes a work environment of mutual respect and inclusion. We welcome and encourage applications from racialized persons/visible minorities, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, ethnic minorities, and persons of minority sexual orientations and gender identities. Applicants with atypical backgrounds are encouraged to include details of their learning experiences in the cover letter accompanying their CV. In accordance with Canada’s immigration requirements, priority will be given to qualified candidates with Canadian citizenship or permanent resident status.

We thank all applicants for their interest, but only those applicants who are selected for an interview will be contacted.