Junior Data Developer

About the position

Do you want to work in a leading international research institution with high academic standards and an interdisciplinary work environment, developing forecasting systems and tools for conflict predictions? The Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) invites applications for one position as a Junior Data Developer with an interest and experience in data-driven social science research. The position is funded by the Research Council of Norway grant for the project: “The Uncertainty of Forecasting Fatalities in Armed Conflict (UFFAC)”. The project is led by Research Professor Håvard Hegre, who has a track record of successfully leading projects creating and deploying advanced models since 2017.

To strengthen our research on the impacts of conflict, PRIO seeks a motivated Junior Data Developer with competence in design and maintenance of databases and machine learning. The successful candidate will work alongside other, related projects led by Hegre, such as the Violence and Impacts Early-Warning System (VIEWS)

Key responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain relational and graph databases that form the backbone of our conflict forecasting systems;
• Develop and manage robust data pipelines and APIs, ensuring model forecasts and conflict data are served reliably to partners and downstream applications;
• Build and maintain public-facing services, including REST APIs and data interfaces used by humanitarian organizations, researchers, and internal teams;
• Collaborate with ML scientists and domain experts to support downstream prediction workflows, from model outputs to storage, access, and visualization;
• Ensure data quality, performance, and reproducibility across the system, contributing to our mission-critical decision-support tools.

Qualifications

• A master’s degree in a quantitative field (e.g. computer science, statistics, informatics, economics, political science).
• Strong skills in Python, with experience building APIs (e.g. FastAPI, Flask).
• Experience in designing and maintaining relational databases (e.g. PostgreSQL) and graph databases (e.g. JanusGraph, Neo4j).
• Ability to collaborate with data scientists, ML developers, and domain researchers to ensure the data backbone supports both research and production needs.
• Excellent writing and communication skills in English.

• Familiarity with distributed storage systems (e.g. Cassandra) for scalable event/forecast data.
• Comfort working in Linux environments, with SSH servers and secure data handling practices.
• Understanding of data governance principles (versioning, provenance, reproducibility, access control).
• Familiarity with machine learning in production systems is a strong advantage.

We do not expect candidates to be experts in every technology listed. What matters most is strong core skills, a willingness to learn, and the ability to grow quickly in a collaborative, mission-driven environment.

PRIO offers

Contract: One-year, full-time temporary employment, with a salary based on qualifications and experience.

Location: The institute is located on spacious and attractive premises in central Oslo. The work will be performed in Oslo, Norway (on-site presence required).

All employees are offered membership in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.

Additional employee benefits include a subsidized canteen, a weekly running group and various social events. Moreover, PRIO provides an excellent work environment.

PRIO is an equal-opportunity employer and values staff diversity. For more information on our HR and recruitment approach, please consult our recruitment principles and careers page.

Application procedure

• Application letter (1–2 pages) addressing how you meet the required and desired qualifications and describing relevant experience and your motivation to apply for this position;
• CV in English, including a list of publications and a link to your GitHub repository (if you have one);
• Transcripts of academic degrees/certificates (single PDF).

Name and full contact information for 3 (three) references.

Note: When filling out the online form, candidates will be requested to provide the full name and contact details of three references. The references will be contacted after the interview stage.

Selected candidates will be invited for an interview (in person or online) with the hiring committee.  Candidates’ references will only be contacted after the interview stage.

For further information about the position please contact Research Professor Håvard Hegre (hhegre@prio.org), tlf.: +47 940 33 948.

For further information about the recruitment process or the submission of your application, please contact PRIO’s Adviser Catarina Barbieri (catbar@prio.org).

To know more about PRIO, see  https://www.prio.org/