MEST AI Startup Program – Technical Fellow In-Residence

MEST AI Startup Program – Technical Fellow In-Residence

Location: Accra, Ghana (in-person position) | Start Date: January 2026 | End Date: December 2026 | Contract: One-year

Reporting to: AI Startup Program Director
Team: AI Startup Program Team

Experience Level: 2 - 4+ years in software development and AI/ML

About MEST Africa: Lunched in 2008 by Meltwater Founder & CEO Jorn Lyseggen, MEST is a Pan-African training program, seed fund, incubator, and hub for technology entrepreneurs across Africa. We provide critical skills training in software development, business, and communications, with headquarters in Accra, Ghana, and funding from the Meltwater Foundation — the non-profit arm of Meltwater, a global leader in media intelligence.

The MEST AI Startup Program is an immersive experience designed to equip Africa's AI entrepreneurs with the technical, business, and leadership skills to build and scale globally competitive AI startups.

The program includes:

• Technical training and coaching to apply AI concepts to MVPs
• Hands-on development of an AI MVP
• Exposure to world-class AI practitioners

There is an accompanying incubation phase to scale AI products, secure customers, and prepare for investment.

The AI Technical Fellow In-Residence is the technical backbone of the MEST AI Startup Program. For one year, you will work directly with entrepreneurs-in-training (EITs) to ensure the curriculum's technical concepts are applied—from AI model development to deployment. The role is highly hands-on and involves regular collaboration with EITs, experts, partners, facilitators, and program staff to troubleshoot and accelerate learning.

You should have deep technical expertise, a passion for AI, and enjoy learning alongside entrepreneurs. This is a "doer" role in a fast-paced environment.

• Technical Training & Support: Deliver interactive tutorials/workshops on AI/ML, software engineering, and MLOps topics (e.g., Python, APIs, LLMs, RAG, LangChain, vector databases, multi-agent systems, Docker, CI/CD). Provide 1:1 and group technical coaching. Conduct code reviews and guide best practices.
• Curriculum Integration: Align technical sessions with business/product milestones; adapt content to evolving AI tools and participant needs.
• Problem-Solving & Mentorship: Support debugging, explore new AI tools, and promote responsible AI use (bias mitigation, privacy by design, etc.).
• Collaboration & Program Support: Ensure participants have required technical resources; foster an inclusive, innovative learning environment; participate in planning and review sessions.

• Technical Expertise: Proficiency in Python, Git/GitHub, API development; hands-on with LLMs, prompt engineering, fine-tuning; RAG pipelines, embeddings, vector databases, LangChain; multi-agent systems; memory management; MLOps, CI/CD, Docker, cloud deployment, API security; strong software engineering fundamentals (testing, exploratory data analysis, model evaluation).
• Experience: 2 - 4+ years in software engineering and AI/ML product development; track record of taking AI products from concept to deployment; experience in startup or fast-paced environments.
• Soft Skills: Excellent communication, cross-cultural collaboration, proactive problem-solving, hands-on mindset, adaptability, curiosity, and passion for excellence and innovation.

• Submit your resume/CV to emily@meltwater.org with "Technical Fellow In-Residence" in the subject line for initial review.
• Initial Phone Interview to discuss background, experience, and goals.
• Interactive Assessment — technical task for shortlisted candidates.
• Final Interview — in-depth discussion with key decision-makers.
• Job Offer & Onboarding — offer details and plan.

Note: Due to high application volume, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. If you do not hear within one month of applying, please consider your application unsuccessful.