Local Jobs in Surrey, BC

This Volunteer Placement is Located in: Lima, Peru

Start Date: January 2027

Placement Length: 5 months

Language Requirements: Spanish Level 4-Advanced

Please submit a Spanish Resume and Statement of Interest

Eligibility: Open to Canadian Citizens and Permanent Residents of Canada only

The Volunteer’s Role

Are you a software engineer eager to apply your technical skills where they can make a real social impact? Cuso International is seeking an AI Software Engineer to collaborate with our partner, CETEMIN, a leading technical education institution in Peru preparing students for the mining and technical sectors.

In this volunteer role, you will help design, build, and optimize intelligent learning platforms and practical AI tools. Working alongside local educators and technical teams, you will bridge modern software engineering with international development, building sustainable, scalable technology that empowers students and strengthens local technical capacity in Peru.

As a volunteer, you will:

• Application & Codebase Assessment: Evaluate the current state of the application architecture, data flows, integrated models, and technical debt to establish clear development priorities.
• Feature Development & UI/UX: Design, code, and deploy functional application features, improving user interaction flows, front-end usability, and backend logic.
• LLM Integration & Performance: Implement and optimize LLM integrations (OpenAI, Gemini, Anthropic), refine prompt workflows, and set up Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) pipelines to improve response accuracy.
• Knowledge Transfer & Documentation: Create clean technical documentation and conduct hands-on training sessions with local teams to ensure long-term system sustainability and scalability.

Essential Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering, Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field

Essential Background:

• Core Development: Strong foundation in modern software development (Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, or similar stack).
• API & System Experience: Practical experience connecting applications to LLM APIs and managing databases/data structures for web applications.
• Communication & Mentorship: Ability to translate complex technical concepts into accessible documentation and train non-specialized teams in Spanish.

Ready to make a lasting difference? Apply today to share your skills!

About Us

Cuso International (Cuso) is an international cooperation and development organization based in Canada that works to create social and economic opportunities for equity-deserving groups. Building on over sixty years of impactful work, we address global challenges by tackling the root causes of inequality. Working alongside our partners, we are focused on efforts to improve economic resilience, advance equity and inclusion for all, and deliver progress on climate action. We believe that by sharing skills, we can build better futures. Guided by our values of courage, inclusion, sustainability and accountability, Cuso combines innovative strategies and enduring partnerships to create lasting, meaningful change in communities across Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada.
Project: Sharing Canadian Expertise for Inclusive Development and Gender Equality (SHARE)

Partner: CETEMIN (Centro Tecnológico Minero del Perú)

Volunteer Support and Requirements

Support Package

Cuso International provides a comprehensive support package to ensure volunteers maintain a modest and healthy lifestyle aligned with local standards. This includes:

• Monthly living allowance
• Accommodation
• Health insurance (including required vaccinations and antimalarial medication)
• Round-trip airfare and visa/work permit costs
• Pre-placement, in-country and reintegration training (along with access to self-directed materials and online resources)
• Ongoing local support
• Access to the Employee Assistance Program during and after placement

Selection and Screening

If you are shortlisted, you will need to:

• Confirm passport or permanent resident details for travel
• Provide two professional references and one personal reference
• Complete a language assessment during the initial phone interview
• Pass a police check and medical clearance before departure
• Comply with anti-terrorism checks
• Agree to uphold the Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) policy and Code of Conduct

Residency and Citizenship: Candidates are responsible for confirming how volunteering internationally may affect their citizenship or residency status. Canadian Permanent Residents should verify requirements with Immigration Canada before travel.

Inclusion and Accessibility: Cuso International welcomes applicants from diverse backgrounds and equity-deserving groups. We provide reasonable accommodations throughout recruitment and placement. If you have accessibility needs, please contact us for support.

Ready to Make a Difference? Apply to volunteer today!