Junior R&I Specialist - Foundation Model

Within System Operations, you'll contribute to building the energy system of tomorrow. As part of the Foundation Model Team (Research & Innovation), you'll help develop and validate advanced AI and foundation model solutions that are gradually translated into operational applications. In this junior role, the focus is on learning, applying, and deepening your expertise-tackling clearly defined challenges under the guidance of a medior/senior specialist or team lead.

Your role will involve:

• Conducting focused analyses and experiments (e.g., data exploration, baseline models, evaluations) following agreed methodologies and quality standards
• Implementing and testing model and pipeline components-including preprocessing, training/inference scripts, and evaluation runs-with a strong focus on reproducibility
• Supporting the identification and refinement of use cases by helping define requirements, clarify assumptions, and formulate measurable success criteria
• Contributing to implementation-ready artefacts such as notebooks, scripts, evaluation reports, and documentation for handover to teams responsible for embedding and productization
• Developing expertise in one or two specialization areas (e.g., evaluation & benchmarks, prompt engineering & fine-tuning, data quality, retrieval, or interpretability) and demonstrating measurable growth
• Applying team standards and best practices-including coding standards, experiment logging, and documentation-while identifying opportunities for improvement
• Sharing progress and learnings with the team and documenting your work clearly so others can build on it

You combine curiosity with a solid technical foundation. You work accurately, actively seek feedback, and enjoy explaining your analyses and decisions clearly. In addition, you bring:

• 0-3 years of relevant work experience and at least a bachelor's level of thinking and working in a relevant field such as Data Science, Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, or Applied Physics
• Basic knowledge of AI/ML and large foundation models, with the ability to apply research literature and internal documentation to your work
• Experience with Python and data/ML tools such as PyTorch, Jupyter Notebooks, Git, and experiment tracking frameworks
• A strong analytical and research-oriented mindset-you can formulate hypotheses, design experiments, and interpret results with guidance
• A structured and quality-focused way of working, including documentation, version control, and reproducible experimentation
• An open attitude toward collaboration and learning-you're receptive to feedback, communicate clearly, and work effectively with specialists and operational stakeholders
• Strong English communication skills, suitable for an international working environment

Attractive salary and benefits package

Based on a 40-hour working week, you will receive:

• a gross monthly salary of € 4.163 to € 5.948 (scale 8);

• annually an Individual Choice Budget (IKB) of 18% (full time) or 12.8% (part time) of your gross annual salary. This includes 5.2% ADV (shorter working hours) and 8% holiday allowance. If you do not work full time, you are not entitled to ADV. You can have this budget paid out as extra salary or use it to purchase extra days off, for example. You choose the option that is right for you;

• 24.5 days' holiday per year, which can be topped up generously from your IKB;

• an end-of-year bonus of 6% of your annual salary in December;

• a sustainable employability (SE) budget of €700 per year. Choose a payment for a sport or hobby, to make your home more sustainable or to reduce your student loan debt with DUO, for example. You decide how your budget is spent;

• the possibility of combining working in the office with working from home, if your position allows.

And we obviously offer much more besides! Read more about Alliander and all your terms of employment.

Did you know Alliander is made up of several companies working together to build a reliable, future-proof energy network? Alongside thousands of dedicated professionals, we develop and manage the energy grid that serves millions of residents and businesses across the Netherlands. Everything we do is driven by the people who depend on us: our customers. Thanks to the talent and expertise of our employees, we're confident in the future of energy in the Netherlands-and together with you, we're making the energy transition possible for and with our customers. Your impact on tomorrow's energy grid starts within System Operations. Here, you'll work alongside ambitious, internationally minded colleagues to help build an autonomous, secure, and resilient energy system. Within the Research & Innovation team, you'll contribute to technology exploration, innovation initiatives, and collaboration with external partners.