Cadastral & Land Governance Expert

UN-Habitat has been engaged in Iraq for nearly three decades, supporting national and local authorities in reconstruction, urban recovery, and the protection of Housing, Land and Property (HLP) rights. Since 2015, the programme has increasingly focused on strengthening institutional capacities related to land governance, cadastral management, and tenure security—areas that remain central to Iraq’s long-term development agenda as the country transitions from humanitarian response to structural reform.

Decades of conflict, administrative fragmentation, and widespread displacement have significantly undermined the ability of institutions to manage land efficiently and transparently. Land records remain predominantly paper-based, vulnerable to loss, manipulation, and inconsistencies across institutions. Overlapping mandates and weak interoperability between the Ministry of Justice, sectoral ministries, local authorities, and the Kurdistan Region further complicate data sharing, property verification, and evidence-based planning.

The purpose of this assignment is to provide specialised technical leadership to the MULK Programme as it accelerates the establishment of two Demonstration and Training Centres in Baghdad and Erbil and prepares the foundations for Iraq’s transition toward e-land governance. The expert will guide the design and operationalisation of pilot cadastral and land registration workflows, ensuring that digitisation processes, data standards, and institutional responsibilities are clearly defined and technically sound.

The role will support UN-Habitat and government counterparts—particularly the Ministry of Justice, Real Estate Registration Departments, and relevant KRG institutions—in mapping existing procedures, developing fit-for-purpose digital workflows based on STDM, and establishing the protocols, tools, and quality-assurance mechanisms required for secure and transparent land records management. The expert will also contribute to legal and procedural clarifications necessary for digitisation and help build the technical capacities of federal and regional actors.

Ultimately, the assignment will ensure that the two pilot centres operate as credible, fully functional proof-of-concepts that demonstrate how Iraq can modernise its cadastral and land registry systems at scale, in alignment with international best practice, national reform priorities, and EU expectations for accountable and sustainable institutional development.

Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of the Head of the UN-Habitat Country Programme and the Project Manager, the Cadastral & Land Governance Expert will be responsible for the following duties:  

1. Establishment of Demonstration & Training Centres (Baghdad and Erbil)

2. Lead the technical design and operational set-up of both pilot centres, including workflows, equipment needs, staffing profiles, and data-handling procedures.

3. Develop core SOPs for digitisation, archiving, spatial data capture, quality control, and customer-facing services.

4. Deliver practical training to RERD and GDRER staff on cadastral processes, digital workflows, and e-registration standards.

5. Support assessments of site readiness, IT infrastructure, staffing capacity, and data conditions.

1. Integration and Application of STDM (Implemented in coordination with the STDM Software Developer)

1. Define business processes, data standards, and institutional workflows required for STDM deployment.

2. Translate existing procedures into STDM-compliant models, metadata structures, and operational workflows.

3. Provide guidance on configuration, quality assurance, interoperability, and legal/administrative alignment.

4. Review and validate technical deliverables produced by the STDM developer.

1. Capacity Development and E-Learning Tools

1. Prepare modular training packages for cadastral staff, CSOs, and government partners, including ToT material.

2. Provide technical content for e-learning products such as manuals, exercises, and multimedia modules.

1. Technical Assessments and Advisory Services

1. Conduct assessments of current cadastral and land registry practices in the pilot offices.

2. Prepare needs assessments covering infrastructure, data quality, staffing, and workflow gaps.

3. Advise on data migration, digitisation standards, spatial data accuracy, and cadastral data models.

4. Provide inputs to legal and procedural clarifications, including amendments to Law 1971.

1. Procurement and Technical Documentation

1. Draft technical specifications for hardware, software, scanning systems, and IT infrastructure.

2. Contribute to procurement packages, including quality and evaluation criteria.

1. Project Implementation Support

1. Support tracking of technical progress across pilot activities and contribute to EU-standard reporting.

2. Document lessons learned and prepare guidance notes to inform future national-scale roll-out

The consultant is expected to produce the following deliverables:

• Inception Report (workplan, methodology, pilot requirements).

• Operational blueprint for two Demonstration & Training Centres.

• Full SOP and standards package for e-land workflows.

• Training curriculum and capacity development materials.

• Technical assessments for pilot offices.

• Monthly progress reports.

• End-of-assignment Lessons Learned and Roadmap Report.

Required

• An advanced university degree (Masters’) in Land Administration, Cadastral Science, Geomatics/Geoinformatics, Civil Engineering, Geography, or a closely related field. A degree in Computer Science with demonstrated experience in cadastral or land administration systems may also be considered.

Desired

• A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s) with two additional years of experience may be accepted.

Required

• At least 5 years of professional experience in cadastral systems, land registration, or land information systems (LIS).

• Demonstrated experience with digital cadastre, including record digitisation, data conversion, or e-land governance workflows.

• Proven experience in cadastral mapping, spatial data handling, or geospatial data standards.

• Experience working with government land institutions (e.g., Ministries of Justice, land agencies, real estate registration offices).

• Demonstrated ability to deliver technical training or capacity development for cadastral or GIS staff.

Desired

• Experience in STDM or similar open-source land information systems.

• Experience working in the MENA region, post-conflict environments, or fragile institutional settings.

• Experience contributing to pilot implementations, workflow redesign, or digital transformation initiatives in land administration.

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes. 
• Please note that UNOPS will at no stage of the recruitment process request candidates to make payments of any kind.
• Applications to vacancies must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement. Applications received after the closing date will not be considered. 
• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments. 
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• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities. 
• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. 
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