VAM Officer (Geospatial data analysis)

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Job Title: Geospatial Analyst – National officer SSA9

🚩 Vacancy Announcement n°:

📢 Job Title: Geospatial Analyst

📌Type of Contract: SSA

➡️Unit / Division: VAM/ Regional office for Western Africa

📍 Duty Station: Dakar, Senegal

➡️Duration: 6 months renewable

⏰ Closing date:  26 avril 2026

About WFP

The United Nations World Food Programme is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. The mission of WFP is to help the world achieve Zero Hunger in our lifetimes. Every day, WFP works worldwide to ensure that no child goes to bed hungry and that the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly women and children, can access the nutritious food they need.

To learn more about WFP, visit our website and follow us on social media to keep up with our latest news: LinkedIn, Instagram,Facebook, Twitter.

What is the broader context of this position?

The degradation of the security context in Western and Central Africa (WCA) in the last few years, leading to a lack of reliable information in hard-to-reach areas, hampers the monitoring of the agricultural season, the national food security analyses, and the effectiveness of the humanitarian response. Such insecurity levels in those areas are severely affecting livelihoods, in various ways: a surge in levels of displacement within and between those countries is registered each month, with this trend expected to continue; refugees and internally displaced people are almost entirely dependent on humanitarian assistance to meet their most basic needs. In addition to that, a less visible but equally important threat to food security, which has been highlighted by satellite imagery analysis must also be considered: many communities remain confined in their villages, unable to cultivate their fields or access markets due to movement restrictions imposed by armed actors.

In such rapidly evolving situations, in such vast territories, where certain areas are hardly accessible, remote sensing tools are essential to complement the information traditionally gathered through field data collections and face-to-face surveys. Earth Observation (EO) satellite imagery enables us to overcome access constraints and territory vastness, to assess vulnerability levels in hard-to-reach areas. The WFP Regional office for Western Africa’s (RBD) geospatial analysis workstream was introduced in 2020 and aims to leverage satellite imagery to inform food security analysis and emergency response in the region, after WFP Mali Country Office started piloting this project over the Mopti region in 2019. Deliverables of this satellite analysis detecting cropland change at locality-level, in hard-to-reach areas, have become expected elements in the evidence-generation. Such products bring evidence and highlight existing conflict-related vulnerabilities and address critical information gaps, allowing to better inform early warning systems in western African countries. A regional roll-out has proven how such analyses benefit humanitarian and development partners as well as state actors.

This specific type of analysis sets up the stage for more EO-based analyses, which are relevant and useful in the context of the region: geo-targeting activities based on EO-derived climatic indicators, monitoring of WFP resilience activities with satellite imagery, mapping poverty and other applications in urban contexts, etc. All those analyses are instrumental in informing different WFP units, in several Country Offices and at the Regional Bureau level. Finally, capacity strengthening activities with local partners and relevant regional agencies are essential to ensure adequate appropriation of the technology by all counterparts, and its integration into existing information systems and decision-making mechanisms. This will help set up the right bases for similar EO analyses in the future (within WFP and by partners) and ensure continuity in the good use of the technology.

You will analyze satellite imagery, to detect and quantify cropland change dynamics at the locality level in hard-to-reach/inaccessible areas across West and Central Africa (WCA), providing evidence of existing conflict-related hazards and vulnerabilities. He/she will produce an analysis focus on conflict-affected areas where access is limited, including the Liptako-Gourma area (border areas between Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger), the Lake Chad Basin (Northern Cameroon, Western Chad,South-Eastern Niger, North-Eastern Nigeria), the Central African Republic, parts of Chad and parts of Cameroon and in others costal countries as required. You will work in close collaboration with relevant partners and the taskforce POT (Produits d’Observation de la Terre), a regional task force gathering institutions involved in the EO domain in WCA, including ACF, CILSS, FAO, FEWSNET, JRC, Nigerian Space Agency, WFP,SERVIR etc. At the country level, you will implement capacity-building activities for national governments, local authorities as well as humanitarian partners. You will provide technical support to the Senegal country office, including VAM and geospatial data analysis, and assist with implementing the MOU with the Senegal Spatial Agency (ASES).

This position is based in our Global HQ/ Regional office for Western Africa, in Dakar, Senegal. This Regional office covers a broad and very diverse set of countries in Western Africa and provides strategic guidance, policy/technical support and direction to WFP operations and activities in 19 countries in the region which is an amazing mix of cultures, people and diversity.

This is an opportunity for an exciting and challenging position in a multi-cultural and interdisciplinary team, based in a unique location, on a topic with high relevance. In addition, we offer:

➡️Meaningful and impactful careers:

Our day-to-day work makes a difference in the lives of the people we serve.

➡️Continuous learning and training:

We provide learning tools for our staff to continually develop their careers

➡️Multicultural and stimulating work environment:

We encourage gender and cultural diversity to make our teams stronger

In this position, you will have to:

• Support the coordination of the use and the integration of cropland change analyses in Vulnerability Assessment and Mapping (VAM) activities and with in-country partners in West and Central Africa (WCA).
• Conduct satellite analysis to detect cropland change in hard-to-reach areas of identified countries, produce maps and adequate reporting of the analyses (table of derived indicators for the use in Cadre Harmonisé (CH)/IPC, list of affected villages and summary notes).
• Triangulate cropland change results with secondary data and if possible, conduct field activities to validate the results of the analysis.
• Provide operational support to Country Offices (COs) across the region on geo-targeting activities based on Earth Observation products.
• Provide support to the Senegal office in the implementation of the MOU with the Senegal Spatial Agency and others related VAM’s activities.
• Roll out satellite-based analysis to help measure WFP resilience activities.
• Strengthen the capacity of WFP staff and external partners in the use of satellite imagery in the Western and Central Africaregion.
• Communicate and advise on the use of satellite imagery in the Western and Central Africa region.
• Develop partnerships with key regional stakeholders to improve the integration of EO analyses.
• Participate as the WFP focal point in the West Africa POT taskforce (Produits d’Observation de la Terre, or Earth Observation Products), a regional taskforce gathering institutions involved in Earth Observation in West and Central Africa.
• Explore other applications of satellite imagery specifically, and more generally of technical innovations relevant to VAM (Vulnerability Assessment and Mapping).
• Perform other tasks and activities as required.

This position reports to the Senior Vulnerability and Assessment (VAM) Advisor and will be part of the VAM unit. Travel within the Western Africa region may be required up to 30% to 40 % of working time.

To join us in saving lives, changing lives, you will have for...

Education: Advanced University Degree (Master) in Engineering, Data Science, Remote Sensing, Geographic or Agricultural Sciences.

Experience: A minimum of five (05) years of professional experience in satellite imagery analysis.

Knowledge & Skills:

Proficiency in GIS and geospatial analysis techniques and standards. Knowledge of main EO data platforms and processing software. Knowledge of the institutional framework of the humanitarian sector and experience. in international organizations (UN/NGOs; preferably in the field of food security).

Experience in capacity strengthening of various types of audiences is an advantage. Knowledge of the conflict and security context in the Sahel is preferred.

Ability to work with a diverse group of stakeholders, including state actors and local civil society, and develop consensus.

Ability to work with tight deadlines whilst retaining flexibility and a sense of priorities.

Ability to deal with organizational and administrative as well as scientific and technical matters.

Advanced knowledge of GIS and remote sensing.

Advanced knowledge of programming languages (JavaScript, Python, R).

Ability to produce clear and concise reports and deliverables, with well-presented information in the form of tables, charts, graphs and maps.

Ability to communicate clearly on the project, both written and orally.

Good coordination, cooperation, and interpersonal skills.

Good analytical and problem-solving skills.

Language: Fluency (level C) in French and English.

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