Senior GIS/Database Management Associate, Fixed Term, G7, Cox's Bazar

WFP seeks candidates of the highest integrity and professionalism who share our humanitarian principles.

Selection of staff is made on a competitive basis, and we are committed to promoting diversity and gender balance.

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.

In Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, WFP provides life-saving assistance to more than 850,000 Rohingya refugees and over 300,000 most vulnerable households in the local communities. WFP implements a range of programmes including integrated food and nutrition assistance, school feeding activities, emergency preparedness and tailored livelihoods programme to support the most vulnerable population. 

The Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping (VAM) unit of the United Nations World Food Programme Bangladesh is playing a critical role in meeting the humanitarian needs of Rohingya refugees and host communities in Cox's Bazar. The VAM unit provides cutting edge analysis and evidence to inform WFP’s programming needs in meeting the humanitarian and development needs of Rohingya refugees and host communities respectively. To effectively support programme design through evidence generation, the VAM unit seeks to recruit a GIS/Database Management expert to lead its geospatial analysis and database management needs.

The holder of this position will work under the overall supervision of the Head of VAM in Cox’s Bazar. 

The GIS/Database Management Associate will be responsible for the following duties:

• Setting up the GIS infrastructure and standardization of socioeconomic data for integration into geospatial database to support integrated analyses;
• Support the development of Cox’s Bazar GIS/Remote Sensing strategy in coordination with all units with GIS focal points;
• Updating and maintaining the inventory of GIS/Remote Sensing (RS) datasets and maps to ascertain data/map needs and gaps while identifying new data sources to ensure data preparedness for timely solution and response;
• Lead the development/updating of the interactive web-mapping applications to support effective information management;
• Provide technical GIS support to the design and implementation of WFP Programmes – with particular emphasis on targeting of food assistance based on geographical or socio-economic criteria.
• Design and produce maps that graphically represent findings from emergency needs assessments, climate change and other vulnerability analyses.

• Preparation of maps that support other WFP operations functions, particularly maps depicting WFP operational catchment areas and facilities.
• Working closely with VAM CO and RBB, support in maintaining and updating the spatial data infrastructure (SDI) for the storage of geospatial data layers in a centralized repository.
• Support with survey design and provide technical support to VAM analytical work including routine data collection, management, analysis and visualization;
• Support the VAM unit in the design and implementation of a suitable and scalable online data repository platform and dashboards for disseminating food and nutrition security results, hazard maps and associated information using Tableau and other software.
• Maintain a comprehensive database of all VAM survey data.
• Review existing databases of geospatial, climate change and socio-economic data, and develop mechanisms for regular updates and sharing internally and with partners.  
• Perform any other tasks required in the context of the overall WFP operations in Cox's Bazar.

Education: Advanced university degree in relevant areas including Geographic Information System, Remote Sensing or related degree

Experience : At least 6 years of work experience with minimum of 4 years of relevant experience in GIS / RS analysis

Language: Excellent written and oral/communications skills in both English and Bangla.

Purpose

• Understand and communicate the Strategic Objectives: Coaches team in the most effective ways to communicate WFP’s Strategic Objectives to WFP team and partners in the field.
•  Be a force for positive change: Implements new methods or tools to improve team’s work processes and productivity.
•  Make the mission inspiring to our team: Maps team’s activities and tasks to specific successes in beneficiary communities to showcase positive impact.
•  Make our mission visible in everyday actions: Explains to teammates how each unit contributes to the overall WFP mission.

People

• Look for ways to strengthen people's skills: Identifies skill development opportunities such as training modules or on-the-job experiences for self, colleagues and direct reports.
•  Create an inclusive culture: Facilitates team building activities to build rapport in own unit.
•  Be a coach & provide constructive feedback: Facilitates the pairing of junior colleagues with coaches within own team.
•  Create an “I will”/”We will” spirit: Proactively anticipates potential challenges and develops mitigation plans to ensure that team meets goals and targets.

Performance

• Encourage innovation & creative solutions: Identifies opportunities to be creative in own work and to help team be more innovative and accurate in their respective tasks and areas of work.
•  Focus on getting results: Monitors team’s deliverables and provides feedback to ensure outcomes are delivered consistently and accurately.
•  Make commitments and make good on commitments: Provides accurate guidance to team on expected responsibilities and tasks, whilst also upholding own commitment to the team.
•  Be Decisive: Sets an example and provides guidance to junior team members on when to escalate issues when faced with challenging issues in the workplace or in the field.

Partnership

• Connect and share across WFP units: Facilitates partnerships with other WFP units to accomplish missions in the field.
•  Build strong external partnerships: Sets an example and provides guidance to team on how to build relationships with external partners.
•  Be politically agile & adaptable: Articulates to colleagues or direct reports the value of contributing to other WFP teams and agency partnerships in fulfilling WFP’s goals and objectives.
•  Be clear about the value WFP brings to partnerships: Organizes, monitors, and prioritizes own and team’s efforts to ensure that they will fulfil the needs of internal and external partners.

The candidate should have advanced knowledge in GIS/Remote Sensing techniques and analysis. S/he should have a good understanding of integrated analysis of geospatial and socioeconomic data.  In addition, S/he should have considerable experience in rapid food security assessment techniques, especially in emergency context, and experience in all areas of data management (questionnaire design, data entry, database management, analysis, and visualization skills). Working experience with KoBo Toolbox or other ODK-based platform as well as Tableau or PowerBI is desired.

 The bearer of this position is expected to continuously look for ways to add value and to take initiative in improving processes of information development and sharing. Besides, s/he will also be expected to continuously undertake research on best practices for applying GIS/RS in food security, vulnerability analysis and early warning.

Type and Level of contract: FIxed Term

Duration of contract: 12 months

Duty Station: Cox's Bazar

Nationality: Bangladeshi only

Monthly Net Salary: as per UN salary scale

21 July 2020

Female applicants and qualified applicants from developing countries are especially encouraged to apply

WFP has zero tolerance for discrimination and does not discriminate on the basis of HIV/AIDS status.

No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.