GIS Officer (SC8) - Damascus - OA077-2024

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

WFP celebrates and embraces diversity. It is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status or disability.

ABOUT WFP

The World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity, for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

At WFP, people are at the heart of everything we do and the vision of the future WFP workforce is one of diverse, committed, skilled, and high performing teams, selected on merit, operating in a healthy and inclusive work environment, living WFP's values (Integrity, Collaboration, Commitment, Humanity, and Inclusion) and working with partners to save and change the lives of those WFP serves.

To learn more about WFP, visit our website: https://www.wfp.org and follow us on social media to keep up with our latest news: YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok.

WHY JOIN WFP? 

• WFP is a 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.

• WFP offers a highly inclusive, diverse, and multicultural working environment.

• WFP invests in the personal & professional development of its employees through a range of training, accreditation, coaching, mentorship, and other programs as well as through internal mobility opportunities.

• A career path in WFP provides an exciting opportunity to work across the various country, regional and global offices around the world, and with passionate colleagues who work tirelessly to ensure that effective humanitarian assistance reaches millions of people across the globe.

• We offer an attractive compensation package (please refer to the Terms and Conditions section of this vacancy announcement).

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT:

Syria has been experiencing a prolonged crisis since 2011, severely damaging its economy and social fabric. Currently, almost 33 percent of the people in need of humanitarian assistance in 2024 are internally displaced persons (IDPs) and out of the 7.2 million IDPs, 5.5 million are in need of humanitarian assistance.

The 2024 Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) states that around 15.5 million people (66 percent of the population) need food, livelihood support, agricultural assistance, or assistance from national safety nets. At least 12.9 million people are in need of food assistance, including more than 2.1 million who live in camps and a further 2.6 million are at risk of food insecurity. The main causes are the prolonged crisis, economic collapse, eroding purchasing power, the impacts of the Coronavirus disease pandemic, and an earthquake, these pre-exiting effects compound with recent crises including influx from Lebanon, internal displacements following ongoing change in control coupled with dwindling humanitarian funding further exacerbates food insecurity and strains livelihoods.

As a response to this situation, the World Food Programme (WFP) has developed an interim country strategic plan (iCSP) that addresses the growing food and nutrition needs, livelihood deterioration, and the collapse of food systems. The iCSP began implementation in January 2022, drawing from WFP's experience and lessons learned and collaborating with humanitarian and development stakeholders.

Job purpose:

Under the direct supervision of the Head of the Research Assessment and Monitoring (RAM) Unit, the GIS Officer will support geospatial analysis, mapping, and data integration activities to guide food security assessments, targeting, and programme design. The Officer will also contribute to building GIS/RS capacity within the office and ensure timely provision of geographic data products for operational and strategic use.

The GIS Officer will work in the Research Assessment and Monitoring (RAM) Unit. The GIS Officer will also collaborate with the other units in WFP Syria CO.

Key Accountabilities (not all-inclusive):

• Lead the development/updating of the interactive web-mapping applications to support effective information management in line with WFP and UN corporate policies and practices;
• Produce high-quality maps, dashboards, and spatial data visualizations to support evidence-based targeting and decision-making.
• Integrate spatial data with food security, nutrition, demographic, and infrastructure datasets to support multi-sectoral analyses.
• Maintain and update the spatial data infrastructure (SDI) for the storage of geospatial data layers in the country and establish linkages to the Regional/HQ SDI database in close coordination with relevant teams at Global HQ
• Coordinate with ICT to ensure the availability of geodatabase server and timely perform SDI backups.
• Collaborate with field offices, programme, and logistics teams to identify mapping and analysis needs and deliver customized GIS products.
• Update, create and maintain 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 and to enable informed decision making by management;
• Update the Integrated Context Analysis (ICA) maps and produce ICA reports on regular basis.  
• Document and share GIS workflows, templates, and technical guidance to promote knowledge sharing and sustainability.
• Provide support to spatial analysis for programme design, early warning, emergency preparedness and response or other purposes. Where feasible provide mapping analysis and support to other units within WFP.
• Exercise quality control of geospatial tools, data and products following WFP corporate standards.
• Develop WFP’s GIS and Remote Sensing Capacity in Syria and provide support, guidance and trainings to other UN Agencies and Government line ministries in Syria.
• Perform other duties as required by the supervisor.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

Education:

Advanced University degree (Master’s) in Geography, Geographic Information Systems, Remote Sensing, Environmental Science, or related field; or First University degree (Bachelor’s) with additional relevant work experience.

Experience:

• Minimum of 1 year (for Master’s holders) or 3 years (for Bachelor’s holders) of professional experience in GIS/RS and spatial data analysis, preferably in humanitarian or development contexts.
• Experience in food security analysis, vulnerability mapping, or humanitarian needs assessment is a strong asset.
• Experience with geospatial tools such as ArcGIS Pro QGIS, Google Earth Engine, or similar platforms.

Language:

Fluency (level C) both in English and Arabic.

WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK

WFP Leadership Framework guides to the common standards of behavior that guide HOW we work together to accomplish our mission.

Click here to access WFP Leadership Framework

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION

WFP is committed to supporting individuals with disabilities by providing reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process. If you require a reasonable accommodation, please contact:  global.inclusion@wfp.org

NO FEE DISCLAIMER

The United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.

REMINDERS BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

• We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete, and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, language skills and UN Grade (if applicable).

• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application.

• Please make sure you upload your professional CV in the English language

• Kindly note the only documents you will need to submit at this time are your CV and Cover Letter

• Additional documents such as passport, recommendation letters, academic certificates, etc. may potentially be requested at a future time

• Please contact us at global.hrerecruitment@wfp.org in case you face any challenges with submitting your application

• Only shortlisted candidates will be notified

All employment decisions are made on the basis of organizational needs, job requirements, merit, and individual qualifications. WFP is committed to providing an inclusive work environment free of sexual exploitation and abuse, all forms of discrimination, any kind of harassment, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. Therefore, all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

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.