GIS Specialist (Geospatial Database Development)

With its establishment on 7 April 1948, WHO works worldwide to promote health, keep the world safe, and serve the vulnerable. WHO’s goal is to ensure that a billion more people have universal health coverage, to protect a billion more people from health emergencies, and provide a further billion people with better health and well-being.

The WHO European Centre for Preparedness for Humanitarian and Health Emergencies (PHHE) supports Member States across the WHO European Region in strengthening their capacity to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies. Within this mandate, the WHO European Geospatial Coordination Hub, hosted by PHHE; drives the integration of geospatial tools, data, and intelligence to inform evidence-based decision-making in emergency and public health contexts.

The Hub works to enhance the availability, quality, and interoperability of spatial data across the Region. It plays a key role in supporting country offices, technical teams, and response partners by providing timely geospatial analysis and developing shared regional datasets for health facilities, population exposure, hazard mapping, and vulnerability assessments.

The UN Volunteer will support the WHO Europe Geospatial Hub in advancing geospatial intelligence capabilities by contributing to the design, population, and maintenance of a regional geodatabase. This role will focus on spatial data mapping, harmonisation, quality assurance, and the development of common standards and tools. It will also contribute to knowledge-sharing efforts and capacity-building initiatives across the Region in alignment with WHO’s strategic priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Under the overall guidance of the Team Lead – GIS and Digital Solutions, the GIS UN Volunteer will:
• Design, develop, and maintain a regional geodatabase to strengthen geospatial activities across the WHO European Region. With application ranging from routine public health analysis to emergency preparedness and response.
• Map, collate, clean, and harmonise geospatial datasets from WHO country offices, ministries of health, and partners, ensuring consistency, accuracy, and alignment with international standards.
• Develop metadata schemas, data dictionaries, and quality assurance protocols for health-related spatial layers including administrative boundaries, health facilities, population data, and hazard risk profiles.
• Assist in the development and implementation of geospatial data governance frameworks, including SOPs for data validation, access control, and version management.
• Assist in the integration of geospatial data into digital platforms and decision-support systems for health emergencies and humanitarian response.
• Perform any other GIS-related tasks as required by PHHE or the WHO European Geospatial Coordination Hub.

Results/Expected Outputs
• A regional geodatabase structure designed, populated, and maintained with harmonised datasets (e.g., administrative boundaries, health facilities, population layers, hazards), supporting WHO/PHHE and other users with reliable geospatial data for evidence-based decission-making in public health.
• Standardised metadata templates, data dictionaries, and geospatial documentation (e.g., SOPs, update protocols, visualisation templates) developed and shared with Member States and partners.
• Technical support provided to WHO country offices and regional partners in data collection, validation, and visualisation, contributing to cross-border risk mapping, spatial analysis, and improved decision-making for public health emergencies.



Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to integrate the UN Volunteers programme mandate within their assignment and promote voluntary action through engagement with communities in the course of their work. As such, UN Volunteers should dedicate a part of their working time to some of the following suggested activities:
● Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day, 5th of December).
● Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country.
● Provide annual and end of assignment self-reports on UN Volunteer actions, results and opportunities (for instance at https://vra.unv.org).
● Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.
● Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly arrived UN Volunteers.
● Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.