CIMMYT is a cutting edge, non-profit, international organization dedicated to solving tomorrow's problems today. It is entrusted with fostering improved quantity, quality, and dependability of production systems and basic cereals such as maize, wheat, triticale, sorghum, millets, and associated crops through applied agricultural science, particularly in the Global South, through building strong partnerships. This combination enhances the livelihood trajectories and resilience of millions of resource-poor farmers, while working towards a more productive, inclusive, and resilient agrifood system within planetary boundaries. For more information, visit cimmyt.org.

Objective of the post

The incumbent will be responsible for enhancing water resources assessment framework and its application across various spatial scales, from river basins to national and continental levels. They will be instrumental in data collection efforts across various river basin organizations to aid in the validation of use case tools and water data products, contribute to initiatives that leverage cutting-edge remote sensing techniques and data processing technologies.

Duties and Responsibilities

  • Support the routine collection, preparation and organization of field data for integration into hydrologic models, ensuring completeness and accuracy according to defined protocols.
  • Perform spatial analyses within a scripting environment, using predefined methods and templates provided by the researcher
  • Apply pre-selected machine learning algorithms to analyze datasets, following detailed instructions and interpreting outputs with guidance from the supervising researcher.
  • Assist in preparing data inputs, scripts and basic interface components for applications and tools, following designs and specifications provided by the researcher or development team, to support stakeholder decision making on water usage and conservation.
  • Carry out assigned coding tasks in Python and R to support hydrological modelling and water balance studies, following established workflows, scripts and guidance provided by researchers.
  • Support the preparation of maps, graphics and descriptive content for story maps by organizing spatial layers, applying standard templates and formatting materials as directed by the researcher or communication team.
  • Implement and adapt existing open-source tools and libraries as instructed to meet project requirements, ensuring modifications remain consistent with provided technical specifications.
  • Execute routine tasks to download, organize and preprocess geospatial datasets from approved data sources using established automated scripts or workflows.
  • Maintain and update documentation related to code execution steps, data processing activities and spatial analysis procedures to ensure reproducibility for the research team.
  • Carry out assigned spatial and environmental data processing tasks, such as extracting soil, water and climate information and generating preliminary maps, using established methods and criteria defined by the supervising researcher.
  • Perform routine remote sensing data preparation and analysis activities, such as running pre defined indices, cleaning imagery and organizing raster datasets, under the guidance of the research team to support water resource monitoring.
  • Bachelor’s degree in remote sensing, hydrology, water resources or a related field with at least 3 years of research experience.
  • Master’s degree will be an added advantage.
  • Prior experience in handling large-scale geospatial data on Amazon Web Services or other similar cloud-based platforms.
  • Working knowledge of Scale Invariant Water Accounting Plus assessment methods (SIWA+) for water resources estimation.
  • Experience developing and working with Large Sample Hydrology (LHS) datasets such as CAMELS, CARAVAN etc for hydrological research.
  • Ability to apply machine/deep learning scripts (ANN, Random Forest, LSTM, CNN, GNN or any other methods) to simulating river discharge data
  • Experience using lumped and semi/distributed hydrological modelling approaches (eg. VegET/MizuRoute, GR models etc.) to estimate streamflow across various watersheds
  • Prior experience developing content for creating story maps and web apps using ESRI technologies.
  • Experience working with local and regional river basin organizations in Africa, including ZAMCOM, ZINWA, INMACOM and LIMCOM
  • Basic proficiency in R and Python, with experience in numeric and geospatial Python packages like NumPy, GDAL, terra, raster or similar packages for handling geospatial data.
  • Ability to use spatial analysis, geographic information system (GIS) tools and hydrological modelling approaches for multi-scale assessments.
  • Excellent interpersonal skills and the capacity to work in a multidisciplinary, multi-institutional, and multicultural environment
  • Ability to communicate and explain complex issues clearly to diverse audiences.
  • Excellent oral and written language skills in English, including effective listening and strong verbal and written communication abilities.
  • Private Health Insurance
  • Pension Plan
  • Paid Time Off
  • Training & Development
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