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).

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

The WFP Sierra Leone Country Office (SLCO) manages a growing environmental and climate resilience portfolio, including the EU funded Nature Nourishes – Territorial Approach for Local Development (NNTALD) project and the biannual forest cover monitoring of the Western Area Peninsula National Park (WAPNP). These activities rely on timely, high quality geospatial products to meet donor requirements, inform programme decisions, and support the Government of Sierra Leone. These products are generated through WFP’s Asset Impact Monitoring from Space (AIMS) service.

AIMS is jointly run by the Geospatial & Intelligence Unit, the Food Security & Nutrition Analysis Service, and the Community Infrastructure, Livelihoods & Regenerative Practices team under the Climate and Resilience Service (PPGR). The service uses Earth Observation (EO) data and landscape monitoring techniques to assess environmental change and evaluate the impact of WFP’s climate resilience and natural resource management programmes.

To ensure continuity of these critical services, SLCO seeks to recruit an Earth Observation Analyst based in Freetown, Sierra Leone. The analyst will provide direct, day-to-day technical support to the CO, coordinate field validation activities, process drone and satellite imagery, and ensure the timely production of geospatial outputs outlined in the NNTALD implementation plan. The position will also strengthen national capacities and support Sierra Leone’s role as an AIMS Living Lab, serving as a real‑world environment where new analytical workflows, indicators, and monitoring approaches can be tested, validated, and refined across selected protected areas—such as WAPNP—and their buffer zones.

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

The analyst will be operationally based within SLCO and report to the Country Office for planning, prioritization, and delivery of geospatial products. At the same time, the incumbent will coordinate closely with the AIMS Service to receive methodological guidance and quality assurance, ensuring that all analyses align to WFP’s corporate geospatial data infrastructures, analytical workflows, and methodological standards.

Country Office Support

• Provide day to day technical support to SLCO on AIMS workflows and ensure timely delivery of geospatial products for landcover analysis and monitoring under the EU funded projects, including NNTALD and WAPNP projects.

• Coordinate with AIMS HQ to align priorities, resolve technical issues, and integrate EO insights into programme planning and reporting

Field Data Collection & Validation

• Support ground‑truthing missions and validation of land‑cover and forest‑cover assessments.
• Work with partners to ensure consistent, high‑quality field data collection for validating EO‑based land‑cover monitoring.

Capacity Strengthening & Representation

• Deliver training to CO staff, government partners, and eco‑guards on geospatial tools and the project geospatial platform.
• Organize webinars and workshops jointly with the CO programme team to present AIMS findings within WFP and externally, following and supporting evidence‑based decision making.
• Represent AIMS in technical working groups and NN‑TALD governance structures, contributing to Sierra Leone’s role as an AIMS Living Lab.

Other Duties

• Review AIMS data‑collection and verification tools, as well as the reporting system, and provide constructive feedback and recommendations to the global AIMS team to help improve tools and processes.
• Participate in biannual AIMS in-person meetings at HQ for professional development. Perform additional tasks as required to support AIMS operations, NN‑TALD implementation, and geospatial analysis activities.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

 DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT:

• Comprehensive geospatial datasets and products for NN‑TALD and WAPNP, including validated land‑cover/forest‑cover analyses, cleaned and archived field‑validation data, and updated AIMS platform content dashboards, maps, and repositories).
• Documented analytical workflows and metadata following AIMS methodological standards and WFP corporate geospatial data infrastructure requirements.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

Education:

• Advanced University degree in physical geography, biology, physics, or related field

Experience:

• Experience in geospatial analysis, geo-information management, analysis, and processing of VHR imagery
• Familiarity with ecosystem restoration, regenerative design and agricultural projects, their types, scope, and expected outputs.

Knowledge & Skills:

• Proven proficiency in modern high‑level programming languages and analytical environments, particularly R and Python for processing geospatial and geophysical data.

• Experience applying Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques to geospatial or Earth Observation workflows.
• Good presentation and team working skills, with the ability to follow and develop a given scope of work.
• Experience in early warning and remote sensing (interpretation and analysis) and expert knowledge of GIS software (ARC GIS, Q-GIS) and analytical methodologies.

Languages:

• Strong written and oral English skills (proficiency/level C)

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

• All applications must be submitted exclusively through our online recruitment system. We do not accept CVs or spontaneous applications by email.

• If you experience challenges while submitting your online application, please contact us at global.hrerecruitment@wfp.org for technical support only.

• Please note that applications sent to this email address cannot be considered.

• 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.

• 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

• 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.