Early Warning Expert

Role Overview

The Early Warning Expert develops and improves geospatial systems that help ICPAC and its partners turn hazard, exposure and vulnerability data into information people can use. The role combines software engineering, socio-economic data integration and user support, while helping extend regional early warning platforms to national settings across the IGAD region.

Key Responsibilities

• Integrate exposure and vulnerability datasets, methods and workflows created by ICPAC and its partners into early warning systems, and develop services that support decisions by different stakeholders.
• Maintain and enhance system data, products and features; automate geospatial workflows; keep code reproducible; and build functions in response to user feedback and changing requirements.
• Gather, combine and analyse regional and country-level socio-economic data for physical, economic, social, ecological, institutional and cultural vulnerability indicators, and publish these as base layers in ICPAC and IGAD geoportals.
• Advise on suitable technologies and help scientists and data managers automate their workflows.
• Plan and deliver training and other capacity-building activities for users of early warning systems and information, with particular attention to socio-economic vulnerability.
• Improve how impact-based warnings are shared so relevant audiences receive useful information in a timely way.
• Adapt regional platforms for national use, including East Africa Drought Watch for Kenya and East Africa Hazards Watch for Djibouti and South Sudan.
• Lead assigned projects by coordinating partners, scheduling and monitoring work, managing stakeholder engagement and reporting on progress; take on other related duties as assigned.

Requirements & Qualifications

• A university degree in Computer Science, Geo-Informatics, Computer Engineering, Information Technology or a related discipline. Specialised training in geospatial application development is an advantage.
• At least four years of relevant experience designing and developing geospatial applications.
• Demonstrated web and geospatial application development skills, supported by links to at least two previous projects or GitHub repositories.
• Strong Python scripting skills for automating geospatial data processing, along with experience in backend development using technologies such as Django, Go or Node.js.
• Experience containerising applications with Docker and deploying them to cloud infrastructure.
• A track record of developing responsive front ends and production-ready, scalable geospatial web applications using open-source tools. Relevant technologies may include React, Node.js, Mapbox GL, Leaflet, Carto, GeoServer, MapServer and GDAL.
• Sound SQL and PostGIS skills, experience building REST APIs and an understanding of microservices architecture.
• Advanced familiarity with OGC geospatial standards, including WMS, WFS, WCS, WPS and Simple Features for SQL.
• Ability to work independently, solve problems, meet deadlines, pursue continuous improvement and share knowledge. Experience in the IGAD region is highly desirable.
• Experience with Go and NoSQL databases, statistical packages such as R or Stata, and the analysis of socio-economic or Earth observation data in varied formats is an advantage.