Intergovernmental Authority on Development

Role Overview

The Geospatial Systems Developer & Data Management Officer builds and maintains the geospatial applications, data pipelines, and early warning services used by ICPAC and its partners. The role connects disaster-displacement information with climate and hazard data so regional and national decision-makers can better understand and respond to displacement risks across the IGAD region.

Key Responsibilities

• Integrate displacement datasets, analytical models, and partner workflows into ICPAC’s early warning systems and value-added services.
• Collect, consolidate, analyze, and publish disaster-displacement data through the ICPAC/IGAD geoportal.
• Maintain and improve geospatial systems by updating code and data, automating workflows, optimizing performance, and developing features in response to user needs.
• Build and support geospatial web applications, interactive dashboards, and visualizations that make complex information accessible to decision-makers.
• Develop APIs and automated pipelines that bring climate, hazard, and displacement datasets into ICPAC platforms.
• Apply machine learning and AI methods to support displacement-risk modelling, forecasting, and workflow automation.
• Advise scientists and data managers on system design and workflow improvements, and apply sound practices for access control, encryption, and disaster recovery.
• Work with national and regional partners to align system integrations with their needs; provide training on geospatial tools, risk models, and early warning information, and improve how warnings reach intended users.

Requirements & Qualifications

• University degree in Computer Science, Geoinformatics, Computer Engineering, Information Technology, or a related discipline.
• At least four years of relevant experience designing and developing geospatial applications.
• Demonstrated web and geospatial application development skills. Include links to at least two examples of previous work or GitHub projects.
• Practical experience using Python or similar scripting languages to automate geospatial processing workflows.
• Backend development experience with technologies such as Django, Go, or Node.js, alongside experience building responsive front-end applications.
• Experience developing and deploying scalable, production-ready geospatial web applications using open-source tools such as React, Mapbox GL, Leaflet, Carto, GeoServer, MapServer, and GDAL.
• Strong SQL and PostGIS skills, with experience designing REST APIs and working with microservices architectures.
• Working knowledge of OGC standards, including WMS, WFS, WCS, WPS, and Simple Features for SQL.
• Experience with Docker, cloud deployment, and large geospatial data processing on platforms such as AWS, Google Cloud, or Azure.
• Familiarity with remote sensing and Earth observation data, including tools or sources such as Google Earth Engine, Sentinel Hub, and MODIS, and with analyzing Earth observation data in different formats.
• Knowledge of DevOps and CI/CD practices, including container orchestration with Kubernetes or Docker Swarm. Experience with Go and NoSQL databases is an advantage.
• Knowledge of human mobility patterns and disaster-displacement risks in the IGAD region is desirable.
• Self-motivation, sound problem-solving, a results-focused approach, teamwork, clear communication, and a commitment to continuous improvement and sharing knowledge.