Programme Policy Officer (Satellite Rainfall Estimates) 1
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WFP encourages female candidates and people with disabilities to apply.
WFP seeks candidates of the highest integrity and professionalism who share our humanitarian principles. Selection of staff is made on a competitive basis. We are committed to promoting diversity and the principle of equal employment opportunity for all our employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of religion or belief, ethnic or social background, gender, gender identity and disability.
ABOUT WFP
The World Food Programme (WFP) is the leading humanitarian organization saving lives and changing lives delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience.
ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT
Since 2015, WFP Nepal is working closely with the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology in defining relevant triggers and thresholds for early warnings, specifically focusing on flood hazard. Since 2020, WFP piloted an innovative approach for anticipatory action, where cash was delivered to households-at-risk before the flood occurred. With a view to strengthen the existing systems, policies and procedures enabling anticipatory action, WFP has developed a project for advancing the systems at all levels of Government and sustainably systematize the initiative.
At this level, job holders are expected to demonstrate responsibility and initiative to respond independently to various queries with only general guidance. There is a requirement to use judgment in dealing with unforeseen operational problems on a daily basis. Job holders are expected to manage resources and coach and coordinate support staff.
JOB PURPOSE
The objective is to equip Department of Hydrology and Meteorology with a comprehensive and customized earth observation integration in existing application of hazard monitoring and forecasting. The incumbent, working close with the WFP PRISM Global Program Manager and the WFP VAM team, will primarily be responsible for diagnosing product requirements for integrating climate induced hazards and food security monitoring system, and creating analytical solutions for risk monitoring, and to write, test, and deploy production-quality code for the PRISM platform. The consultant will work on a wide array of technology issues and components including front-end matters such as deployment of new data visualizations, and localization of the platform – as well as back-end work to further improve the data analysis capabilities of PRISM and to further integrate with additional information systems for impact-based forecasting and warning services.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Position Title: Programme Policy Officer (System Integrator for Earth Observation)
Contract Type: Special Service Agreement (SSA)
Level: SSA-9 (Equiv. to NOB)
Contract Duration:4 months
Duty Station: Kathmandu, Nepal
Vacancy Number: 828510
Date of Publication: 21 July 2023
Deadline of Application: 30 July 2023
WFP offers a competitive benefits package including salary plus a medical insurance (https://www.henner.com/en/accueil-english/)
KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)
Under the overall supervision of the Head of Evidence, Policy and Innovation (EPI) unit and in direct coordination with the Programme Policy Officer for Forecast based Anticipatory Action (FbAA); the incumbent will be responsible for the following duties:
- Review the literature on the application of earth observation (EO) in assessing vulnerabilities to hydrometeorological hazards, impact database, risk profiling, food security assessments, and impact-based forecasting, with a focus on recent developments and emerging trends such as artificial intelligence/ machine learning.
- Identify best practices and case studies of the application of EO in these areas, including examples of successful implementation, challenges encountered, and lessons learned.
- Conduct a needs assessment in coordination with the government to identify the specific requirements for the dashboard, including the type of data, indicators, and visualizations that will be required.
- Develop a methodology for the collection, analysis, and presentation of satellite- in situ blended product, including the use of indicators and other tools for automatic computation of climate and risk indices to support decision-making for impact-based forecasting and warning services.
- Develop a workplan to address high priority features required for research, testing, validation and deployment of the technology for wider application in risk monitoring and forecasting for multi-hazards, with the Project Policy Officer for Anticipatory Action.
- Integrate a well-versed code base advanced PRISM specifically by the use of freely available Earth Observation, VAM’s data and other relevant secondary data to monitor and assess the situation of multi-hazard impact and its connections to existing systems, as well as the analyze API developed for PRISM
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- Develop an understanding of the technical requirements for newly slated features of PRISM considering slow-and fast-onset multi-hazard impact, ground truthing, vulnerability and risk analysis, and recommended measures.
- Integrate real time hydrometeorological observations with satellite-derived data followed by bias corrections in producing disaster bulletins for decision making to support multi-hazard monitoring, food security monitoring, anticipatory actions and emergency responses.
- Develop an advanced PRISM in close coordination and collaboration with Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, Department of Mines and Geology, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA), Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development (MoALD), Provincial Government, Local Governments of Nepal, UN agencies, ICIMOD and other concerned stakeholders.
- Test and propose technical solutions for review by the project team and collaborators including estimates of level of effort to implement.
- Iterate with the project team on the most efficient and scalable technology choices prior to and during development work with government and other decision makers and incorporate feedback into the final product.
- Provide capacity building to government officials on the use and maintenance of the dashboard, including training on data collection, analysis, and interpretation, as well as guidance on institutional strengthening.
- Integrate the system into existing DHM portal for wider accessibility after testing of indicators with ground validation of products.
- Assess the requirements of monitoring satellite-based rainfall estimates (real and near-real time) and its operations in flood forecasting
- Develop an automated system that gathers required data and generate prioritized precipitation monitoring products in real-time along with confidence estimates for flood forecasting purpose
- Test the product with relevant stakeholders, including government agencies, DRM stakeholders, and other decision-makers, and incorporate feedback into the final product.
- Develop operational manual and conduct hands-on training to DHM officials for operational use to implement automated climate and risk analytics.
- Integrate in provincial emergency operation centers, support local palikas for accessing, validating and communicating the analytics to farmers and stakeholders
STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Education: Advanced University Degree (Masters Degree) in Meteorology, Atmospheric science, Engineering, Remote Sensing or other related field.
Language: Fluency in both oral and written communication in English and Nepali.
DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE
At least three years of post graduate professional experience in remote sensing with climate and risk analytics with programming language applications.
OTHER SPECIFIC JOB REQUIREMENTS
KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS:
Strong analytical and technical skills, with experience in data collection, analysis, and visualization with Proficiency in programming languages such as R, GEE or Python is preferred.
WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK: COMMON STANDARDS OF BEHAVIOUR
Leads by example with Integrity
Drives results and Delivers on commitments
Fosters inclusive and collaborative teamwork.
Applies strategic thinking
Builds and maintains sustainable partnerships
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HOW TO APPLY
To be considered, interested candidates are invited to apply via (https://www.wfp.org/careers/job-openings). Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
Request for Disability related Reasonable Accommodations:
It is important to WFP to create an accessible and inclusive workplace for everyone. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions. If you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the selection and hiring process, please direct your request and inquiries to nepal.hr@wfp.org. A member of the HR team responsible for reasonable accommodation will contact you to confidentially discuss your needs.
This email is only to be used for any disability related accessibility requirements and not for sending the application itself. Due to the volume of applications, any applications or CVs sent through this email address will not be considered a formal application and will not receive a reply from WFP.
WFP has a zero-tolerance approach to conduct such as fraud, sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to WFP’s standards of conduct and will therefore undergo rigorous background verification internally or through third parties. Selected candidates will also be required to provide additional information as part of the verification exercise. Misrepresentation of information provided during the recruitment process may lead to disqualification or termination of employment
WFP will not request payment at any stage of the recruitment process including at the offer stage. Any requests for payment should be refused and reported to local law enforcement authorities for appropriate action.
