GIS Sr. Specialist, FEWS NET

Chemonics International, Inc. • Washington, DC

10h • Remote

About The Position

The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) is an integrated set of activities funded by the United States Government (USG) and is intended to provide timely, accurate, evidence-based, and transparent food insecurity early warning information and analysis. Created in 1985 in response to famines in East and West Africa, FEWS NET provides global coverage of acute food insecurity. FEWS NET’s work is implemented across several mechanisms by a team of partners that includes the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the University of California-Santa Barbara’s Climate Hazards Center (UCSB-CHC), University of Maryland’s Department of Geographical Sciences, American Institutes for Research (AIR), and Chemonics International (Chemonics). Chemonics implements FEWS NET’s Decision Support Team (DST), which is charged with providing integrated monitoring and analyses of current and forecast acute food insecurity in countries worldwide to support the United States Government’s (USG) policy and programmatic decisions. The DST operates through a Washington-based technical office, regional FEWS NET offices, and national staff presence in sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America, and eastern Europe.
FEWS NET’s objective is to produce timely, evidence-based decision support to enable the efficient allocation of humanitarian assistance on the basis of need.
Based on an in-depth understanding of local livelihoods, FEWS NET monitors information and data on factors that affect food security, such as conflict, weather and agroclimatology, crops, pasture, markets and trade, and nutrition. The FEWS NET DST produces regular reports, including Food Security Outlooks and Outlook Updates, emergency alerts, market and price updates, and targeted analyses. FEWS NET makes reports available at www.fews.net and distributes them globally to governments, relief agencies, and other organizations engaged in humanitarian response and development programs.
The eighth phase of FEWS NET began in 2024. The work of the FEWS NET DST relies on close collaboration with international, regional, and national partners on food security-related data and information gathering and analysis. Major activities include joint monitoring and assessments, data sharing and exchanges, collaborative analysis and reporting, and support of local and regional food security networks.
Position Description:
The FEWS NET DST’s acute food insecurity early warning analysis and decision support products rely on geographic mapping and geospatial analysis tools to inform and visualize analysis of acute food insecurity. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are, therefore, essential to achieving the FEWS NET DST’s core mandate.
The FEWS NET DST GIS Senior Specialist works under the Data Management Advisor and is responsible for supporting ongoing and new GIS activities across the team’s sectors (e.g., Decision Support, Markets and Trade, Livelihoods, Conflict, Nutrition).
The GIS Senior Specialist will assist in the spatial and geographic coding of data and manage the project’s spatial databases. The individual will also support the production of high-quality visual analyses, and data visualization tools (including interactive data monitoring products and tools). In addition, the individual will assist with the identification and application of approaches to geo-spatial analysis in support of FEWS NET DST activities and sectors.
The GIS Senior Specialist is a full-time position and is preferred to be based in the Home Office in Washington, D.C. though remote options may be considered for well-qualified candidates. The GIS Senior Specialist will work under the direct supervision of the FEWS NET Data Management Advisor. S/He will also collaborate with the Washington-based technical and management teams and technical staff in FEWS NET country and regional offices, as well as with other FEWS NET implementing partners, as relevant. The GIS Senior Specialist may be required to travel domestically and internationally, security and public health considerations permitting.

Requirements

• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience, including professional experience with GIS platforms, data science, data curation, and mobile data collection technologies
• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent work experience) in a relevant field such as computer science, information systems, or GIS-related field required, Masters degree preferred
• Excellent skills in the use of GIS software, with particular experience in ESRI products including ArcGIS Online, Dashboards, and ArcGIS Pro, is required—including a demonstrated ability to handle and process non-standardized geospatial and tabular data is required
• Fluency in written and spoken English is required; French, Spanish, and/or Arabic language skills are desired
• Technical skills and knowledge in Python programming language is required
• Excellent research skills and ability to focus on details is required
• Demonstrated ability to communicate clearly and concisely both orally and in writing is required
• Demonstrated ability to provide guidance and capacity strengthening to adult learners is required
• Ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a multicultural team across numerous geographies is required
• Demonstrated leadership, versatility and integrity

Nice To Haves

• Masters degree preferred
• French, Spanish, and/or Arabic language skills are desired
• Demonstrated previous experience with data processing and statistical tools to perform analyses, such as Excel, R, Python, and Business Intelligence tools such as Microsoft PowerBI and ArcGIS Dashboards is desired.
• Additional skills with databases, scripting, and use of cloud services are desired
• Demonstrated previous experience using large socioeconomic datasets for analyses is desired

Responsibilities

• Performing desk research on administrative boundary changes in FEWS NET countries
• Locating and identifying current and historical shapefiles for FEWS NET countries, ensuring that shapefiles have proper topology and are fitted to the FAO GAUL Admin0 (national) boundaries
• Maintaining FEWS NET’s global geo-spatial databases and mapping files, and updating relevant GIS data and products in the FDW, ArcGIS Online, and/or other relevant systems, when needed
• Supporting ad-hoc requests for thematic maps and other data visualization products
• Working with the Data Management Advisor and DCOP-Innovation to develop strategic approaches for using GIS to improve DST analytical approaches and to build and integrate associated workflow processes
• Organizing and submitting geo-spatial analysis processing tools, data, and products to the FDW, and/or other systems as appropriate, in accordance with FEWS NET DST data management processes
• Supporting and assisting in the design, implementation, and maintenance of the DST’s new and/or existing mapping and geo-spatial analysis approaches for visualizing data to support both regular and ad hoc reporting and decision support efforts
• Engaging with the FEWS NET Data, Knowledge, and Learning Hub (FEWS NET Hub) and/or other FEWS NET mechanisms/partners to resolve GIS-related issues and questions, including through established collaboration channels such as collaboration meetings, email, and help tickets
• Assisting in the management and supervision of subcontractor task orders associated with geo-spatial data and GIS deliverables, as requested
• Providing in-person and remote recurring and ad hoc capacity strengthening to DST staff on GIS processes and geo-spatial analysis processes and tools. Mentoring select DST staff to strategically develop DST capacity to use GIS as an input for analytical processes

Benefits

• Chemonics will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant.
• However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by Chemonics, or (c) consistent with Chemonics legal duty to furnish information.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level