GIS Technical Assistant (Asistente Técnico en SIG)

UNDP • Panama City, FL

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

The UNDP is the leading United Nations organization in the fight to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, we help nations to build integrated and lasting solutions for people and planet. UNDP works in over 170 countries and territories, assisting in the development of policies, leadership and partnership skills, institutional capacities and resilience building, fostering sustainable human development. In Panama, it works at the national, municipal, and comarca levels. UNDP is part of the United Nations Agencies, Funds, and Programs in Panama, contributing to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) in Panama. The Strategic Government Plan 2025-2029 and the programmatic frameworks of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework in Panama (UNSDCF) 2026-2030 and the UNDP Country Program 2026-2030, which prioritize inclusive economic growth and a sustainable environment, fostering well-being and equity in the population, and promoting inclusive, effective, and responsible governance systems. In this way, the project in the Indio River basin is positioned as an innovative and replicable model for integrating cadastre, human development, and environmental sustainability in territories of high strategic importance for Panama. In its role as a development partner and articulator for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we provide technical assistance to accelerate the achievement of the SDGs as catalysts for ensuring that all people live better lives in harmony with the planet. At the programmatic level, UNDP Panama is organized into 3 Clusters and 1 Portfolio: the Cluster for Environment, Climate Change, and Risk Management for Sustainable Development; the Cluster for Social Inclusion and Equity; and that of Governance, Peace, and Human Rights. The portfolio is for social cohesion for Panama. In the area of Environment, Climate Change, and Risk Management (where there is a confluence of the other clusters and portfolio), integrated watershed management is one of the tools to achieve the best or optimal allocation of water use/human activities and territory to ensure long-term water resources, ecosystem health, and prosperity for people. The ACP, with strategic partners and inter-institutional coordination, will promote the development of initiatives to improve people's quality of life through efficient water management in the Indio River watershed, which in turn will strengthen the Panama Canal's lake system, fostering benefits for local communities, translated into promoting sustainable human development for socioeconomic and environmental co-management. Progress in structural transformations must be made from what the communities themselves have recognized as successful and of high value, which is the assurance of land rights through a cadastre and titling program in the territories within this watershed, so that the people who live there have legal certainty of their lands and that this right serves not only to empower men and especially women, but as a catalyst to improve their living conditions. With the integration of the Indio River Basin into the Panama Canal Watershed, an integral approach to land management is continued, which includes the cadastre and titling program, similar to that developed in the CHCP, where more than 12,080 titles have been delivered since 2006. Within this framework, the ProDoc for the Indio River Cadastre and Titling Project was approved, whose objective is to address the lack of legal certainty over land, a situation that increases community vulnerability and limits their investment and participation opportunities in sustainable land management. The ACP is promoting a cadastre and titling project in the Indio River Basin to strengthen land tenure security and promote sustainable development. In addition to titling, the initiative includes training, strengthening local governance, and responsible land use. The objective is to advance the regularization of untitled areas and complete the processes initiated between 2017 and 2019, also supporting the conceptual design of a future multipurpose reservoir and other integral projects in the basin. For its execution, a technical unit is required to carry out field surveys, process regularization resolutions, manage pending files, update the cadastre, and develop new titling processes in additional areas of the basin. Project Objective: To carry out cadastral sweeps in approximately 60,000 hectares as part of the territorial regularization process in the Indio River Basin and manage the issuance of corresponding property titles, as well as participate in the technical verification of measurements and boundaries of the properties required in the land acquisition processes for the resettlement of the Indio River Lake Project, ensuring transversally the implementation of actions that guarantee the effective participation and inclusion of women as property owners. The cadastre and titling project estimates: 1. The cadastral sweep of approximately 60,000 hectares. 2. The registration before the Public Registry of approximately 2,600 properties. 3. The rectification of measurements and boundaries of approximately 5,000 hectares. Scope of Work: Under the supervision of the Cadastre and GIS Associate and the guidelines established by the National Land Management Authority (ANATI), the GIS Technical Assistant's main responsibility is to administer, organize, and ensure the quality of the geospatial information generated by the Program. Their functions include the analysis, post-processing, and structuring of spatial data, as well as its integration with tabular information according to ANATI's technical guidelines and data structure. Maintains and cleans the geodatabase, digitizes geographic elements and verifies their topology, performs conversions between CAD and GIS, controls the quality of field data, assigns attributes and cadastral identification numbers, generates maps and cartographic products in accordance with regulations. Works in conjunction with GIS technical assistants and data and quality control collectors. Additionally, prepares reports, database backups, delivers validated information to ANATI, and supports the project's operational activities. The GIS Technical Assistant will participate in the planning, coordination, and execution of public exhibition activities in different districts and will provide support in organizing inspections that may arise during this process. Specific activities include: 1. Geodatabase Management and Maintenance: Manage, clean, and update the project's geodatabase. Ensure the integrity of spatial and tabular data. Perform periodic backups and version control of databases. 2. Land Tenure Studies: Support the development of land tenure investigations in institutions responsible for safeguarding existing cadastral plans and information in areas declared as regularization zones. Validate the digitization and georeferencing of approved and registered plans corresponding to the regularization zones where the program intervenes. 3. Spatial Information Processing and Analysis: Perform quality controls on data from field crews and request corrections from this team when necessary. Analyze and validate the coupling of plans obtained through land tenure studies, ensuring respect for private property of previously constituted properties. Analyze and validate the geospatial information that will be loaded into the project's general database. 4. Digitization and Cartographic Editing: Digitize and edit points, lines, and polygons representing monuments, road or water networks, properties, and structures that make up the main cartographic elements of the geodatabase; with the support of GIS Technical Assistants. Execute processes for updating and validating descriptive and geographic information, ensuring correct correspondence, integrity, and consistency of data in the program''s databases. 5. Quality Control: Validate, through topologies, the geometric integrity and spatial relationships between properties and other elements, ensuring the absence of overlaps, gaps, and inconsistencies, as well as the correct delimitation of boundaries. Verify the correct assignment of attributes such as: property numbers, province, district, corregimiento, and populated place codes, as well as cadastral identification numbers; ensuring no data duplication and that property location attributes correspond to the political-administrative division. Identify special situations or inconsistencies in surveys, using satellite imagery support. Identify non-adjudicable areas and ensure they are not subject to intervention. 6. CAD / GIS Integration: Convert information from CAD format to GIS formats. Ensure that symbology, projection, layers, and attributes are compatible with project regulations. 7. Generation of Cartographic Products: Ensure that cadastral maps generated within the program strictly comply with the technical, regulatory, and procedural guidelines established in the Single Manual for Plan Approval, issued by the competent Authority. Prepare demonstrative sketches, cadastral maps, and thematic maps as required. 8. Preparation of Technical Reports and Support in Other Complementary Activities: Prepare technical reports describing special situations for the documentation of files or consultations made to the program. Verify that Technical Secretarial Viability Reports associated with adjudication files comply with technical controls and established requirements, and are suitable for the plan approval review stage. Prepare technical reports on production, GIS progress, and data quality. Work with the Field Crew Supervisor/Assistant and the crews in defining program intervention areas. Support public exhibition and title delivery activities. Support the creation and exchange of knowledge relevant to the assigned project. 9. Strategic Alliances: Maintain a close relationship with entities involved in cadastral data management at the national level—ANATI, MIVIOT, MiAmbiente, Public Registry, National Geographic Institute Tommy Guardia, and other relevant bodies—to strengthen information quality and promote standardization and implementation of common guidelines that contribute to the coherence and updating of national cadastral databases. The incumbent performs other functions within their functional profile that are considered necessary for the efficient operation of the Office and the Organization. Institutional Agreement: The GIS Technical Assistant works under the supervision of the Cadastre and GIS Associate of the Indio River Hydrographic Basin Cadastre and Titling Project. The project headquarters are located at the Support Technical Unit Office of the Indio River Hydrographic Basin, in Capira, province of Panamá Oeste, on the Pan-American Highway. Activities will be developed mainly in the Indio River Hydrographic Basin, comprising the provinces of Coclé, Colón, and Panamá Oeste, as well as in other sub-basins of the Panama Canal Watershed. Depending on operational needs, tasks may be carried out at the project headquarters, in associated institutions' facilities, and in intervention areas, including difficult-to-access zones. The regular work schedule will be Monday to Friday; given the nature of field activities and project requirements, it may be necessary to work extended hours, weekends, and holidays, as well as participate in trips involving travel and temporary stays (overnight) in intervention areas. Extraordinary expenses for mobilization and lodging arising exclusively from these activities will be covered by the project, in accordance with established planning and procedures. The hired person must have a valid driver's license and proven experience in handling 4x4 vehicles, with the ability to travel safely in complex terrain and conditions typical of field work.

Requirements

• High school diploma is required.
• Minimum of five (5) years of experience (with a complete high school education) or two (2) years of experience (with a complete Bachelor's degree) in managing Geographic Information Systems (GIS) tools, including managing geospatial databases oriented to cadastral processes, interpreting thematic and cadastral cartography, editing and updating geographic information, and validating and controlling data quality in geoprocessing environments.
• Experience in managing GIS tools (ArcGis Pro).
• Experience in managing databases.
• Experience in managing Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams), Zoom, training platforms, and others.
• Fluency in Spanish is required.
• Must possess a valid driver's license and proven experience in handling 4x4 vehicles, with the ability to travel safely in complex terrain and conditions typical of field work.

Nice To Haves

• University studies (Licentiate or Engineering) in fields such as Geomatics, Geodesy, Cartography, Geospatial Sciences, Geography, Surveying, and Systems will be given due consideration, but are not a requirement.
• Proven experience in reading and interpreting cadastral plans and maps.
• Experience in preparing cadastral plans and maps.
• Experience in analyzing and interpreting satellite images and orthophotos.
• Experience in the cadastre and land titling process in Panama.
• Experience in managing CAD tools (AutoCAD).
• Experience in inter-institutional coordination.

Responsibilities

• Administer, organize, and ensure the quality of geospatial information generated by the Program.
• Analyze, post-process, and structure spatial data, and integrate it with tabular information according to ANATI's technical guidelines and data structure.
• Maintain and clean the geodatabase, digitize geographic elements, and verify their topology.
• Perform conversions between CAD and GIS.
• Control the quality of field data.
• Assign attributes and cadastral identification numbers.
• Generate maps and cartographic products in accordance with regulations.
• Work in conjunction with GIS technical assistants and data and quality control collectors.
• Prepare reports, database backups, and deliver validated information to ANATI.
• Support the project's operational activities.
• Participate in the planning, coordination, and execution of public exhibition activities.
• Provide support in organizing inspections.
• Manage and update the project's geodatabase.
• Ensure the integrity of spatial and tabular data.
• Perform periodic backups and version control of databases.
• Support the development of land tenure investigations.
• Validate the digitization and georeferencing of approved and registered plans.
• Perform quality controls on data from field crews and request corrections.
• Analyze and validate the coupling of plans obtained through land tenure studies.
• Analyze and validate the geospatial information to be loaded into the project's general database.
• Digitize and edit points, lines, and polygons representing cartographic elements.
• Execute processes for updating and validating descriptive and geographic information.
• Validate geometric integrity and spatial relationships between properties and other elements using topologies.
• Verify the correct assignment of attributes such as property numbers, codes, and cadastral identification numbers.
• Identify special situations or inconsistencies in surveys.
• Identify non-adjudicable areas and ensure they are not subject to intervention.
• Convert information from CAD format to GIS formats.
• Ensure that symbology, projection, layers, and attributes are compatible with project regulations.
• Ensure that cadastral maps comply strictly with technical, regulatory, and procedural guidelines.
• Prepare demonstrative sketches, cadastral maps, and thematic maps.
• Prepare technical reports describing special situations.
• Verify that Technical Secretarial Viability Reports associated with adjudication files comply with technical controls and requirements.
• Prepare technical reports on production, GIS progress, and data quality.
• Work with the Field Crew Supervisor/Assistant and crews in defining program intervention areas.
• Support public exhibition and title delivery activities.
• Support the creation and exchange of knowledge relevant to the project.
• Maintain a close relationship with entities involved in cadastral data management at the national level.
• Perform other functions within their functional profile that are considered necessary for the efficient operation of the Office and the Organization.

Benefits

• Expenses for extraordinary mobilization and lodging arising exclusively from field activities will be covered by the project, in accordance with established planning and procedures.
• The project will cover extraordinary expenses for mobilization and lodging that arise exclusively from field activities, in accordance with planning and established procedures.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: High school or GED