Data Management Officer and Geospatial Systems Developer
New Staff position Full-time hours
Closes 23 Oct 2026 02:59 EAT (UTC+3)
Employers can close earlier.
The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) is one of the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) of the African Union Commission. Established in 1986 as the Intergovernmental Authority on Drought and Development (IGADD) to coordinate the member states’ efforts in combating drought and desertification, IGAD was revitalized in 1996, expanded its mandate, and renamed Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). IGAD has various divisions and specialized institutions including the IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC) which provides climate services and applications, including disaster risk management.
The IGAD region faces recurrent disasters driven by natural and human-made hazards such as droughts, floods, landslides, epidemics, industrial and transportation accidents, environmental pollution, crop and livestock pests. These hazards have historically led to large-scale disasters, causing severe socio-economic impacts, including destruction of infrastructure, depletion of resources, and displacement of millions of people. Climate change and environmental degradation have exacerbated the frequency and intensity of hydro-meteorological hazards, further increasing disaster risks and displacement in the region.
To strengthen disaster risk management (DRM), IGAD established the IGAD Disaster Operations Centre (IDOC) in 2021, in collaboration with AUC and UNDRR. The centre operates a multi-hazard early warning situation room, running systems such as: East Africa Hazards Watch, East Africa Drought Watch, East Africa Agriculture Watch
These systems monitor major hazards and provide early warning information to enable timely early action and mitigate disaster impacts. The goal is to gradually expand these early warning systems to cover various risks, including disaster displacement risk, which will be integrated into the existing watch systems in the coming years.
The Mobility Disaster and climate change Project (MoDiaC) seeks to improve the implementation of regional approaches by strengthening the technical and institutional capacities of IGAD and its member states. The project aims to establish sustainable and resilient solutions to the mobility challenges associated with disasters and climate change through the promotion of regional cooperation, enhancement of early warning systems, and development of inclusive policies. Previously, ICPAC with partners, including GIZ initiated the process of addressing the gaps in data and knowledge regarding drivers and displacement risks in the context of climate variability and change. Building on that, the MoDiaC project will provide an opportunity to advance the work on modelling, user engagements through the climate outlook forums and early anticipatory action in cross border area, among others, this will enhance access to quality data and evidence on disaster displacement risk and other human mobility forms.
Under MoDiaC project, ICPAC aims to integrate and operationalize disaster displacement risk models within the East Africa Hazards Watch to enhance data quality, sustainability, and future use of these models by decision-makers. To achieve this, ICPAC will hire a Geospatial Systems Developer & Data Management Officer who will be responsible for enhancing and maintaining early warning systems, providing displacement risk forecasting to inform anticipatory action, Maintaining the ICPAC website and Geoportal and Collaborating with developers, climate scientists, data managers, communication teams, and regional users to improve data visualization and decision-support tools.
Furthermore, the developer will work closely with developers, thematic experts, climate scientists, data managers, the communication team at ICPAC, and the users in the region to develop custom features and visualization techniques to support policymakers and other stakeholders in making informed decisions.
Under the overall supervision of the DRM Head through the Director of ICPAC, the Geospatial Systems Developer & Data Management Officer will support the development of disaster displacement risk models and the integration of climate, environmental, and disaster-related data to inform displacement risk profiles. The Officer will primarily develop and maintain the East Africa Mobility Watch (EAMW) and manage, integrate, process, and visualize disaster displacement and human mobility data. The role will also facilitate the integration and regularly update of current and historical displacement and hazard information from EAMW into the East Africa Hazards Watch (EAHW), East Africa Drought Watch (EADW), and other ICPAC platforms, while providing broader technical support in geospatial systems, data management, databases, APIs, automation, dashboards, and related digital solutions as required.
Under the overall guidance of the DRM Program Head, the Geospatial Systems Developer & Data Management Officer will undertake the following tasks:
This assignment requires a strong command of English, and knowledge of French is beneficial.
Excellent command of English, both written and spoken, is required. Working knowledge of French is considered an added advantage.
The appointment shall be for an initial period of one year, renewable subject to the availability of funds and satisfactory performance, with the first three months constituting a probationary period
Interested candidates should send their applications in PDF format accompanied by a cover letter, curriculum vitae, copies of academic credentials, copy of professional certification, copy of passport’s biometric page / national identity card and three reference persons including one from the last employer.
Applications should be submitted via email to the addresses: recruitment@igad.int with the subject line: ‘IGAD-DMGSD’.
The deadline for submission of applications is 22 October 2026 at 11:59 PM, Djibouti time (GMT+3). Applications submitted after this deadline will not be considered.
Due to anticipated large number of applications, only successful candidates who meet the required experience and qualifications for this position will be contacted.
IGAD is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified female candidates are highly encouraged to apply.
Download the ToR document in PDF below.
Vacancy Announcement Data Management Officer & Geospatial Systems Developer
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