The Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS) is an international organisation with an African vocation, created in 1992 and established in Tunis (Tunisia) in 2000. Currently, the OSS has 33 Member States and 14 (international, sub-regional and non-governmental) member organisations. The current OSS action area covers the hyper-arid, arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid regions of the Sahel-Sahara part of the African continent and extends over an area of approximately 17.52 million km2, i.e. 57% of the surface of the continent.
Furthermore, the OSS is a scientific and technical instrument whose primary mission is to support its African member countries in the integrated and coordinated management of their natural resources with particular attention to water and land issues in a particularly disadvantageous climate change context. The OSS works hand-in-hand with its Member States and organisations and is an initiator and partner facilitator on the above-mentioned topics. It focuses on knowledge transfer, capacity building and awareness-raising for all stakeholders.
To keep serving the continent, the OSS plans on strengthening its GIS and Remote Sensing Unit by recruiting competent and qualified geomatics experts.
The successful candidate will have a one-year service contract, renewable by mutual agreement of both parties. In addition, the Geomatics Expert is expected to start work on 1 May 2023 based on the agreed working hours and be employed full-time at the OSS premises in Tunisia.
About the Role
The Expert will work under the responsibility of the Head of the GIS and Remote Sensing Unit and will have to provide technical support for implementing the Unit activities. In specific terms, he/she will carry out the following activities:
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Technical and analytical support
Develop products, services and tools for sharing and disseminating geo-referenced information with:
- The development of databases and geospatial indicators from Earth Observation products on local, regional, and continental scales, with a focus on continental products such as land degradation and land use;
- The preparation, aggregation and layout of geospatial data/products and their adaptation to the needs of dissemination through the communication tools: Web portals, Thematic atlases, Interactive CDs, PDF files, Digital models, Animations, 3D maps, etc.;
- The alignment of tools and approaches used by national projects and the standardisation of map products to be developed (screening, legends, etc.) so that they are easily integrated into the data dissemination and knowledge-sharing system. This would include the adoption of internationally recognised metadata standards;
- The contribution to the regular updating of the information sharing and disseminating tools through the release of maps, statistics, training modules, reports, etc. This would include the production of metadata sheets for each resource to facilitate access and research of information; and
- Contribute to the OSS activities on remote sensing and geographic information systems.
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Other activities of the GIS/RS Unit
The Expert will be mainly involved in the execution and support of the GIS/RS Unit activities, with the possibility of being called by other OSS Units and Departments. He/she will thus strengthen the OSS’s overall synergy and teamwork spirit.
Finally, the expert will be immensely involved in the organisation’s projects, namely:
- The development of the land cover map of Africa;
- Monitoring land degradation monitoring continental platform elaboration; and
- Supporting the country in terms of SDG indicator 15.3.1 reporting.
Ideal Candidate
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Academic level
- At least a Bac+5 graduate degree (Engineer or Master) in Geomatics, Environmental Science, Rural Engineering, Natural Resource Management, or any other related degree or equivalent level;
- The applicant must have proven professional skills acquired with national, regional or international institutions; or in projects or programmes promoting the benefits and potential of remote sensing, geospatial tools and applications in environmental monitoring, natural resource management; and
- Ability to generate and issue early warnings for various phenomena (drought, flood, bushfires, degradation of natural resources, etc.)
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Qualifications
- Perfect command of satellite image processing chains for producing thematic knowledge, particularly land use map-making and its techniques and standards;
- Perfect command of new technologies (Cloud Computing, Machine Learning, etc.) and their geospatial applications for developing thematic products (Google Earth Engine, programming in Anaconda and Python environments, etc.);
- The necessary skills in the implementation of GIS applications or projects and the management of geospatial information, including a perfect command of GIS software (ArcGIS and/or MapInfo, QGIS, Illustrator, etc.), remote sensing (ERDAS, ENVI, OTB…), statistical analysis (R, Matlab, Stata…), as well as interactive WebMapping and WebGIS mapping applications (ArcGIS server, GeoServer, OpenLayers, GeoNetwork, and OGC specifications…); and
- Experience in developing guidelines and training manuals/guides.
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Professional skills
The applicant must have the following conditions to meet:
- Willing to work with people of different nationalities and cultures and to travel to different countries in the OSS area of action;
- Willing to work in a team, under pressure, with team spirit;
- Structured with results-oriented planning;
- Excellent communication and presentation with commendable written and oral skills;
- Perfect command of the English and French languages; and
- Great capacity for analysis, summary and writing.
How to Apply
The application must include the following elements:
- A signed Curriculum Vitae describing the applicant’s education and similar activities, including their professional experience, following the OSS model: [OSS CV Template];
- National identity card or passport copy;
- Letter of motivation in English and French signed;
- Copies of diplomas obtained; and
- Any other important and relevant documents.
Submission Procedure and Deadline
- Applications must be sent by e-mail to the following address: procurement@oss.org.tn. Applications sent electronically must contain in the subject line: “Call for applications: Recruitment of a Geomatics Expert [AC/OSS/CELL.SIG&TELEDETECTION_EXPTGÉOMATIQUE/240223-5]“.
- Deadline for receipt of applications: 28 March 2023 at 23:59 (Tunis time).
- Female candidates are encouraged to apply.
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