Careers at Intergovernmental Authority on Development

Key Roles and Responsibilities

• Under the overall guidance of the CDPU Unit Head, and working closely with climate scientists, forecasters, data scientists and other technical teams within ICPAC, the Climate Modelling Assistant will undertake the following tasks:

Climate Model Operations and Prediction Support

• Provide technical and operational support to the Climate Diagnostic and Prediction Unit in the preparation, processing, analysis, and verification of climate prediction products.
• Support the operational production of sub-seasonal (weekly, monthly) and seasonal forecasts, including downloading and processing of Global Producing Centre (GPC) and multi-model ensemble outputs (e.g., C3S, ECMWF, NMME, WMO Lead Centre for Long-Range Forecasts).
• Apply statistical and dynamical downscaling, bias correction and calibration techniques to generate objective, probabilistic forecasts for the Greater Horn of Africa.
• Set up, configure, and run regional climate and weather prediction models (e.g., WRF and other regional models) on ICPAC’s High-Performance Computing (HPC) and Linux-based systems.
• Work closely with climate scientists, forecasters, data scientists and other technical teams within ICPAC to support the timely, coordinated and quality-assured production of operational climate information and prediction products.

Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics

• Support the monitoring of climate variability and large-scale climate drivers, including ENSO, the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), the Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO) and other modes of variability relevant to the Greater Horn of Africa.
• Support the preparation of dekadal, monthly and seasonal climate monitoring and diagnostic analyses of rainfall, temperature and other relevant climate variables across the Greater Horn of Africa.
• Contribute to the analysis of observed high-impact events (e.g., droughts, floods, heatwaves) and their links to large-scale climate drivers.

Forecast Verification and Quality Assurance

• Carry out routine verification of sub-seasonal and seasonal forecasts using standard deterministic and probabilistic scores (e.g., ROC, RPSS, reliability diagrams, hit rates), in line with WMO guidance on verification of operational seasonal forecasts.
• Maintain verification archives and prepare periodic model and forecast skill assessment reports to inform model selection and product improvement.
• Undertake quality control of input datasets and model outputs, and ensure products meet ICPAC’s quality-assurance standards before release.

Capacity Building, Collaboration and Reporting

• Support training and capacity-building activities for NMHSs and other partners on climate modelling, forecasting tools, verification and data analysis.
• Document methodologies, standard operating procedures (SOPs) and code, and contribute to technical reports, project reports and scientific publications.
• Perform any other related duties as may be assigned by the CDPU Unit Head.

Key Educational Qualifications and Professional Experience

Academic Qualification

• Master’s degree in meteorology, atmospheric sciences, climate science, or a closely related field.
• Specialized training on the development of weather and climate models, knowledge of numerical weather prediction. Practical experience testing and running models on high-performance computers is an added advantage.

Professional work experience

• At least two (2) years of relevant experience in climate forecasting, climate modelling or operational climate services.
• Demonstrated hands-on experience in installing, configuring and running numerical weather prediction and/or regional climate models (e.g., WRF, RegCM) in Linux/HPC environments.
• Experience in processing and analysing large gridded climate datasets (e.g., model outputs, reanalyses, satellite products) in NetCDF and GRIB formats.
• Practical experience in the production of sub-seasonal and/or seasonal forecasts, including downscaling, calibration and forecast verification.
• Experience in preparing technical reports, climate bulletins or scientific publications.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with experience in stakeholder engagement and in delivering training to technical audiences.
• Experience working in the IGAD region (e.g., RCCs and NMHSs) is highly desirable.
• Sound knowledge of climate system dynamics, climate variability and the drivers of East African climate (e.g., ENSO, IOD, MJO).
• Good understanding of statistical and dynamical climate modelling approaches as well as ensemble prediction systems, probabilistic forecasting and forecast verification methods.
• Proficiency in Python, shell scripting, R or other scientific programming languages, and in climate data tools such as CDO, NCO and xarray.
• Ability to work with NetCDF, GRIB and related climate-data formats.
• Familiarity with climate-data tools and libraries such as xarray, pandas, NumPy, CDO, NCO and/or similar tools.
• Ability to write efficient, well-documented code and automate operational workflows; familiarity with version control (e.g., Git) is an advantage

Essential Skills and Competencies Required

• Strong analytical and quantitative skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Ability to work effectively in a multidisciplinary and multicultural team.
• Good organizational and time-management skills.
• Ability to work under deadlines.
• Good written and oral communication skills.

Language requirements

• Excellent command of English, both written and spoken, is required. Working knowledge of French is considered an added advantage.

Remuneration

• In accordance with IGAD salary scale and applicable policies, taking into account the candidate’s and qualifications and relevant experience.

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 Specific Responsibilities

Under the overall guidance of the DRM Program Head, the Geospatial Systems Developer & Data Management Officer will undertake the following tasks:

• Ensure migration/displacement data, model outputs, and workflows developed by ICPAC and partners are integrated into ICPAC early warning systems and value-added services to enhance decision-making across various actors and stakeholders.
• Monitor ICPAC systems are continuously updated and improved in terms of data, products, and features; workflows are automated; code is maintained and updated; systems are optimized; new functionalities are developed; and systems are continuously innovated and customized to meet user needs, based on feedback and new requirements.
• Support the collection, aggregation and analysis of disaster displacement data in the IGAD region and integration in the ICPAC/IGAD geoportal as a base layer.
• Provide technical guidance on system improvement to leverage best technologies, support scientists and data managers with workflow automation
• Design, implement and support capacity building activities for various users of the early warning information and systems, mainly on risk of displacement
• Develop and maintain interactive dashboards and visualization tools to ensure geospatial data is presented in a user-friendly format for decision-makers.
• Integrate Machine Learning (ML) and AI technologies to improve forecasting and automation of displacement risk models.
• Implement best practices for data security in geospatial systems, including access control, encryption, and disaster recovery planning.
• Collaborate with national and regional partners to ensure integration aligns with member state and other partner agencies needs.
• Conduct regular training and capacity-building sessions for policymakers, partner organizations, and data users to enhance their understanding of geospatial tools, displacement risk models, and early warning systems.
• Develop APIs and automate data pipelines to ensure seamless integration of climate, displacement, and hazard datasets into ICPAC systems.
• Optimize dissemination mechanisms to ensure early warning information reaches the right people at the right time
• Performs such other duties as may be assigned from time to time.

Key Educational Qualifications and Professional Experience

Academic Qualification

• University degree in Computer Science, Geo-Informatics, Computer Engineering, IT or another relevant field,
• Candidates should demonstrate their qualifications and proficiency in web application development and geo-application development (provide links to at least 2 samples of previous work and/or Github code)

Professional work experience

• Minimum of four (4) years of relevant experience in geo-applications design and development.
• Solid and demonstrated experience working with scripting languages (e.g. Python) to automate geo-processing data workflows
• Experience in backend development using various languages and frameworks including Django, Go and NodeJS
• Demonstrated experience with application containerization (Docker) and deployment on cloud infrastructure
• Experience working on software development projects and developing responsive front-end web solutions
• Proven experience (deployed projects, Github code) with designing and developing production-ready scalable geospatial web applications using open-source technologies (Node.js, React, Mapbox GL, Leaflet, Carto, Python, Geoserver, Mapserver, GDAL)
• Sound knowledge of SQL and PostGIS spatial databases.
• Experience developing REST API and a good understanding of microservices architecture
• Advanced knowledge of OGC geospatial standards like WMS, WFS, WCS, WPS, Simple Features for SQL
• Experience in Big Data Processing & Cloud Computing (AWS, Google Cloud, Azure) for handling large geospatial datasets.
• Experience with Remote Sensing & Earth Observation Data (Google Earth Engine, Sentinel Hub, MODIS).
• Experience working with Go Language and NoSQL databases is an added advantage
• Experience manipulating and analyzing Earth Observation data in different data formats is desirable
• Knowledge of human mobility trends and disaster displacement risks in the IGAD region.
• Proficiency in DevOps & CI/CD, including container orchestration (Kubernetes, Docker Swarm).

Essential Skills and Competencies Required

• Self-driven, result-oriented, problem solver
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Continuous improvement and knowledge sharing

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 Specific Responsibilities

Under the overall guidance of the DRM Program Head, the DevOps & Machine Learning Expert will undertake the following tasks:

• The hydrological forecasting chains in use at ICPAC running operationally in an automated forecast cycle, with new product releases deployed without interruption to service.
• Harmonised regional hydrological reference and observation datasets, with documented quality control and exchange interfaces for national hydrological services.
• Operational STAC API and analysis infrastructure for hazard, exposure and impact data, with reliable processing pipelines across all integrated models.
• East Africa Flood Watch in public operation at functional parity with Drought Watch, with its warnings and products integrated into the East Africa Hazard Watch Portal.
• Automated data processing and reporting workflows, including impact-based forecast bulletin generation with language-model-assisted drafting under documented evaluation and guardrails.
• Technical support provided to Member States, NMHSs and regional partners on IGAD flood monitoring activities, with a record of requests addressed.
• Calibrated post-processing and multi-model ensemble combination in operations, supported by a methodology note.
• Bayesian Network risk model and inference service deployed and integrated with the risk monitoring application.
• Event-based climate storylines contributed to the drought and flood event catalogue.
• Forecast verification framework with routine skill reporting, and documented governance for every operational model.
• Reproducible multi-cloud infrastructure as code with ecFlow and Prefect scheduling, CI/CD and GitOps delivery, observability in production, and a tested disaster-recovery procedure.
• Complete technical documentation, deployment guides, JupyterHub tutorials, training materials and stakeholder hand-over.
• Performs such other duties as may be assigned from time to time.

Key Educational Qualifications and Professional Experience

Academic Qualification

• University degree in Computer Science, Geo-Informatics, Hydroinformatics, Computer Engineering, Data Science, Software Engineering, Information Technology or other relevant field; an advanced degree is an advantage.
• Candidates should demonstrate their qualifications and proficiency in web application development and geo-application development (provide links to at least 2 samples of previous work and/or Github code)

Professional work experience

• Minimum of four (4) years of relevant experience in geo-applications design and development.
• Proficiency in web application development and geo-application development, demonstrated through a portfolio of developed products (at least two samples of previous work and / or GitHub code).
• Demonstrated experience operating production cloud infrastructure under daily operational deadlines, and deploying machine learning models operationally rather than in research settings.
• Experience supporting national institutions in an operational early warning context is desirable.
• Scripting and automation of geoprocessing and large data workflows, especially in Python; sound knowledge of SQL and PostGIS.
• Web technologies (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) and production-ready geospatial web applications using Node.js, React, Mapbox GL, Leaflet, GeoServer, MapServer and GDAL; REST API development and microservices architecture; experience with Go is an advantage.
• OGC geospatial standards including WMS, WFS, WCS, WPS and Simple Features for SQL; handling and analysis of Earth Observation data in a range of formats.
• STAC API and PySTAC; workflow management with ecFlow and Prefect; xarray, dask and the numpy ecosystem; rasterio and geopandas; GRIB2, Zarr, COG, VirtualiZarr, Icechunk and kerchunk; PostgreSQL/PostGIS and TimescaleDB.
• Hydroinformatics: operationalisation of rainfall-runoff, hydrodynamic and rapid inundation forecasting chains; forcing preparation; catchment, river network and terrain data management; hydrometric and remotely sensed observation handling; and hydrological data standards and exchange.
• Container orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes, Helm) and GitOps delivery (ArgoCD); multi-cloud computing on Google Cloud Platform and Amazon Web Services with Terraform, Coiled and CI/CD pipelines; CUDA and GPU environment management; observability, incident response, cloud security and cost management.
• Impact-based forecasting systems and climate modelling workflows; ensemble post-processing, calibration and downscaling; Bayesian networks; forecast verification; MLOps practice; LLM integration, evaluation and guardrails; training and capacity development.

Essential Skills and Competencies Required

• Self-driven, result-oriented, problem solver
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Continuous improvement and knowledge sharing

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Key Roles and Responsibilities

Under the overall guidance of the DRM Program Head, the Early Warning Expert will undertake the following tasks:

• Ensure that the exposure and vulnerability data, the vulnerability methodology and the workflows developed by ICPAC and its partners are integrated into ICPAC early warning systems, and that value-added services are developed on those systems to enhance decision-making across various actors and stakeholders.
• Ensure that ICPAC systems are continuously updated and improved in terms of data, products and features; automate workflows; maintain and update reproducible code; optimise systems; and develop new functionalities that customise the systems to meet user needs on the basis of feedback and new requirements.
• Support the collection, aggregation and analysis of socio-economic data for various vulnerability indicators, including physical, economic, social, ecological, institutional and cultural indicators, from global data sources for the IGAD region and for specific member states, and integrate these data into the ICPAC and IGAD geoportal as a base layer.
• Provide technical guidance on system improvement in order to leverage the best available technologies,and support scientists and data managers with workflow automation.
• Design, implement and support capacity building activities for users of early warning information and systems, with emphasis on socio-economic vulnerability.
• Optimise dissemination mechanisms so that impact-based early warning information reaches the right people at the right time.
• Downscale ICPAC regional early warning platforms into national instances, including the East Africa Drought Watch for Kenya, and the East Africa Hazards Watch for Djibouti and South Sudan.
• Serve as project lead on assigned projects, coordinating with project partners, planning and tracking activities and deliverables, managing stakeholder engagement and reporting on project progress.
• Performs such other duties as may be assigned from time to time.

Academic Qualification

• University degree in Computer Science, Geo-Informatics, Computer Engineering, Information Technology or a related field.
• Specialised training in geospatial application development is an added advantage

Professional work experience

• At least four (4) years of relevant experience in geo-application design and development.
• Demonstrated qualifications and proficiency in web application development and geo-application development. Candidates should provide links to at least two samples of previous work or to GitHub code.
• Solid and demonstrated experience working with scripting languages such as Python to automate geo-processing data workflows.
• Experience in backend development using languages and frameworks including Django, Go and NodeJS.
• Demonstrated experience with application containerisation using Docker and with deployment on cloud infrastructure.
• Experience working on a variety of software development projects and developing responsive front-end web solutions.
• Proven experience, evidenced by deployed projects or GitHub code, in designing and developing production-ready scalable geospatial web applications using open-source industry standard technologies such as Node.js, React, Mapbox GL, Leaflet, Carto, Python, GeoServer, MapServer and GDAL.
• Sound knowledge of SQL and of the PostGIS spatial database.
• Experience developing REST APIs and a good understanding of microservices architecture.
• Advanced knowledge of OGC geospatial standards including WMS, WFS, WCS, WPS and Simple Features for SQL.
• Experience working with the Go language and with NoSQL databases is an added advantage.
• Proficiency in statistical software such as R or Stata is an added advantage.
• Experience manipulating and analysing socio-economic and Earth observation data in different data formats is desirable.

Essential Skills and Competencies Required

• Self-driven, results oriented and able to solve problems independently.
• Ability to keep deadlines.
• Continuous improvement and knowledge sharing.
• Experience working in the IGAD region is highly desirable