Organization
iMMAP is an international nongovernmental organisation that provides information management services to humanitarian and development organizations. Through information management, we help our partners target assistance to the world’s most vulnerable populations. Our core philosophy is that better data leads to better decisions and that better decisions lead to better outcomes. iMMAP’s critical support to information value chains helps to solve operational and strategic challenges of our partners in both emergency and development contexts by enabling evidence-based decision-making for better outcomes.
Background
Iraq continues to suffer from the impact of climate change, with multiple governorates facing seasonal droughts. This places communities at severe risk, due to lack of water to fulfil basic needs, loss of livelihood for households reliant on water for agriculture and other income-generating activities, conflicts arising as a result of resource competition, as well as climate-induced displacement. Effective management of the country’s water resources is therefore critical to ensure that the population’s short-term and longer-term water demands are met.
The National Centre for Water Resource Management (NCWRM) falls under the Iraqi Ministry of Water Resources and is responsible for monitoring of the Euphrates and Tigris River basins and ground water, as well as conducting environmental studies to support the effective planning and management of Iraq’s water resources. To this end, the NCWRM collects a vast volume of daily inflow discharge data from a variety of sources, which requires significant downstream processing and analysis. The application of a centralized information management system for the effective processing of inflow and other data would support the timely delivery of information to key decision makers within the NCWRM. To support various environmental studies and projects, the NCWRM’s GIS department supports mapping of ground survey data and generation of informational maps and reports. However, the studies lack predictive analysis to support the Ministry of Water Resources’ planning, which could be supported though the application of remote sensing and advanced hydrological modelling.
Scope of Work
Within the proposed project, iMMAP will conduct assessment of the NCWRM’s existing IM systems and coordinate with key stakeholders to better under its information needs. A new web-based platform will be developed to centralize the NCWRM’s existing datasets, while formal and on-job trainings will enable them to effectively use, manage and administer the system. GIS and remote-sensing trainings and technical support will be provided to the NCWRM’s GIS department, including advanced applications in QGIS and ArcGIS, remote sensing, Python and JavaScript programming in GIS, as well as hydrological modelling in various open-source modelling applications. Trainings should enable the GIS staff to effectively interpret and report the information obtained through satellite imagery analysis and hydrological modelling, to support key decision-makers in the management of water resources.
The Remote Sensing & Hydrology Expert will be responsible for leading the project team, with the support of the Program Coordinator. He/she will provide technical support and advice to the NCWRM, to ensure that its existing data is effectively analyzed and interpreted to its full potential, providing actionable information to key decision makers for more effective water resource management. He/she will lead assessment of the existing information management system, support development of the new platform framework and oversee platform development and training, in coordination with the software developer and IM Officer. He/she will develop and deliver GIS, remote sensing and hydrological modelling training packages and provide on-the-job training and technical support to the NCWRM’s GIS department to develop and support new and existing projects.
Description of Duties
- Operational
- Lead information management assessment phase, to include review of existing datsets, hardware, software and procedures.
- Consult with key beneficaries to understand their information needs.
- Lead a stakeholders’ workshop to disseminate findings of the assessment phase and support development of a new IM system framework.
- Support development of the framework for a new centralized IM system, according to the beneficiary needs.
- Oversee development and testing of the new system, in coordination with the Software Developer and IM Officer.
- Review all standard working procedures developed by the project team, to ensure completeness and quality.
- Support the IM Officer to undertake data processing (cleaning, reengineering, etc.) on all existing datasets for migration and application in GIS.
- Coordinate with key project stakeholders on a regular basis (beneficiaries, donor, etc.) to provide updates and resolve challenges.
- Undertake all aspects of team management, to follow up on project progress, identify and resolve problems and ensure deliverables according to the project workplan.
- Complete any additional tasks assigned by the Program Coordinator and/or Country Representative.
- Capacity Strengthening
- Provide technical guidance to the NCRWM staff, including key decision makers, to advise of the types of data analysis to be conducted and how information can be applied to support operational planning and decision making.
- Undertake capacity assessments to identify skills and knowledge gaps and develop training plans.
- Oversee the development and delivery of information management related training materials to support platform uptake by the NCWRM.
- Develop and deliver high quality GIS, remote sensing and hydrological modelling trainings for NCWRM GIS staff
- Provide on-the-job training and technical support to the GIS staff in the application of remote sensing and hydrological modelling and creation of reports.
Requirements
- Education
- Bachelor’s degree in a discipline related to GIS, remote sensing and/or information management.
- Master’s degree in hydrology, meteorology or a related field.
- Experience
- Minimum 5 years of professional experience in the field of hydrology, including use of hydrological modelling to predict and manage water resources. iMMAP will consider an equivalent number of years combining academic and practitioner experience.
- Minimum 5 years of experience in development and delivery of GIS and remote sensing training packages.
- Experience in leading projects, including team management, would be an advantage.
- Skills
- Expert knowledge of QGIS and Google Earth Engine to conduct training in geospatial analysis of satellite imagery.
- Structured Query Language (SQL) programming language to maintain relational databases.
- Python and JavaScript programming languages for creation of geoprocessing models and remote sensing analysis.
- Advanced skills in various open-source hydrological modelling tools, such as HEC-RAS, HEC-HMS, SWAT, MODFLOW, PRMS, etc.
- GIS database management skills, including expert knowledge in using PostGIS, etc.
- Expert knowledge of ESRI technical products and tools.
- Good understanding of database management and software development practices.
- Fluency in written and spoken English is essential. Arabic would be an advantage.
Guiding Principles
Personnel is expected to conduct itself in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and iMMAP’s policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all Countries.
iMMAP has zero-tolerance for sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, human trafficking, child abuse and exploitation. Any violations of these principles and policies will be treated as serious misconduct.
iMMAP is an Equal Opportunity Employer regardless of background.