Urban Planning and GIS Assistant
Organizational Context
The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) promotes sustainable towns and cities globally. This role is within the UN-Habitat Ethiopia Country Programme, supporting a European Union-funded regional initiative focused on strengthening institutional capacities for managing forced displacement and returns through integrated planning and climate-smart development in affected regions.
Job Purpose
This role supports UN-Habitat Ethiopia's efforts to strengthen institutional capacities for managing forced displacement and returns. The primary purpose is to develop and manage geospatial data, conduct spatial analysis, and create climate-smart suitability and hazard maps. These products will inform settlement planning, service delivery investments, and climate resilience interventions for displacement-affected communities in the Benishangul-Gumuz Region, contributing to inclusive and resilient urban development. The role also involves supporting local authorities in utilizing these planning tools and contributing to durable solutions for affected populations.
Responsibilities
Key responsibilities include developing and managing a comprehensive geospatial database, compiling and consolidating spatial and non-spatial datasets, and ensuring data consistency and accessibility. The role involves conducting field verification, GPS surveys, and geospatial data collection, as well as supporting community consultations and participatory mapping. Additionally, responsibilities include supporting the development of settlement suitability and hazard/climate risk maps using spatial analysis, contributing to the Regional GIS Planning Atlas, and providing geospatial inputs for settlement profiling and planning assessments. The position also entails assisting with GIS capacity development for local authorities and preparing technical reports, maps, and presentations.
Work Experience
A minimum of five years of progressive experience in GIS, spatial planning, geomatics, or remote sensing is required. Experience in developing and managing spatial databases, conducting field-based geospatial data collection and GPS surveys, and performing suitability analysis, hazard mapping, and geospatial modeling is essential. Experience supporting development, humanitarian, displacement, resilience, or local government programs is desirable.
Skills
GIS database development and management, spatial data compilation and consolidation, field verification, GPS surveys, geospatial data collection, suitability analysis, hazard mapping, geospatial modeling, report preparation, map production, presentation skills, data management procedures, metadata creation, version control, knowledge management.