Geospatial Analysis & Earth Observation Consultant
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)•Remote•0(views)
Full-Time
Job Description
About the Organization
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is seeking qualified Geospatial Analysis and Earth Observation Consultants to join its consultant roster. This remote consulting role provides high-level technical expertise across IFAD's global portfolio in agriculture, climate adaptation, natural resource management, and rural development, supporting projects across the entire operational cycle—from design and monitoring to impact assessment and corporate reporting.
Job Summary
Are you an experienced Geographic Information Systems (GIS) or Earth Observation (EO) professional looking to make a global impact? IFAD is seeking qualified Geospatial Analysis and Earth Observation Consultants to join our consultant roster.
In this remote consulting role, you will provide high-level technical expertise across IFAD's global portfolio in agriculture, climate adaptation, natural resource management, and rural development. You will support projects across the entire operational cycle—from design and monitoring to impact assessment and corporate reporting.
Key Responsibilities
Depending on your specific area of expertise, responsibilities include:
- GIS & Spatial Analysis: Perform multi-criteria suitability analysis, watershed/landscape analysis, climate risk assessments, and rural connectivity modeling to support evidence-based decision-making.
- Earth Observation & Remote Sensing: Process and analyze optical and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite imagery for crop monitoring, land degradation assessments, flood/drought monitoring, and time-series environmental analysis.
- Geospatial Data Engineering & Automation: Build scalable, reproducible geospatial pipelines using Python, R, and Google Earth Engine (GEE). Automate vector/raster data workflows and manage spatial databases.
- Cartography & Data Visualization: Produce official maps and thematic atlases following United Nations cartographic standards for technical publications, supervision reports, and corporate dashboards.
- Monitoring, Evaluation & Impact Assessment: Design spatial sampling frameworks, track project baselines, and analyze pre/post-intervention changes using satellite imagery and geospatial indicators.
- Technical Advisory & Capacity Building: Provide expert technical reviews, participate in project design missions, and lead GIS/EO training programs for government counterparts and field teams.
Required Qualifications
Education
- Master's Degree (or equivalent) in GIS, Remote Sensing, Geoinformatics, Geography, Environmental Science, Computer Science, Data Science, or a related field.
- (Candidates with a Bachelor's degree and relevant experience may be considered for entry-level/junior roles).
Professional Experience Levels
- Senior Level: 12+ years of relevant experience.
- Mid-Level: 8–11 years of relevant experience.
- Entry-Level: 2–7 years of relevant experience.
- Junior Level: Bachelor's degree with 1+ years of experience.
Preferred Experience
- Background working with UN agencies, International Financial Institutions (IFIs), or international development organizations.
- Applied experience in agriculture, climate resilience, food systems, or rural infrastructure.
Required Skills and Competencies
- GIS Platforms: QGIS, GeoServer, PostGIS, Mapbox, Power BI.
- Remote Sensing & Data Processing: Google Earth Engine, Optical Imagery, SAR, UAV Imagery, Deep Learning / Machine Learning for EO.
- Programming Languages & Frameworks: Python (GeoPandas, Rasterio, Xarray), R, SQL, GDAL/OGR, Git, Jupyter Notebooks.
- Languages: Professional fluency in English is required. Proficiency in French, Spanish, or Arabic is a strong asset.
How to Apply
To apply for inclusion in the roster:
- Submit a Cover Letter explicitly detailing the Area(s) of Expertise (Sections A–H) you are applying for.
- Outline your relevant technical experience, specific software/programming tools used, key deliverables produced, and past project roles.
- Highlight any experience in agriculture, rural development, climate adaptation, or monitoring & evaluation.
Find more details & Apply directly on the IFAD Careers Portal before September 29, 2026 (Midnight, Rome Time).
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
View ProfileAt the International Fund for Agricultural Development, we envisage vibrant, inclusive and sustainable rural communities where people live free from poverty and hunger. Three in four of the world's poorest people live in the rural areas of developing countries. Most of them depend on agriculture for their livelihoods – and in turn, produce much of the food we eat. It’s not an easy job. Many rural people living in poverty face massive economic, social and environmental challenges – from climate change and food insecurity, to inequality, conflict and lack of access to resources. These overlapping problems cannot be solved working alone. As an assembler of development finance, we partner with governments, the private sector, civil society and others to provide grants and concessional and low-interest loans to developing countries. This helps to address critical needs and support rural people as they lead their own development. IFAD-supported projects promote prosperity, food security and resilience by connecting rural poor people to the finance, markets, technology and knowledge they need to address their biggest challenges. We catalyse public and private investments, advocate for policies that empower rural people and their institutions, and promote innovation in order to achieve lasting, systemic change for rural communities in every region of the world. Throughout our work, we emphasize the importance of inclusion and equity, focusing special attention on gender and groups that are often overlooked, like youth, Indigenous Peoples and persons with disabilities. We strive to foster an organizational culture built around these values. Furthermore, as a results-driven organization, we conduct rigorous monitoring and evaluation to assess our impact and scale up what we know works. That’s one of the reasons we are a top-rated development organization.
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