IT Expert

1. About RIMES

The Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System for Africa and Asia (RIMES) is an international and intergovernmental institution that is owned and managed by its 48 Member and Collaborating States for building capacities in the generation and application of user-relevant multi-hazard early warning information.  RIMES was established on 30 April 2009 through the signing by collaborating countries of the RIMES regional cooperation agreement.  RIMES was registered with the United Nations under Article 102 of the UN Charter on 1 July 2009.  RIMES operates from its regional early warning center, located at the campus of the Asian Institute of Technology in Pathumthani, Thailand.

 

RIMES’ purpose is to provide early warning services according to differing needs and demands of its Member States, for enhanced preparedness and response to and mitigation of natural hazards.  Its specific objectives are: 

a) Facilitate the establishment and maintenance of core regional observing and monitoring networks to ensure data availability for early warning;

b) Provide earthquake and tsunami services within the framework of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (IOC-UNESCO);

c) Support National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) for providing localized hydro-meteorological risk information within the framework of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO); and

d) Enhance warning response capacities at all levels (national to community) within each national early warning framework. 

 

RIMES provides a portfolio of options for Member States to avail from or contribute to any of these objectives.

 

2. Background

Socio-economic impacts of climate-related hazards in South Asian countries continue to threaten the countries’ economic growth, particularly in key sectors such as agriculture, water, and infrastructure.  During the 16th Summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) in 2010, these countries collectively resolved to strengthen climate resilience. The Climate Adaptation and Resilience for South Asia (CARE) Project aims to contribute in translating this policy into actions through enhanced regional cooperation and knowledge on climate resilience and adaptation, and development of standards and guidelines to facilitate climate-resilient planning and investments.

 

The Project’s Development Objective is to create an enabling environment for climate-resilient policies and investments across South Asia, with the following indicators:

• Increased access to regional climate data and analytics for climate-informed decision-making;

• National-level decision-making and planning that are better climate risk-informed;

• Regional climate resilience guidelines incorporated into national standards;

• Sectoral investments supported to include climate risks and resilient design; and

• Institutional capacities strengthened to undertake climate-informed policies and planning.

 

The project has three components, for implementation over 5 years: 

1. Promoting evidence-based climate-smart decision-making, to enhance access to data required for risk-informed planning and investments;

2. Enabling climate-resilient policies and standards for development, to enhance transformation of policies and capacities for climate resilience and adaptation across South Asia; and

3. Project management and implementation support.

 

Component 1 shall be implemented by RIMES. This component involves the creation of a regional resilience data and analytics service (RDAS) platform and decision-support systems (DSSs) for selected sectors of agriculture, water, road transport, planning and finance in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan.  Component 1 also includes capacity development of users of these systems and their products. The RDAS is a cloud-based open-access platform for acquiring, storing, managing, processing, analyzing, visualizing, and reporting data, for use in screening climate risks to inform investments. The DSSs are sector-specific systems, linked to the RDAS, and used to assist users in sectoral planning and decision-making.

 

The country-specific activities planned for Pakistan are as follows:

• Develop DSS for Ministry of Planning (MoP), Development and Reforms incorporating climate indicators in the planning process to track climate resilient projects;

• Develop DSS for Ministry of Finance to serve as a dynamic fiscal risk assessment tool for climate hazards;

• Improve the existing DSS for Sindh Irrigation Department to include drought risk management;

• Customize Specialized Export System for Agro-meteorological Early Warning for Climate Resilient Agriculture (SESAME) for Punjab Government

 

3. Objective

The IT Expert - Pakistan, reporting to the Country Coordinator and the RDAS/DSS Lead, is responsible for IT aspects of the CARE Project in Pakistan including facilitating use and improvement of the RDAS and technical monitoring of the Pakistan DSSs development/enhancement and/or customization for use by sectoral users. S/he helps maintain, assess and update these systems.

 

4. Scope of Work

The IT Expert is expected to assist in the enhancement/development, maintenance and upgrading of DSSs and data portals in Pakistan. S/he will support the work on agriculture and/or water resource DSS. S/he will also assist and monitor the work of the DSS Consulting Firm. This includes leading and/or assisting in the following tasks.

• Overall

o Coordinate with the RDAS-DSS Lead in RIMES Bangkok for the development of select DSS in Pakistan

o Work with the Country Coordinator, Sectoral Experts and DSS Consulting Firm in the conduct of user needs assessments as well as in the design/development of DSSs

o Support the DSS Consulting Firm (where necessary), and assist in the monitoring of DSSs development

• Interface with the RDAS

o Facilitate more inputs to RDAS (services, metadata)

o Assist in linking, and enabling increased access/use of RDAS among stakeholder ministries and agencies

• Interface with Pakistan Client Institutions

o Support IT aspects of CARE project for RIMES in Pakistan, including helping develop customized dashboards, analytic/modeling tools; facilitating testing and deployment of relevant hardware/software (e.g. touchscreens/touch tables); providing guidance on procurement; facilitating stakeholder interaction for systems requirement, collaborative design, and feedback on public-domain and internal government versions

o Assist in developing initial dashboards and visualization to be used in consultation meetings and user needs assessments

o Assist in customizing the DSS for agriculture in Punjab and/or the DSS for water resource in Sindh

• Facilitate Capacity-Development and Documentation

o Facilitate outreach events (e.g. virtual knowledge sharing series, internships, hackathons) in coordination with the DSS Consulting Firm and Country Coordinator

o Establish and maintain a virtual helpdesk support (e.g. on GIS, data visualization), and just-in-time training (e.g. to facilitate data services in the public domain, using RDAS and DSS)

o Document monthly progress of IT-related activities including good practices, lessons learned, recommendations and proposed action plan

o Provide inputs and technical support in developing/maintaining the Project MIS

o Participate in discussions, meetings, consultations and visits to targeted stakeholder ministries/agencies

o Other relevant work for the CARE project as assigned

 

5. Qualifications

Knowledge

• Master’s degree in computer science, data science, mathematics, statistics, or related field

• Extensive knowledge of data processing, and enterprise software applications

• Good knowledge of modern computer hardware, software, connectivity, and online services

• Strong technical knowledge of systems networking, databases, and web development

• Knowledge about data mining and weather data formats

• Knowledge of data management and visualization analytics

• Strong knowledge of R, Python and MATLAB, JavaScript

• Knowledge of Cloud services and platforms

 

Experience

• At least 5 years of experience in software/database development and management, and analysis tools

• Proven experience as a Data Scientist or similar role with solid understanding of machine learning and artificial Intelligence

• Strong GIS skills (desktop, online versions) and knowledge of OGC standards and Open APIs

• Experience with development of interactive visualization dashboards, portals, and mobile Apps based on online/cloud services for data and analytics

• Experience with user interaction for systems requirement, collaborative design, and feedback

• Experience with enterprise IT design and knowledge of cybersecurity

• Experience in diverse database design (MySQL, Microsoft SQL, or NoSQL), and various Linux/Unix distribution platforms

 

Skills and abilities

• Demonstrable leadership abilities

• Excellent analytical skills and problem-solving ability

• English proficiency in communication, presentation, and report writing

• A knack for statistical analysis and predictive modeling

 

Personal qualities

• Self-motivated, with ability to prioritize work, meet deadlines, and manage changing priorities

• Flexibility and ability to work hard independently and in a team

• Takes ownership of all responsibilities of the position

• Excellent work ethic and ability to work with a constructive attitude in multi-cultural teams

• Good communication (written, verbal, and presentation) skills in English and Urdu

 

6. Reporting

The IT Expert in Pakistan will work under the direct supervision of the RDAS/DSS Lead. S/he will be based in Islamabad and will report to the Country Coordinator, M&E Specialist and Project Director, who will monitor work progress and quality of deliverables. 

 

7. Contract Duration

The contract will be for 5 years subject to a 6-month probationary period, and annual performance review.

 

8. Application Process

Interested candidates must submit their application letter and resume to rimeshra@rimes.int before midnight of 14 Aug 2020, Bangkok time.

RIMES promotes diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Well-qualified Pakistani nationals particularly females are encouraged to apply.