GIS Sr. Specialist, FEWS NET

The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) is an integrated set of activities funded by the United States Government (USG) and is intended to provide timely, accurate, evidence-based, and transparent food security early warning information and analysis. Created in 1985 in response to famines in East and West Africa, FEWS NET provides global coverage of acute food insecurity. FEWS NET’s work is implemented across several mechanisms through close collaboration among a team of government and university partners and Chemonics International (Chemonics). Chemonics implements FEWS NET’s Decision Support (DS) team, which is charged with providing integrated monitoring and analyses of current and forecast acute food insecurity in countries worldwide to support the USG’s policy and programmatic decisions. The DS Team operates through a Washington-based technical office and regional and select local FEWS NET offices established in sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America, and eastern Europe.

Based on an in-depth understanding of local livelihoods, DS Team members monitor information and data on factors that affect food security, such as conflict, weather conditions, crops, pasture, markets and trade, and nutrition. The FEWS NET DS Team produces regular reports, including Food Security Outlooks and Outlook Updates, emergency alerts, market and price updates, and targeted analyses. FEWS NET makes reports available globally to governments, relief agencies, and other organizations engaged in humanitarian response and development programs.  

The eighth phase of FEWS NET began in 2024. The work of the FEWS NET DS Team relies on close collaboration with international, regional, and national partners on food security data and information gathering and analysis. Major activities include joint monitoring and assessments, data sharing and exchanges, and collaborative analysis and reporting. FEWS NET supports local and regional food security networks with the global objective of achieving food security for all. We are looking for individuals who have a passion for making a difference in the lives of people around the world.

The GIS Specialist is a full-time position and is preferred to be based in the Home Office in Washington, D.C. though remote options may be considered for well-qualified candidates. The GIS Specialist will work under the direct supervision of the FEWS NET Data Management Advisor. S/He will also collaborate with the Washington-based technical and management teams and technical staff in FEWS NET country and regional offices, as well as with other FEWS NET implementing partners, as relevant. The GIS Specialist may be required to travel domestically and internationally, security and public health considerations permitting.

Position Description
The FEWS NET DS Team’s acute food insecurity early warning analysis and decision support products rely on geographic mapping and geospatial analysis tools to inform and visualize analysis of acute food insecurity. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are, therefore, essential to achieving the FEWS NET EWT’s core mandate.  
The FEWS NET DS GIS Specialist works under the Data Management Advisor and is responsible for supporting ongoing and new GIS activities across the team’s sectors (e.g., Decision Support, Markets and Trade, Livelihoods, Conflict, Nutrition).
The GIS Specialist will assist in the spatial and geographic coding of data and GIS shapefile management. The individual will also support ongoing and future initiatives related to data collection and survey tools, the production of high-quality visual analyses, and data visualization tools (including interactive data monitoring products and tools). In addition, the individual will assist with the identification and application of approaches to geo-spatial analysis in support of FEWS NET DS activities and sectors. 

Responsibilities
Responsibilities of the GIS Specialist include but are not limited to:

• Performing desk research on administrative boundary changes in FEWS NET countries
• Locating and identifying current and historical shapefiles for FEWS NET countries, ensuring that shapefiles have proper topology and are fitted to the FAO GAUL Admin0 (national) boundaries
• Producing tables and flow charts documenting changes in geo-spatial boundaries and relationships over time for eventual upload into the FEWS NET Data Warehouse (FDW) and/or other relevant systems as appropriate
• Maintaining FEWS NET’s global geo-database of shapefiles and mapping files, and updating relevant GIS products in the FDW or other relevant systems, when needed
• Supporting ad-hoc