IT Expert

Job Description

Title: IT Expert

Company Name: Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System

Vacancy: 1

Job Location: Anywhere in Bangladesh

Employment Status: Full-time

Educational Requirements:
∎ Master of Science (MSc) in Computer Science & Engineering, Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Computer Science & Engineering
∎ Skills Required: Ability to troubleshoot and solve problems, English proficiency, interpersonal and leadership skill, statistical analysis and predictive modeling

Experience Requirements:
∎ At least 5 year(s)
∎ The applicants should have experience in the following area(s): APIs, Cloud Computing, Data Analytics, GIS, JavaScript, Linux, Python, web application development
∎ The applicants should have experience in the following business area(s): IT Enabled Service

Job Context:
∎ 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:
∎ Promoting evidence-based climate-smart decision-making, to enhance access to data required for risk-informed planning and investments;
∎ Enabling climate-resilient policies and standards for development, to enhance transformation of policies and capacities for climate resilience and adaptation across South Asia; and
∎ 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 Bangladesh are as follows:
∎ Enhance functionality of Bangladesh Agro-Meteorological Information System (BAMIS) for agriculture, and customize SESAME for livestock sub-sector;
∎ Improve the "Online Road Network" and transport DSS with risk information, early warning, climate database and a dynamic asset database;
∎ Improve water DSS with integrated exposure information and hydromet data.
∎ Develop the Data Portal on River Hydro-morphological and climatological information including river pollution, water resources and regional weather data harmonization, including advanced analytics.
∎ Develop a comprehensive Water Data Portal on climate risks (and digital M&E to support the 2021 Delta Plan) for integrated water resources management
∎ Develop integrated climate planning and screening portal with their own interface, common for Finance, ERD and Planning

Job Responsibilities:
∎ The IT Expert is expected to assist in the enhancement/development, maintenance and upgrading of DSSs and data portals in Bangladesh. S/he will support the work on livestock and/or water 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
∎ Coordinate with the RDAS-DSS Lead in RIMES Bangkok for the development of select DSS in Bangladesh
∎ 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
∎ Support the DSS Consulting Firm (where necessary), and assist in the monitoring of DSSs development
∎ Interface with the RDAS
∎ Facilitate more inputs to RDAS (services, metadata)
∎ Assist in linking, and enabling increased access/use of RDAS among stakeholder ministries and agencies
∎ Interface with Bangladesh Client Institutions
∎ Support IT aspects of CARE project for RIMES in Bangladesh, 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
∎ Assist in developing initial dashboards and visualization to be used in consultation meetings and user needs assessments
∎ Assist in enhancing the DSS for livestock and/or water
∎ Facilitate Capacity-Development and Documentation
∎ Facilitate outreach events (e.g. virtual knowledge sharing series, internships, hackathons) in coordination with the DSS Consulting Firm and Country Coordinator
∎ 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)
∎ Document monthly progress of IT-related activities including good practices, lessons learned, recommendations and proposed action plan
∎ Provide inputs and technical support in developing/maintaining the Project MIS
∎ Participate in discussions, meetings, consultations and visits to targeted stakeholder ministries/agencies
∎ Other relevant work for the CARE project as assigned

Additional Requirements:
∎ Age at least 26 years
∎ 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
∎
∎ 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 Bengali

Salary: Negotiable

Compensation & Other Benefits:
∎ The contract will be for 5 years subject to a 6-month probationary period, and annual performance review.

Application Deadline: 27 Aug 2020

Company Information:
∎ 14 Aug 2020
∎ Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System
∎ Address : 1st Floor, Storm Warning Center, Bangladesh Meteorological Department, Agargaon, Dhaka 1215
∎ Web : www.rimes.int
∎ Business : The Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System for Africa and Asia (RIMES) is an international and intergovernmental institution, owned and managed by its Member States, for the generation and application of early warning information. RIMES evolved from the efforts of countries in Africa and Asia, in the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, to establish a regional early warning system within a multi-hazard framework for the generation and communication of early warning information, and capacity building for preparedness and response to trans-boundary hazards. RIMES was established on 30 April 2009, and was registered with the United Nations on 1 July 2009.

Category: IT/Telecommunication

Read Before Apply: Interested candidates are requested to submit their application letter and resume to [email protected] with copy to [email protected]