Org. Setting and Reporting
This position is located in the Office of Stewardship, Environment and Resources (OSER) and reports to the Director of the Office. The Office of Stewardship, Environment and Resources provides scientific and technical input into the development and implementation of the rules, regulations, and procedures for the conduct of activities in the Area. It also coordinates the collection, analysis and dissemination of geological, biological, environmental and technological data and information on the Area and its resources, including through the development and maintenance of ISA’s global database. The Office of Stewardship, Environment and Resources supports the development and implementation of regional environmental management plans, environmental impact assessment and environmental monitoring, and the development of environmental standards and guidelines. It also supports ISA’s work to promote and encourage the conduct of marine scientific research in the Area by developing collaborations with the Member States and international organizations and disseminating the results of scientific research and analysis.
Responsibilities
Under the overall guidance of the Secretary General and the direct supervision of the Director, OSER and within delegated authority, the Scientific Officer (GIS) will be responsible for, but not limited to, the following duties: 1. Develop, implement, and maintain geospatial data governance policies, standards, and quality control procedures. 2. Capture and maintain a definitive archive of geospatial information relating to the Area and the locations allocated to exploration and exploitation activities by contractors. 3. Perform technical verifications of the geographical coordinates and projected maps submitted by an applicant or contractor as part of its application for approval of a plan of work for exploration or exploitation. 4. Perform technical verification of geographical coordinates, blocks, cells, and projected maps of the relinquished areas submitted by a contractor as part of its relinquishment report. 5. Capture the location of ‘marine assets' such as geological features, marine protected areas, maritime boundaries, international marine scientific areas, and marine scientific research from programs of government and international agencies. 6. Provide map services for the analysis of trends and improving access to information for the Secretariat, Legal and Technical Commission, and external users. 7. Coordinate the establishment of a geospatial guidance and standard documents for effective data sharing and improving data visibility for the long-term storage and preservation of geographical information data in relevant formats. 8. Execute necessary technical structural adjustment to support data migration into the self-hosted geodatabase server for storage. 9. Develop an automation system for routine workflows, including creating programs to convert, load, validate, and transfer geospatial data (e.g., annual and periodic reports, exploration/exploitation applications, and relinquishments) and to enable effective metadata sharing between the ODIS platform and ISA DeepData for data accessibility; 10. Develop application programming interfaces (APIs) within the geodatabase server, including WMS (Web Map Service), WFS (Web Feature Service), and WCS (Web Coverage Service) to present GIS data and interactive tools for effective data sharing. 11. Use tools and custom scripts to join, integrate, and analyze different geospatial datasets and create derived information, and convert geospatial data from one format to another to support spatial analysis. 12. Prepare technical assessment reports in collaborating with OSER team to produce Conference Room Papers(CRPs) and other documents for the Legal and Technical Commission. 13. Develop a catalog of geospatial products for use by other organizational units of the Secretariat. 14. Conduct geospatial analysis and reproduce deep-sea habitat mapping and biodiversity and develop related geospatial products to support regional environmental management processes and seabed resource assessment. 15. Prepare knowledge products in the ISA context, and necessary project proposals on the outcomes and outputs of the implementation of the MSR Action Plan and technology advancement in his/her area of expertise and in collaboration with other ISA officials. 16. Prepare communication materials on key deliverables of the MSR Action Plan and technology advancement in his/her area of expertise, in collaboration with the communications unit. 17. Performs other duties as required by the Secretary-General.
Competencies
Professionalism: Committed to quality performance, demonstrated use of initiative, ability to interpret and apply rules and organizational skills. Ability to research, select, organize and summarize information required by the Director of Office. Shows pride in work and in achievements. Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter. Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results. Is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns. Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges. Remains calm in stressful situations. Communication: Speak and write clearly and effectively; listen to others, interpret messages from others and respond appropriately, ask questions to clarify, and exhibit interest in having two-way communication; demonstrate openness in sharing information and keeping people informed. Teamwork: Committed and motivated to work collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals: places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accept joint responsibility for team shortcomings.
Education
An advanced degree (Master’s degree or equivalent; PhD preferred) in marine science, geology or geophysics with a data science focus, including remote sensing, cartography, or a closely related field, is required. A first level university degree, combined with an additional two (2) years of relevant qualifying experience, may be accepted in lieu of an advanced degree.
Job - Specific Qualification
Formal education, certicication and/or training in the use of GIS and automated mapping is required.
Work Experience
• At least 5 years’ experience in the field of computer mapping with practical experience in geospatial analysis. Skills and experience in the use of Microsoft standard desktop applications and multiple platforms, including Macintosh and Linux. Good knowledge of MS spreadsheets and specific software related to GIS (ArcGIS, QGIS, GMT, others) is required. • Experience in the ArcGIS/QGIS and self-hosted server management (ArcGIS Enterprise), including experience in processing geospatial information in shapefiles, geodatabase, and raster format. Experience in Oracle Spatial would be an advantage. Knowledge of numerical data analysis, including spatial statistics. Computer programming skills in ArcPy, SQL, JSON, and R are an asset. Computer skills in multiple platforms (Windows/Macintosh/Linux) and a good knowledge of MS spreadsheets is required. • Database operational experience with ArcGIS Enterprise and ArcGIS Online, including web dashboard and interactive map, is desirable. • Experience in developing and using numerical data related to geographical metadata and data analysis in environmental sciences. Experience in the formulation of basic spatial and temporal models applied to marine geology, oceanography, and ecology for the deep sea is desirable. • International working experience (5 years minimum) in environmental sciences is desirable.
Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job opening, English is required. French is desirable. The table below shows the minimum required level for each skill in these languages, according to the UN Language Framework (please consult https://languages.un.org for details).
Language
Reading
Writing
Listening
Speaking
English
UN Level III
UN Level III
UN Level III
UN Level III
Language
Reading
Writing
Listening
Speaking
French
UN Level II
UN Level II
UN Level II
UN Level II
Assessment
Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.
Special Notice
The appointment is available for a fixed period of 2 years, and renewal thereof is subject to the availability of the post, funds and satisfactory performance in the role. ISA reserves the right to not make any appointment to the vacancy, and/or to make an appointment at a lower level from the one advertised. At the ISA/ United Nations, the paramount consideration in the recruitment and employment of staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, with due regard to geographic diversity. All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications and organizational needs. The ISA/United Nations is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The ISA/United Nations recruits and employs staff regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds or disabilities. The ISA/United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance and geographical diversity in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. Only nationals of ISA Member States are eligible for consideration.
United Nations Considerations
According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. By accepting a letter of appointment, staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D-2 level and the Field Service category are normally required to move periodically to discharge functions in different duty stations under conditions established in ST/AI/2023/3 on Mobility, as may be amended or revised. This condition of service applies to all position specific job openings and does not apply to temporary positions. Applicants are urged to carefully follow all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira, and to refer to the Applicant Guide by clicking on “Manuals” in the “Help” tile of the inspira account-holder homepage. The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application. All external candidates recruited in accordance with section 2.2 (a) of ST/AI/2025/3 for a fixed term appointment without limitation and all external candidates recruited in accordance with section 2.2. (c) of ST/AI/2025/3 for a fixed term appointment limited to the entity are subject to an initial probationary period of one year under a fixed-term appointment. Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.
No Fee
THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.
