DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS18 August 2025-23:59-GMT+02:00 South Africa Standard Time (Johannesburg)
WFP celebrates and embraces diversity. It is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status or disability.
ABOUT WFP
The World Food Programme is the worldโs largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity, for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.
At WFP, people are at the heart of everything we do and the vision of the future WFP workforce is one of diverse, committed, skilled, and high performing teams, selected on merit, operating in a healthy and inclusive work environment, living WFP's values (Integrity, Collaboration, Commitment, Humanity, and Inclusion) and working with partners to save and change the lives of those WFP serves.
To learn more about WFP, visit our website: https://www.wfp.org and follow us on social media to keep up with our latest news: YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok.
WHY JOIN WFP?
WFP is a 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.
WFP offers a highly inclusive, diverse, and multicultural working environment.
WFP invests in the personal & professional development of its employees through a range of training, accreditation, coaching, mentorship, and other programs as well as through internal mobility opportunities.
A career path in WFP provides an exciting opportunity to work across the various country, regional and global offices around the world, and with passionate colleagues who work tirelessly to ensure that effective humanitarian assistance reaches millions of people across the globe.
We offer an attractive compensation package (please refer to the Terms and Conditions section of this vacancy announcement).
Background
African Risk Capacity (ARC) is a Specialised Agency of the African Union.1 The ARC Agency leads the ARC Group, a development finance institution that provides financial tools and infrastructure to help countries manage natural disaster risk and adapt to climate change. It counts 32 AU countries as members and is supervised by a ministerial level governing board elected by its Conference of the Parties. The ARC design and establishment phase was managed by WFP, under a MoU with the African Union, and WFP continues to provide administrative services support to the ARC Agency through an administrative services agreement.
In 2014, ARC launched its initial risk insurance product for member states through its financial affiliate the ARC Insurance Company Limited (ARC Ltd). ARC Ltd is a specialist hybrid mutual insurance company and Africaโs first ever disaster insurance pool, aggregating risk by issuing insurance policies to participating governments and transferring it to the international market. ARC uses the satellite weather surveillance software Africa RiskView to estimate the impact of drought on vulnerable populations โ and the response costs required to assist them โ before a season begins, and as it progresses, so that index-based insurance payouts, based on Africa RiskView, are triggered at or before harvest time if the rains are poor. In 2020, ARC expanded its portfolio by adding an insurance product tailored for drought risk in pastoral areas and launching the first tropical cyclone (TC) insurance product in Africa. ARC developed a model capable of accurately estimating the risk and economic losses due to tropical cyclone events adapted to the SWIO countries such as Mozambique, Madagascar, Comoros, Mauritius, Seychelles, and Tanzania. ARC's tropical cyclone model covers hazards of winds, storm surges and waves. The first of its kind in Africa, the insurance policy will provide rapid financing and early response to countries affected by tropical cyclones. In addition, ARC has been developing a flood risk and loss estimate model to underpin a sovereign flood insurance product. The flood product demand among ARC member states has especially increased in the aftermath of the 2020 flood events in Western and Southern Africa. For countries exposed to tropical cyclones, the flood model will enrich the TC product by providing the loss estimate due to excessive rainfall peril which is not covered in the current ARC TC model. Together the tropical cyclone and flood products will prove vital tools in safeguarding lives and livelihoods and making African countries more resilient to extreme climate events.Responsibilities
ARC Agencyโs research and development programme is working to expand the insurance products offered by ARC Ltd and geographic coverage to include flood, tropical cyclone and outbreak and epidemic risk, at the same level of coverage as the drought product. The flood product is based on hydrological modelling building on existing global flood risk forecast systems, Within this context the ARC Agency seeks a highly qualified Hydrological Modelling Expert to join the Research & Development Department and contribute to the further development of the hydrological model-based flood insurance product for ARC Member States. The Expert will lead research and scientific work to adapt and improve existing hydrological model(s) to respond to specific requirements for underpinning ARC sovereign flood insurance products. Reporting to the ARC Director of Research & Development and working in close collaboration with the other teams within R&D, the Flood Risk Modelling Expertโs tasks will include the following:
1. Flood Model Development
โข Assess model performance of selected open-source or third-party hydrological flood models. This includes:- a. Scientific review of the model methodology;
- b. Validation of model outcomes in space and time against historical events from a range of sources.
- c. Quality assessment of input data, determination of model sensitivity, identification of critical model parameters and quantification of spatial and temporal uncertainty.
- d. Suitability assessments of selected model(s) to underpin sovereign parametric flood insurance products.
- e. Contributions to the further improvement of selected hydrological model(s) and tools.
โข Lead technical negotiations with external service providers supporting ARC flood risk modelling work;
โข Where possible, adapt selected model(s) to better respond to ARCโs requirements.
โข Address uncertainty in flood risk assessments.
โข Advance the technical aspects of impact modelling, flood index and trigger design for insurance purposes including determining model sensitivity and uncertainty.
โข Compile and maintain related documentation and datasets required for model description, application and further development.
โข Contribute to the design and development of ongoing and new flood tools and services for ARC Member States.
2. Contributions to the development of the Flood Data Explorer (FDE):
โข Contribute to the functional design of new FDE features;
โข Test FDE functionality and recommend possible improvements;
โข Contribute to integrating FDE with other ARC tools, namely the Tropical Cyclone Explorer and the other components of ARV software.
3. Contributions to in-country work:
โข Develop and maintain Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the customization of selected flood model(s).
โข Prepare and maintain training material on the flood model, validation and customization work where required and guide ARC Secretariat Technical Support Division in the same.
โข Ensure technical country-level inputs to and feedback on the flood model are gathered and incorporated into the model and insurance product.โข Advise on support to ARC Member States to improve input and validation data collection.
4. General Responsibilities:
โข Advise ARC leadership on strategic development in flood risk modelling and flood risk financing.
โข Develop ARC partnership network in the field of flood risk modelling;
โข Contribute to fundraising for the flood risk modelling work (funding proposals, participation in research networks and call for proposals, etc.);
โข Duty travel representing the ARC at workshops and conferences as necessary;
โข Providing other technical support as required by the R&D Department and ARC Senior Management.Minimum qualifications:
MSc degree in hydrology, flood engineering or a closely related field with a strong component of GIS, Remote Sensing and data analysis; or
MSc degree in earth or environmental sciences, GIS, Remote Sensing or related discipline with a strong emphasis on hydrological modelling.
The Expert can demonstrate a minimum of 8 years of relevant experience in:
โข Research, development and implementation of large-scale hydrological models, in specific the open-source hydrological model LISFLOOD and HTESSEL.
โข Flood risk and hazard mapping, including flood extent and/or inundation accuracy, flood frequency analysis and probability assessment.
โข Flood early warning.
โข Analysis of large spatial and temporal datasets and statistical methods.
โข Deterministic and stochastic modelling.
โข Analysing and/or compiling in one or more programming languages (preferably Python, R).
โข Good communication skills (written and spoken) and the ability to effectively communicate complex technical issues to a variety of audiences.
โข Good organisational skills.Preferred qualifications and desired experience for entry into the role:
The successful candidate has experience with or good understanding of:
โข The physics of flooding events and the mechanics of building vulnerability to flood.
โข Global Flood Awareness System (GloFAS).
โข Google Earth Engine.
โข Machine learning techniques.
โข Climate change science and models.
โข Database development, standardisation and developing procedures.
โข Working in an international, multicultural environment.Knowledge and competences:
Expert user of GIS software (ArcGIS, QGIS) and web mapping applications for analysis and visualisation purposes. Expert user of Excel. Strong problem-solving capabilities. Strong analytical and statistical skills. Precise, with attention to detail. Ability to work under minimum supervision and under tight deadlines. Good collaborative skills; information-sharing minded. Strong writing and communication skills, with the ability to translate complex, technical information into clear and simple language.
Language:
International Professional: Fluency (level C) in English. Working knowledge of French and/or Portuguese is an asset.WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK
WFP Leadership Framework guides to the common standards of behavior that guide HOW we work together to accomplish our mission.
Click here to access WFP Leadership Framework
REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION
WFP is committed to supporting individuals with disabilities by providing reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process. If you require a reasonable accommodation, please contact: global.inclusion@wfp.org
NO FEE DISCLAIMER
The United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.
REMINDERS BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION
We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete, and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, language skills and UN Grade (if applicable).
Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application.
Please make sure you upload your professional CV in the English language
Kindly note the only documents you will need to submit at this time are your CV and Cover Letter
Additional documents such as passport, recommendation letters, academic certificates, etc. may potentially be requested at a future time
Please contact us at global.hrerecruitment@wfp.org in case you face any challenges with submitting your application
Only shortlisted candidates will be notified
All employment decisions are made on the basis of organizational needs, job requirements, merit, and individual qualifications. WFP is committed to providing an inclusive work environment free of sexual exploitation and abuse, all forms of discrimination, any kind of harassment, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. Therefore, all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.
No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.