About the Role
DID S.r.l. ricerca un Geospatial Analyst (GIS) – Crisis, Conflict & Security per un incarico near-site presso un'Istituzione Europea a Ispra (VA). Di seguito il testo integrale dell'opportunità.
JOB OPPORTUNITY · EU INSTITUTIONS — Geospatial Analyst – Crisis, Conflict & Security (GIS)
ArcGIS · QGIS · Copernicus / Sentinel · ACLED / UCDP · Crisis Management · Ispra (VA)
CLIENT: European Institution – research centre, Disaster Risk Management unit
PROFILE: Geospatial Analyst for crisis, conflict and security (GIS specialist) – Advanced level
WORK MODE: Near-site: full-time on-site in Ispra (VA), Italy; occasional remote work by mutual agreement
CONTRACT: Time & Means, specific contract (may be executed in phases)
EXPERIENCE: 10+ years of professional experience
EDUCATION: Master's degree (EQF Level 7); PhD in Political Science / IR is an asset
LANGUAGES: English C1 or higher (spoken and written)
DAILY RATE: To be agreed
BACKGROUND & MANDATE
DID S.r.l. is looking for an experienced Geospatial Analyst (GIS specialist) for a near-site assignment with a European Institution in Ispra (VA), within the unit dealing with disaster risk management and crisis management. The consultant will join a crisis management laboratory that develops analytical approaches and ICT tools for situational awareness and crisis response in near-real time. The role focuses on geospatial analysis for crisis, conflict and security monitoring, producing maps, analyses and reports for EU services working in external relations, civil protection and humanitarian aid. The environment is multicultural and multilingual, with strong emphasis on diligence, discretion and responsibility when handling sensitive data.
MAIN TASKS
Situational-awareness mapping: design and deliver high-quality cartographic products, thematic maps and data visualisations on conflict and security for EU decision-makers
- Daily monitoring: select, collect, validate and integrate open-source information into structured GIS datasets
- Spatial analysis: advanced geoprocessing, spatial statistics and modelling to produce geospatial assessments for crisis and emergency reporting
- Earth observation: process remote-sensing imagery of conflict-affected areas (land-use/land-cover classification, change detection, damage assessment, reconstruction monitoring)
- Conflict mapping: workflows combining conflict-event datasets (ACLED, UCDP) with open-source geospatial data, integrating political-risk assessments
- Data management: curate GIS datasets and geographic databases with version control, data lineage, metadata standards and automated quality checks
- Reporting & communication: contribute to emergency reports, briefs, impact assessments and presentations; deliver training on open-source analysis for crisis management
- Crisis operations: take part in crisis-management exercises, support rapid-analysis activations and contribute to the co-design of a science-for-peace portal
MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS (each requirement must be clearly demonstrated in the CV, with years of experience cross-referenced to the relevant professional experiences; candidates not meeting them are rejected)
GIS methodologies and platforms (ArcGIS, QGIS) – spatial analysis, situational / thematic maps, infographics: 10 years
- GIS data transformation, enrichment, quality assurance, dissemination and visualisation: 10 years
- Earth-observation data processing and analysis (Copernicus, Sentinel, Landsat): 10 years
- Integrated risk assessments combining qualitative (political-science) insights with quantitative GIS indicators: 10 years
- Geospatial assessments in analytical products for external relations, civil protection and crisis management: 10 years
- Information-management workflows for geospatial data (storage consistency, accessibility): 10 years
- Real-time disaster / conflict data and rapid analytical outputs (impact summaries, situation maps): 5 years
- Technical reports, impact assessments and briefs in line with EU clear-writing guidelines: 5 years
- Stakeholder briefings and presentations translating spatial analyses into recommendations: 5 years
- Crisis management domain (e.g. Union Civil Protection Mechanism), incl. emergency-response exercises: 5 years
- Asset: PhD / EQF Level 8 in Political Science, International Relations or related field (official diploma)
TECHNICAL PROFILE
GIS: ArcGIS, QGIS and related extensions; cartographic design principles and standards
- earth observation: collection, pre-processing, integration and thematic extraction of Copernicus, Sentinel and Landsat products
- conflict, security, migration and demographic data (ACLED, UCDP, OSINT), combined with statistical and qualitative analysis
- geospatial data management: data models and metadata, versioning, data lineage, validation rules and automated workflows
- EU data-protection and information-security rules for sensitive geospatial data
- analytical writing in line with EU clear-writing guidelines; background in political science / international relations is a plus
SOFT SKILLS
producing accurate situation maps under tight deadlines
- managing several GIS projects in parallel; planning, prioritisation and progress reporting
- clear communicator with technical and non-technical audiences; at ease in multilingual, multicultural meetings
- able to work both in a team and autonomously; results-oriented and discreet
WORKING CONDITIONS
full-time on-site presence in Ispra, with occasional home-working by mutual agreement; IT equipment and office space provided by the client – living within commuting distance is essential
- working days between 7:00 and 20:00, with guaranteed availability 9:30-12:00 and 15:00-16:30 (16:00 on Fridays)
- no on-site service on the Ispra site closure days; exceptional remote work may be agreed on Institution holidays not coinciding with Italian public holidays
- effective start communicated in writing after contract signature (not earlier than 3 months from signature); monthly progress reports and timesheets, final report at the end
- personal data processed only within the EEA; any use of AI tools during the assignment requires the client's prior written authorisation
- no security clearance and no certifications required; signature of the Institution's Ethics reminder and Acceptable Use Policy
SELECTION PROCESS
CV in English clearly demonstrating each mandatory requirement, with years of experience cross-referenced to the relevant professional experiences.
2. Technical questionnaire: open questions on GIS methodologies and tools, earth observation, crisis/conflict/security data, analytical writing and communication, crisis-management and political-science background, project planning – long-form answers (roughly 3,000-5,000 characters each). Minimum 70% overall, plus a minimum threshold for each sub-criterion. Answers must be written personally: the use of AI tools or any external assistance is strictly forbidden and leads to rejection.
3. Possible remote live interview (Teams / Webex, at least 3 working days' notice). Attendance is mandatory and no external help is allowed.
MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS (each requirement must be clearly demonstrated in the CV, with years of experience cross-referenced to the relevant professional experiences; candidates not meeting them are rejected)
GIS methodologies and platforms (ArcGIS, QGIS) – spatial analysis, situational / thematic maps, infographics: 10 years
- GIS data transformation, enrichment, quality assurance, dissemination and visualisation: 10 years
- Earth-observation data processing and analysis (Copernicus, Sentinel, Landsat): 10 years
- Integrated risk assessments combining qualitative (political-science) insights with quantitative GIS indicators: 10 years
- Geospatial assessments in analytical products for external relations, civil protection and crisis management: 10 years
- Information-management workflows for geospatial data (storage consistency, accessibility): 10 years
- Real-time disaster / conflict data and rapid analytical outputs (impact summaries, situation maps): 5 years
- Technical reports, impact assessments and briefs in line with EU clear-writing guidelines: 5 years
- Stakeholder briefings and presentations translating spatial analyses into recommendations: 5 years
- Crisis management domain (e.g. Union Civil Protection Mechanism), incl. emergency-response exercises: 5 years
- Asset: PhD / EQF Level 8 in Political Science, International Relations or related field (official diploma)
TECHNICAL PROFILE
GIS: ArcGIS, QGIS and related extensions; cartographic design principles and standards
- earth observation: collection, pre-processing, integration and thematic extraction of Copernicus, Sentinel and Landsat products
- conflict, security, migration and demographic data (ACLED, UCDP, OSINT), combined with statistical and qualitative analysis
- geospatial data management: data models and metadata, versioning, data lineage, validation rules and automated workflows
- EU data-protection and information-security rules for sensitive geospatial data
- analytical writing in line with EU clear-writing guidelines; background in political science / international relations is a plus