Job Title: National Land Cover and GIS Specialist
Project: Enhancing Regional Technical Capacities for Sustainable Land Monitoring and Development – TCP/SFW/4008
Job Posting Date: 20 May 2026
Closing Date: 4 June 2026
Duty Station: Accra, Ghana
Duration: Up to 12 months, with possibility of extension
Type of Contract: National Project Personnel
Organization: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is recruiting a National Land Cover and GIS Specialist to support regional land monitoring activities in West Africa, with a focus on Ghana.
The position is part of the FAO project “Enhancing Regional Technical Capacities for Sustainable Land Monitoring and Development”, which aims to strengthen technical capacity and knowledge for land monitoring using a common framework across West Africa.
Organizational Context
FAO supports countries in transforming agrifood systems to become more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable. Through its Sub-Regional Office for West Africa, FAO works with countries and regional organizations to address food security, nutrition, agriculture, forestry, fisheries, land, water and pastoralism priorities.
The office provides technical support to ECOWAS member countries and to countries of the Inter-State Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel, particularly in strengthening resilience and supporting sustainable land management.
The selected specialist will be based in Accra, Ghana.
Reporting Lines
The National Land Cover and GIS Specialist will work under the overall guidance of the FAO Representative and the direct supervision of the Assistant FAO Representative.
The specialist will also receive technical guidance from the Technical Officer of the Geospatial Unit in FAO’s Land and Water Division. When activities are implemented in-country, the incumbent will work closely with the FAO Representation, national stakeholders and the FAO Sub-Regional Office for West Africa.
Technical Focus
The position focuses on:
- Land cover and land use;
- Geographic Information Systems;
- Remote sensing;
- Satellite image analysis;
- Sustainable land monitoring;
- Geospatial data management.
Main Responsibilities
The specialist will support the implementation of land cover and land use activities under the TCP/SFW/4008 project in Ghana.
Key responsibilities include supporting regional coordination, organizing technical meetings and workshops, assisting field data collection, and contributing to capacity development in GIS and remote sensing.
The specialist will also contribute to needs and gap assessments on land cover and land use by collecting existing datasets and engaging national partners and stakeholders.
Other responsibilities include supporting the preparation of training materials, contributing to technical guidance documents, helping design field data collection strategies, and assisting in satellite imagery classification according to Ghana’s national land cover legend.
The role will also involve supporting the development of land cover datasets for Ghana using available free imagery and geospatial tools, including SEPAL and Google Earth Engine.
Required Qualifications
Applicants must meet the following minimum requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture, GIS, Geography, Environmental Sciences or a closely related technical field;
- A Master’s degree is considered an asset;
- At least five years of relevant experience in spatial data handling and analysis, satellite data processing, GIS and remote sensing applications;
- Working knowledge of English;
- Knowledge of French is an advantage;
- Applicants must be nationals of Ghana.
FAO Core Competencies
Candidates will be assessed against the following FAO core competencies:
- Results focus;
- Teamwork;
- Communication;
- Building effective relationships;
- Knowledge sharing and continuous improvement.
Selection Criteria
Additional experience in the following areas will be considered an advantage:
- Programming languages such as R and Python for GIS and remote sensing;
- Work experience in international organizations or projects supporting developing countries;
- Satellite image analysis and geospatial data management;
- Cloud-computing platforms such as SEPAL and Google Earth Engine;
- Batch scripting, geostatistical packages and automatic classification methods;
- Capacity development and knowledge transfer in GIS and remote sensing;
- Familiarity with FAO’s Land Cover Classification System tools;
- Ability to communicate technical results to different audiences.
Important Information for Applicants
FAO does not charge any fee at any stage of the recruitment process.
Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted. Candidates are encouraged to submit their applications well before the deadline.
Only applications submitted through the FAO recruitment portal will be considered. Applicants are required to complete their online profile and attach a motivation letter.
All selected candidates will undergo reference and background checks. Appointment will be subject to medical fitness, accreditation, residency or visa requirements, and security clearance.
How to Apply
Interested candidates should apply through the official FAO recruitment website by completing their online profile and submitting the required documents before the deadline.
Deadline: 4 June 2026
Location: Accra, Ghana
Contract Duration: Up to 12 months, with possibility of extension
