AI Geoprocessing Specialist - Urban Solutions

The AI Geoprocessing Specialist will contribute to the design and implementation of geospatial tools powered by automation and artificial intelligence to enhance urban analysis, planning, monitoring, and decision-making processes. The profile should be versatile, with the ability to develop tools pow-ered by geospatial analysis, automation, and applied artificial intelligence that promote more sustain-able, resilient, and inclusive cities (SDG 11).

Bogotá, Colombia

3 months

BACKGROUND The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cit-ies. UN-Habitat is the focal point for all urbanization and human settlement matters with-in the UN system. UN-Habitat works with partners to build inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities and communities. UN-Habitat promotes urbanization as a positive transformative force for people and communities, reducing inequality, discrimination and poverty. The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) Andean Countries HUB, based in Bogotá, serves as a sub-regional platform supporting sustainable, inclusive and resilient urban devel-opment across the Andean region. The HUB provides technical assistance to national and local gov-ernments to strengthen urban policies, planning systems, climate action, governance, and financing mechanisms, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals—particularly SDG 11—and the New Urban Agenda. Through partnerships with public institutions, academia and civil society, it promotes knowledge exchange, innovation and integrated urban solutions tailored to regional challenges. In this context, the office requires specialized technical support to strengthen the development and implementation of geospatial and intelligent solutions that respond to multiple programmatic needs in urban environments. The AI Geoprocessing Specialist will contribute to the design and implementation of geospatial tools powered by automation and artificial intelligence to enhance urban analysis, planning, monitoring, and decision-making processes. The profile should be versatile, with the ability to develop tools pow-ered by geospatial analysis, automation, and applied artificial intelligence that promote more sustain-able, resilient, and inclusive cities (SDG 11). RESPONSIBILITIES a.) Information and validation: • Support informal settlement mapping processes through automation models for satellite im-age interpretation. • Development of frameworks to visualize basic urban services in Integrated Solid Waste Man-agement projects in Latin America. • Collaborative development of platforms for monitoring sustainable development indicators. • Maintenance and further development of existing platforms such as the Urban Inclusion Marker (UIM) and Inclusive Cities knowledge products. • Development of cartographic content platforms to present risk and territorial threat assess-ments. • Apply ethical standards in handling georeferenced information related to vulnerable popula-tions. • Align data management practices with international standards for geospatial and geolocated population data. • Identify and mitigate biases and risks associated with AI applications in territorial contexts. b.) Development: • Collaboratively design with the design and communications team an intuitive web platform that enables small municipalities to generate their own targeting analyses. • Implement step-by-step assistants using accessible language for users without technical train-ing. • Integrate customizable and pre-designed templates for different municipal contexts. • Integrate descriptive and interactive information into platforms based on GitHub and linked to WordPress. • The consultant will be responsible for generating necessary inputs in the framework of his/her responsibilities. • Prepare datasets, fine-tune models, and evaluate metrics to ensure reliable results. • Apply and adapt existing AI models for satellite image analysis applicable to multiple urban use cases. • Implement automated detection systems for urban indicators (population density, housing ty-pologies, green areas). • Collaboratively design interfaces for the validation of results by territorial experts. • Adapt developed tools to the specific needs of diverse projects. • Document and train the internal technical team in the use and maintenance of the solutions. • Participate in the design of innovative methodologies for territorial and urban analysis. • Conduct satellite image analysis using tools such as Google Earth Engine, ArcGIS Image Analyst, or similar platforms. • Integrate multiple geospatial data sources (vector, raster, LiDAR, drone data). • Apply advanced spatial analysis techniques, including hot spot analysis, proximity analysis, and surface interpolation. • Develop and manage geospatial AI training workflows, including dataset preparation, model configuration, training, and evaluation. • Adapt developed tools to the specific needs of various urban projects. • Document methodologies and technical processes. • Train internal technical teams in the use and maintenance of developed solutions. • Contribute to the design of innovative methodologies for urban and territorial analysis. c.) Approval: · The Consultant will work under the overall supervision and approval of the Regional Coordina-tor for the Andean Countries Office. All deliverables, strategic outputs, and technical products developed under this assignment shall be subject to review and formal approval by the Re-gional Coordinator or his/her designated representative. · The Consultant will be responsible for supporting compliance with cross-project support pro-cesses, ensuring that activities and deliverables are aligned with corporate procedures, opera-tional standards, and reporting requirements. d.) Implementation: • Attend the technical (virtual) meetings needed to meet the scopes and objectives defined for the consultancy. • Participate when requested in United Nations System interagency groups, project meetings, of-ficial missions and/or project-related events. • Provide information to UN-Habitat regarding affectations that the process of implementing the consultancy may have. • Follow up on programme guidelines determined by the Project Coordinators and Coordinator HUB Andean Countries. • Comply with the schedule of activities according to the guidelines of the HUB Coordinator. • Ensure that all administrative activities are aligned with the quality expectations of the Agency and counterparty. • The consultant will be responsible for preparing inputs for progress reports and reports, as necessary and requested for the proper verification of its activities and project management. e.) Knowledge Management: • Systematizing methodologies, workflows, and technical processes developed during the assignment. • Developing clear technical documentation, user manuals, and maintenance guidelines for all platforms and AI models. • Creating knowledge products (briefs, technical notes, methodological guides, case studies) to facilitate replication and scaling in other cities or countries. • Supporting the development of standardized templates and frameworks for geospatial and AI applications within the office. • Ensuring that developed tools are reproducible and transferable across projects and contexts. • Contributing to internal capacity building by conducting technical sessions, demonstrations, and hands-on workshops for staff. • Supporting the organization and structuring of code repositories (e.g., GitHub) following best practices in version control, documentation, and open collaboration standards. • Facilitating knowledge exchange between multidisciplinary teams (urban, social, environmen-tal, and technical). • Identifying lessons learned, challenges, and innovation opportunities to inform future pro-gramming. • Support monitoring of UN-Habitat's implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDP) Target 11 dealing with sustainable cities and communities. f.) Others: • Other activities requested and by mutual agreement with the HUB Coordinator of The Andean Countries of UN-Habitat, within the framework of this consultancy and without prejudice to the achievement of its responsibilities. • The consultant will participate in work and follow-up meetings, both with other consultants, as well as with the Coordinator and team of the Andean Countries HUB of UN-Habitat and with the staff of the projects. • The consultant shall be responsible for ensuring that all activities comply with the principles of United Nations integrity.

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Geomatics, Geography, Urban Plan-ning, Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, or related fields is required. A first-level university degree in combination with four (4) additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Minimum two (2) to four (4) years of experience required in geospatial application development or territorial information systems . Required experience in at least two full implementation pro-jects involving geotechnological solutions in urban development contexts, with demonstrated expertise in satellite image analysis and/or AI-based geospatial modeling . Experience working within multi-disciplinary teams, including urban planners, sociologists, and development specialists, is required. Strong knowledge of the Latin American context—particularly Colombia—in urban and territorial de-velopment is required . Experience in humanitarian or international cooperation settings is desira-ble. Experience within the United Nations System is desirable.

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, English and Spanish is required. Knowledge of another UN Official Language is desirable.

Not available.