Invitation for Applications
The Somaliland Development Fund – Phase 3 (SDF3) covers the period 2025-2028, with the possibility of a two-year extension. SDF3 aims to strengthen the climate resilience of vulnerable communities in Somaliland while creating increased income and job opportunities, thereby helping to reduce poverty. SDF3’s ambitions are aligned with NDP3 and reflect the priorities set out in Somaliland Vision 2030. Funding for both phases was provided by the United Kingdom (UK), Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway.
The SDF3 Joint Steering Committee has approved the Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) Project in Sanaag, which aims to shift subsistence farming to resilient, inclusive, and market-oriented systems. Targeting 4,500 households in Erigavo and El-Afwein districts, the project will address climate and market challenges through climate-resilient infrastructure, drought-tolerant crops, good agricultural practices, integrated pest management, and solar-powered irrigation. Complementary actions will include capacity building, cooperative strengthening, and value chain development. Guided by a triple dividend approach, the project seeks to enhance climate resilience, raise farmers’ incomes, expand market share, and promote social inclusion for women, youth, and marginalized groups.
Following the approval of the project, the SDF intends to recruit a Geographical Information System (GIS) Expert in accordance with the approved proposal and the SDF3 Operational Guidelines (Octo-ber 2025). The GIS Expert will support the project in developing a verifiable digital profile of farms across the seven target locations, namely: Seeraha, Lanqiciye, Bixin, Ilad, Xamaas, Midisho, and Kulmiye by digitising agricultural land and irrigation infrastructure and registering farmers using the Digital Deployment Kit (DDK) framework. This will replace fragmented paper records with a centralised, interoperable database that supports evidence-based planning, targeted extension services, climate-resilient strategies, and monitoring. The SDF Secretariat therefore invites qualified professionals to apply for this position.
The objective of the assignment: The objective is to develop a verifiable digital profile of farms across the seven target locations, namely: Seeraha, Lanqiciye, Bixin, Ilad, Xamaas, Midisho, and Kulmiye by digitising agricultural land and irrigation infrastructure and registering farmers using the Digital Deploy-ment Kit (DDK) framework. This will replace fragmented paper records with a centralised, interoperable database that supports evidence-based planning, targeted extension services, climate-resilient strate-gies, and monitoring.
Key Tasks: The consultant will undertake the following:
Data review and preparation
• Review existing RGB drone imagery and CSA project documentation. Drone imagery has been collected during assessments and will need to be used as a starting point.
• Prepare pre-field GIS maps showing digitised farm boundaries, unique IDs, crop categories, GPS waypoints, and access routes
Data integration and analysis
• Integrate ODK survey results with GIS polygons to create a dynamic “Living Map” and data-base.
• Ensure quantitative data is maintained and stored in a manner that is fully confidential where specific individuals cannot be identified in the data.
• Integrate crop yield findings and calculate yield indicators (kg/ha or t/ha) and analyse variability to identify yield gaps caused by management or climate constraints.
Survey design
• Develop questionnaires aligned with FAO and World Bank yield assessment standards, includ-ing modules for GPS confirmation, crop variety, phenology, input use, and climate stress factors in both English and Somali.
• Jointly review the developed questionnaire with the SDF Secretariat and the MoAD and finalise them ready for programming into Open Data Kit (ODK) or any another equivalent/better mobile data collection platform.
• Programme the approved questionnaire into Open Data Kit (ODK) suite or any another equiv-alent/better mobile data collection platform.
• This will also include the setting up of a server that will receive the mobile data collected and tracking of georeferenced data with the created unique identifiers collected for future surveys through accessing historic submissions.
• Test, validate, and deploy data collection platform forms to mobile devices prior to training that are able to also capture farm boundaries.
Enumerator training and tools pre-testing and logistics arrangements
• Organise the training of enumerators together with the SDF Secretariat focal person.
• Train approximately 18-21 enumerators on GPS navigation, mobile data collection, crops grown, and land use for 3 days.
• Organise for pre-testing of the survey questionnaires under real conditions prior to actual field mobilisation, monitoring time per question, sync of question and average time for the whole questionnaire.
• Carry out all field operations, including logistical arrangements for data collection and obtaining the meaningful consent of respondents. Through the Secretariat, and the MoAD, will also contact local officials and leaders to explain the assignment and obtain community consent for the survey, lists and other community records as required.
Farmer registration/data collection
• Collect data using the developed ODK-based registration system capturing farmer details (name, gender, age, household size), farm attributes, crop types, and irrigation sources, etc for all farms in the project locations.
• Mobilise farmers to identify the farms in the project locations.
• Link farmer records to GIS polygons for integrated profiling.
• Conduct implementation of checks and controls to ensure the quality of information being collected, is using the proposed and agreed data collection methods.
• Implement daily data review and validation to ensure accuracy.
Farm mapping and classification
• Use ODK-enabled GPS tools to create high-precision digital polygons for all farms within at least a 180-hectare target area.
• Digitise farm boundaries from high-resolution drone imagery and classify farms by crop type (e.g., vegetables, sorghum, fruit trees, etc).
• Compute and illustrate cultivated areas (ha) for each farm and crop category.
• Conduct selective field verification to validate boundaries and classifications
Reporting
• Produce maps illustrating farm distribution, land utilisation, crop types, and yield performance.
• Generate analytical tables and charts formatted for donor and government reporting.
• Prepare a comprehensive final assessment report.
Required Qualifications, Skills and Experience
The Geographical Information Systems (GIS) Expert is expected to have the following skills, experience and qualifications:
Qualifications
• At least a bachelor’s degree in Geographical Information Systems (GIS), Environmental Studies, Survey and Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing, Geoinformatics.
• Professional certification or training in GIS software (ArcGIS/QGIS) and remote sensing applications.
• Excellent written and spoken English and Somali.
General Experience
• Minimum of 10 years of professional experience in an organisation that deals with agricultural development, rural planning, or land administration, with a focus on digital mapping and data systems.
• At least 5 years’ experience in managing enumerators in large-scale data collection and analysis projects.
Specific Experience
• At least 5 years’ experience in expertise in digitising farm/catchment boundaries using high-resolution drone imagery and creating GIS polygons.
• At least 5 years of demonstrated proficiency in GIS software (ArcGIS/QGIS), remote sensing tools, and GPS survey techniques for agricultural land mapping, catchment mapping and farming activities planning.
• Evidence of at least two assignments involving using, training, designing and deploying ODK (Open Data Kit) suite or any other mobile data collection platform; including skip logic, GPS validation, and image capture for farmer registration or yield assessment in the last five years.
• Evidence of at least 2 assignments involving production of thematic maps, farmer databases, analytical charts, and comprehensive reports in the last 5 years.
As part of the selection process, the candidates may be requested to provide examples of verifiable project reports from their most recent or relevant assignments. Links to reports which are available online can be provided as a part of the application.
Interested candidates should send their application (cover letter and CV) to the Somaliland Development Fund Secretariat through e-mail jobs@sdf-secretariat.org. Candidates should indicate in their cover letter how they fit the criteria outlined in the advert. All applications must be received by Monday 9 February 2026 at 1600hrs East African Standard Time. Applicants should clearly indicate the position they are applying for in the email subject line.
Any attempt by a candidate to influence the outcome of the recruitment process in any way which can be interpreted as canvassing will lead to automatic disqualification from being considered for this position.
This role is open to both International and Somaliland nationals
Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply
The Somaliland Development Fund was established in 2012 as a pooled fund to provide a single vehicle through which Development Partners could support Somaliland’s development goals. The SDF supports the Government of Somaliland in delivering strategi... Read More
