Hydrologist

The Hydrologist will provide hydrological and hydraulic expertise across the WFP South Sudan operation, supporting infrastructure planning, assessment, design, implementation, monitoring, and sustainable operation and maintenance. The role strengthens flood-risk management and climate adaptation, serving as a technical focal point for government and inter-agency engagement.

Responsibilities

• Undertake hydrological studies for roads, bridges, airport/airstrips, ports, dykes, drainage systems, river ways, warehouses, and other infrastructure; analyse rainfall, runoff, river flow, flood frequency, catchment characteristics, and watershed conditions; determine design floods and return periods; and assess the impacts of climate variability and change on assets and surrounding environments.
• Conduct hydraulic modelling of rivers, channels, culverts, drainage structures, floodways, and flood-protection systems; review and validate hydraulic designs prepared by consultants and contractors; recommend appropriate drainage and flood-mitigation measures; and assess river morphology, erosion, sediment transport, and bank stability.
• Support flood-hazard mapping and flood-risk and vulnerability assessments; identify infrastructure, assets, and communities exposed to flooding; develop mitigation and adaptation measures, including nature-based and ecosystem-based solutions; and support emergency flood-response assessments and recovery planning.
• Review feasibility studies, engineering designs, technical specifications, BoQs, and tender documents from a hydrological and hydraulic perspective; evaluate contractor and consultant submissions; work with site teams to plan tailored responses to weather events such as flash floods; and support quality assurance and the design of climate-resilient infrastructure during construction, operation, and maintenance.
• Assess flood and seasonal-access risks along priority logistics corridors and advise on the most effective methods of managing and controlling floodwater to keep critical access open; undertake condition assessments for clearing and maintaining river ways to support river-transport operations; and provide hydrological inputs to seasonal access planning, pre-positioning decisions, and logistics contingency planning.
• Assess flood hazard and drainage conditions at offices, accommodation, field hubs, and warehouses; advise on safe siting, flood protection, and drainage to safeguard staff welfare, assets, and operational continuity; and identify exposed WFP facilities and recommend protective and business-continuity measures.
• Provide hydrological and climate-risk evidence to programme targeting, resilience design, adaptation strategies, concept notes, and investment proposals, including support to climate-finance instruments such as the Green Climate Fund; act as technical focal point for the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation and associated ministries; and liaise with UN agencies, the Logistics Cluster, government institutions, and contractors on hydrological matters.
• Supervise and provide technical leadership to other hydrological staff, including national staff engaged through third-party service providers; assign, plan, and review their work and the quality of their outputs; and systematically develop their technical capacity through mentoring, on-the-job coaching, structured training, and performance management.
• Collect, analyse, and manage hydrological and meteorological data and develop databases, maps, and analytical outputs using GIS, remote sensing, and modelling tools; mentor WFP engineers and Government counterparts and deliver training and technical guidelines on hydrology, flood-risk management, and climate resilience; undertake frequent field missions to project and operational locations; and perform any other duties as assigned by the supervisor and line managers.

Requirements

• Advanced University Degree (Master’s level) in Hydrology, Water Resources Engineering, Hydraulic Engineering, Civil or Environmental Engineering, Earth Sciences, or a closely related field; or a First University Degree with additional years of relevant experience and/or professional training.
• For master’s degree holders: a minimum of Seven (7) years of progressively responsible professional experience in hydrology, hydraulics, water resources engineering, or related fields.
• For first-degree holders: a minimum of Nine (9) years of the above experience is required.
• Demonstrated expertise in hydrological and hydraulic studies of river basins, flood assessment, flood modelling, and flood mitigation.
• Proven experience supporting road, airport/airstrip, bridge, dyke, drainage, river-engineering, port, and water-infrastructure projects.
• Knowledge of stormwater and watershed management and of climate-resilient infrastructure design.
• Experience integrating hydrological inputs across engineering, logistics and access, field facilities, and programme or resilience work.
• Experience in humanitarian, development, government, or international organization contexts is highly desirable.
• Experience in remote, flood-prone, or post-conflict environments is an advantage; familiarity with the South Sudan or East Africa context is an asset.
• Registration as a professional Engineer, Hydrologist, or Natural Scientist with a recognized national or regional regulatory body is highly desirable.
• Strong knowledge of hydrological and hydraulic principles, design floods, and return-period analysis.
• Proficiency in hydrological and hydraulic modelling software such as HEC-HMS, HEC-RAS, SWMM, MIKE, or equivalent.
• Proficiency in GIS and remote sensing applications (ArcGIS, QGIS) and in Civil 3D / AutoCAD or equivalent.
• Understanding of climate adaptation and resilience frameworks and of international engineering standards and best practices.
• Strong analytical, communication, technical report-writing, and presentation skills.
• Ability to work independently and within a multi-disciplinary team; able to multitask and prioritise workload to meet deadlines.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Project).
• Fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of Arabic or local South Sudanese languages is an advantage.

Skills

• Hydrological Studies
• Hydraulic Studies
• Flood Assessment
• Flood Modelling
• Flood Mitigation
• Water Resources Engineering
• Stormwater Management
• Watershed Management
• Climate-Resilient Infrastructure Design
• Hydrological Inputs Integration
• Hydrological Principles
• Hydraulic Principles
• Design Floods Analysis
• Return-Period Analysis
• HEC-HMS
• HEC-RAS
• SWMM
• MIKE Modelling Software
• GIS Software
• Remote Sensing
• ArcGIS
• QGIS
• Civil 3D
• AutoCAD
• Climate Adaptation Frameworks
• International Engineering Standards
• Technical Report Preparation
• MS Word
• MS Excel
• MS Project

Languages

English