Vacancy Announcement No: UPU/23/Intern/ISHIP/425 Title: Geographic information system integration in postal addresses Type of contract: Internship Duration: Six months
Publication Date: 28 September 2023 Application Deadline: 30 October 2023 ( ) Internships Organizational Unit: Postal Operations Directorate (DOP ) Duty Station: Bern Switzerland Scheduled date for taking up appointment: Immediately or as soon as possible by agreement
The Universal Postal Union (UPU), a specialized agency of the United Nations and the principal forum for cooperation between postal sector stakeholders, establishes the rules for international mail exchanges. It has 192 member countries and has its headquarters in Berne.
Its primary objective is to encourage the provision of quality postal services that are accessible to all, and its core mission is to develop social, cultural and commercial communication between peoples.
The UPU comprises several bodies, including the Postal Operations Council (POC), made up of representatives from 48 member countries, which considers operational and technical matters of interest to the postal service. The POC promotes the introduction of new postal products. It also establishes standards for the implementation of various technological, operational and other processes and procedures.
Through its addressing activities, the UPU aims to be the international focal point for postal addresses worldwide, for member countries as well as regional and international partners. The UPU strives to assist member countries in developing and improving their addressing and postcode systems, with the goal of improving the coverage of address infrastructure globally by integrating cutting-edge technologies. The UPU provides technical assistance in the areas of physical addresses, national addressing standards, postcodes, postal databases, and geographic information system (GIS) integration.
Furthermore, the UPU recently launched the Connect.post initiative, which aims to map all post offices in the world and connect every post office to the Internet by 2030, and to bring meaningful digital inclusion of businesses and citizens in the communities they serve. The postal network offers a unique critical national infrastructure to provide meaningful connectivity and bridge the digital divide in unconnected communities. Connected Posts provide essential government, commercial and financial services for sustainable and inclusive development in the digital economy.
Main duties: Under the direct supervision of the Addressing and Physical Services Expert, the trainee will perform the following duties: – Assist in the preparation and delivery of GIS training, including online training in English and/or French; – Assist in the development of a geospatial application to enable postal authorities to register the location of postal outlets; – Assist in the collection, processing, hosting and evaluation of geodata, including vector, raster and thematic data, for the geospatial databases used for the current national and international projects developed by the programme; – Assist in the effective design of operational dashboards and relevant services to support decision making through GIS integration; – Participate in the development of standard mapping templates and layouts including symbology, labels, annotation and marginal information for paper, PDF and web mapping formats; – Study and analyze GIS trends within the postal sector, and research and prepare case studies and best practices to be published.
QUALIFICATION AND SKILLS REQUIRED
The field of study must be closely related to the traineeship in question: geospatial studies in geography, digital cartography or data engineering, or other related studies that involve substantial use of geographic information systems and cartography components.
Technical knowledge – Experience working with GIS software (e.g. ArcGIS, QGIS); – Experience with online mapping tools (e.g. Leaflet, Mapbox, Esri StoryMaps); – Knowledge of spatial data infrastructures; – Knowledge of statistics and geospatial analysis; proficiency in Python is highly desirable; – Completed bachelor’s, or preferably master’s, degree in a relevant field, such as earth, environmental or geospatial sciences; – Ability to work independently and in an organized manner; – Strong analytical, communication and presentation skills; – Basic knowledge of the financial markets is a plus.
The trainee is expected to: – Have a proven keen interest in the work of the United Nations and have a personal commitment to the ideals of the Charter; – Have a proven ability to successfully interact with individuals of different cultural backgrounds and beliefs, which includes a willingness to try to understand and be tolerant of differing opinions and views; – Be computer literate in standard software applications such as Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint; – Be proficient in standard office automation (equipment, scanner, printer, etc.). No professional experience is needed.
Language skills: English and French are the working languages of the UPU International Bureau. For the position advertised, fluency in English, both oral and written, is required. Working knowledge of Spanish or French is an advantage.
Covering letter to be sent to Patricia Vivas at patricia.vivas@upu.int
Additional Information: In line with UPU rules, this traineeship is reserved EXCLUSIVELY for STUDENTS. Any other candidate profile will not be considered. Recent graduates in the areas described above are also invited to apply. They must have graduated within six months of the date of this announcement.
The traineeship will be remunerated in accordance with current UPU Human Resources rules.
The conditions of service are governed by the Staff Regulations and Rules of the International Bureau of the Universal Postal Union.
Please note that all candidates must complete an on-line application form. All applications must be received by the closing date as stated in the vacancy announcement. Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
Applications from women and member states are particularly encouraged.
The UPU promotes diversity and work-life balance.
For further instructions regarding the online application process, please visit the UPU internet page at: https://upu.int/en/Universal-Postal-Union/Careers
Internships