Back-end Developer (Geospatial & Cloud Solutions)

Organizational Setting

Under UNJP/ALB/022/JP, FAO Albania leads efforts with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to support the sustainable digital transformation of Albania’s agriculture and rural areas with an ambitious 3-years joint programme entitled “Digital Agriculture and Rural Transformation (DART)” as part of the SDG Fund – Digital Transformation Window call.

DART aims to increase agriculture productivity, advance socio-economic growth, and enhance rural livelihoods in Albania by 2027. It harnesses the potential of digitalization to transform the agri-food sector from national level to underserved rural areas in Albania delivering on three components: 1) the formulation of Albania’s National Digital Agriculture Strategy and Action Plan (led by FAO, with support from ITU) 2) the farmer-centric design and delivery of digital services via the recently launched national Farmers’ Portal (Portali i Fermerit) (led by FAO) 3) the development of digital capacities among national public workers, TVET schools and centres; smallholder farmers and other vulnerable groups in rural areas (led by ILO).

A key deliverable under Component 2 is the enhancement of the Albania Farmers’ Portal, ensuring user-centered, inclusive, and accessible digital services that support rural women and men equally. To achieve this, FAO Albania seeks a Back-End developer to support the design and implementation of the portal’s server-side architecture, geospatial data infrastructure, cloud integrations, and secure APIs. The system will include mobile and web-based interfaces, supporting workflows from field-level monitoring (e.g. by farmers or inspectors) to national-level agricultural data access by institutions.

This position offers a National Personal Service Agreement (PSA.NAT) contract for an initial 230 days (equivalent to 11 months). A break from duty of at least 30 consecutive days is mandatory within any twelve-month period after which the contract is renewable upon satisfactory performance and funds availability.

Only persons holding citizenship and/or valid residence permit in Albania are eligible to apply.

The incumbent shall be based in Tirana.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision and technical leadership of the FAO Senior Technical Advisor on Digital Agriculture, in close coordination with the Service Designer (Product Owner), Front-End Developer, Data Scientist, UN Agencies and international and national partners, the Back-End developer shall undertake the tasks and responsibilities outlined below.

Technical Focus

In close collaboration with the Service Designer and other technical team members, the Back-End Developer will lead the implementation of secure, scalable, and interoperable backend infrastructure. The role focuses on (1) Hosting and managing geospatial databases; (2) Automating EO data processing pipelines via open-source tools; (3) Integrating field-level crowdsourced data; (4) Ensuring real-time communication with web and mobile front ends; (5) Supporting role-based access for different user types within users’ ecosystem.

Tasks and responsibilities

1.    API Development and Core Server Functions
•     Design, develop, and maintain RESTful APIs for data exchange between front-end clients and server.
•     Implement role-based access control (RBAC) for different user types (farmers, advisors, national users).
•     Ensure data validation, versioning, and secure data storage.
•     Set up or maintain CI/CD Pipelines (GitHub Actions).
2.    Geospatial Database and Services Management
•     Set up and maintain spatial databases (e.g. PostGIS) to handle user field boundaries, geotagged reports, and EO-derived indicators.
•     Support time series storage of processed geospatial layers (e.g. NDVI, LAI) at multiple scales and per user-defined area.
•     Configure services to allow querying and visualizing processed raster/vector data on demand.
3.    Cloud Infrastructure and EO Data Automation
•     Integrate open-source tools (e.g. Sen4Stat) for deploying the automation of preprocessing Sentinel imagery and derivation of vegetation indicators.
•     Ensure integration with cloud-hosted EO data repositories (e.g. GEE, AWS Open Data) with cost-effective storage of results.
•     Manage job scheduling, monitoring, and logs of EO data pipelines.
4.    Integration and Interoperability
•     Ensure interoperability with national platforms and registries (e.g. Farm Register, Cadaster, RUDA, e-Albania, ASIG), following national cybersecurity protocols.
•     Collaborate with the Front-End Developer to deliver real-time, user-specific data layers.
•     Provide backend integration support for the LLM-based chatbot, managing content retrieval endpoints.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements    

•     University degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field
•     Minimum 5 years of experience in back-end development
•     Working knowledge (level C) of English and Albanian
•     National of Albania or resident in the country with a valid work permit.

FAO Core Competencies

•     Results Focus
•     Teamwork
•     Communication
•     Building Effective Relationships
•     Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

•     Proven experience designing and managing RESTful APIs. 
•     Familiarity with version control systems (e.g.: GitHub), reproducible workflows, and clear documentation
•     Experience working with spatial data formats (GeoTIFF, GeoJSON, WMS/WFS) and GIS tools.
•     Familiarity with cloud platforms (e.g. AWS, GEE) and storage management.
•     Familiarity with open-source EO tools, including deploying Sen4Stat pipelines and geoprocessing python libraries (e.g. GDAL, rasterio, geopandas, etc), is considered a strong asset.
•     Familiarity with containerized environments (e.g., Docker) and processing in Linux-based systems.
•     Understanding of DevOps principles, job scheduling (e.g. cron, Celery), and monitoring tools.
•     Knowledge of data protection and API security protocols.
•     Experience working in agile development teams is an asset.
•     Ability to collaborate with designers, back-end developers, and end-users.

Selection Criteria

•     Proficiency in Python and at least one back-end framework (e.g. Django, FastAPI, Flask)
•     Experience with PostgreSQL/PostGIS, Docker, and Linux-based deployments
•     Demonstrated experience developing and deploying backend systems involving geospatial data.
•     Proven ability to automate and manage EO data pipelines.
•     Experience handling crowdsourced or user-submitted data securely and reliably.
•     Familiarity with integration standards relevant to government IT systems.
•     Ability to troubleshoot independently, write clear documentation, and support collaborative workflows.
•     Experience working with development teams in international or multi-stakeholder contexts.
•     Strong attention to detail.   
•     Strong problem-solving and time-management skills.  
•     Ability to collaborate effectively with team members and external stakeholders. 
•     Ability to work independently.