The GIS Analyst will work within the Global Restoration Monitoring team to improve how we develop, analyze, visualize, and communicate tree cover data products and research to advance restoration monitoring efforts globally. The Global Restoration Initiative aims to catalyze a movement to restore vitality to degraded lands. These degraded lands can be restored into healthy mosaics of sustainable agriculture, agroforestry landscapes (or mixed-forest agriculture), and restored forest ecosystems generating economic, ecological, and social benefits to people and planet.
Our strategy to accelerate restoration action has three components:
- Knowledge: quantify benefits and conduct analyses that frames conversations on the progress of restoration around the globe. We aim to be the source of high-quality data, analyses and stories on forest and landscape restoration.
- Capacity: build restoration entrepreneurs’ skills through the Land Accelerator program and address gaps in policy incentives that impede large scale restoration. We support early adopters (e.g. businesses, policy makers, government agencies) to achieve more, faster through immersive accelerators and mentorship.
- Connection: connect people and create value through regional networks, finance and peer-to-peer learning. The Initiative 20×20 and AFR100 are country-led regional efforts that bring together high-level ministers, civil society organizations, experts and investors with one vision: bring millions of hectares of deforested and degraded landscapes into restoration. TerraMatch is a platform that connects people who grow trees with funders. And, peer-to-peer learning unites 10 landscapes from WRI Brasil, WRI Mexico, WRI India, WRI Indonesia, and WRI Africa to exchange on integrated landscape management.
Job Summary
This is a unique opportunity for an early career product professional who wants to help solve the world’s most urgent and difficult problems. The successful candidate will apply their expertise and interests in GIS analyses and product development to the ongoing development and analyses of restoration monitoring datasets and their integration into front-end platforms, including conducting statistical analyses, developing automated quality control pipelines, and authoring publications and communication materials.
The ideal candidate has a proven ability to analyze large-scale raster data, forge positive relationships across internal and external stakeholders, and an impressive degree of enthusiasm and patience to solve problems and achieve success in a dynamic and evolving environment.
Job Responsibilities
GIS analysis (50%)
- Conduct statistical analyses and research for project-level restoration activities combining remote sensing datasets with field collected data
- Evaluate data products for completion and accuracy, with manual and automated methods
- Contribute to written outputs such as peer-reviewed publications, technical notes, and presentations
- Conduct one-off analyses to support end-user research questions and needs
- Assist in the development of documentation and standardization of code and data products
Product development and support (30%)
- Support robust user research and user needs assessments to ensure that decisions around product development, delivery mechanisms and engagement activities respond to clearly articulated demands from users.
- Gather and validate user needs with the support of platform teams (Resource Watch, Global Forest Watch, TerraMatch, Land and Carbon Lab).
- Manage internal communications on project progress from the project team to a wider internal stakeholder group
Writing and Engagement (20%)
- Assist with data-specific outreach and communication from private-sector, government, and non-profit partner organizations, including conducting authoring technical write-ups for one-off analyses
- Assist with the design and coordination of engagement activities, capacity building and other exercises to accelerate uptake of data products
Job Qualifications
Essential:
- Bachelor’s degree in a related field
- Minimum of 2 years of experience working with remote sensing data or geospatial data in a research or product capacity
- Familiarity with GIS workflows and software, experience using GIS to analyze satellite or raster data
- Experience working with large remote sensing raster datasets
- Programming skills in Python (Numpy, Pandas, SciPy, TensorFlow) and/or Google Earth Engine
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to understand issues from different perspectives, and the confidence to take principled positions or seek help when needed
- Relevant work authorization for the location is required for this opportunity
Preferred:
- Experience conducting remote sensing research with open-source optical or radar imagery for land or tree cover applications
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