GIS and Remote Sensing Specialist, Restore Africa Project at World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF)

Overview

• The GIS and Remote Sensing Specialist will be a member of the CIFOR ICRAF Restore Africa Project Technical Support team supporting activities across the six countries. The incumbent will develop GIS and Remote Sensing tools and protocols for monitoring restoration, tracking trees and mapping areas under carbon development. The main deliverables will include digital spatial maps for site characterization, biophysical baselines, patterns, and trends, as well as developing and managing a digital library of geographic maps. The position aims to enable effective implementation of integrated restoration, livelihood and carbon projects including CIP, Genzero, and CAM funded projects being designed and in six countries in East and Southern Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia).

Duties and responsibilities

• Research Support
• Lead research interventions on digital spatial mapping and verification for project design and monitoring.
• Develop and maintain geospatial data in the cloud, on desktop and mobile applications.
• Ensure data meets appropriate data accuracy and content standards for quality assurance and quality control.
• Designing digital maps with geographic data and other data sources
• Producing maps showing the spatial distribution of various kinds of data, including tree planting.
• Carry out land use change and spatial analysis.
• Produce reports on geographic data utilizing, data visualizations.  

Monitoring, evaluation and Reporting. 

• Develop and implement GIS-based analyses supporting research monitoring evaluation and learning activities.
• Co-design and put up a geospatial database of the individual trees, in new planting and regeneration. 
• Track and measure trees grown under the project and maintain a database for each country.
• Contribute to development of field data collection tools, field logistics and sampling strategies including spatial verification.
• Support field level data collection on biophysical and biodiversity assessments on selected farmers land/communal areas. characterize the farms/areas based on current land cover and land use characteristics.     
• Supervise consultants and interns when they are brought on board. 
• Plan and organize field data collection. ·        
• Produce technical reports, journal papers, book chapters, policy briefs on subjects related spatial changes in forest -agriculture landscapes.
• Contribute to production of a baseline study and other monitoring report. 

Programme management. 

• Organize workshops, conferences on projects and grants, and training of the partners. 
•   Prepare papers, power points, posters, and other forms for presentation in the meetings, workshops, etc. 4.      

Project development and fundraising. 

• Contribute to resource mobilization and other fundraising efforts such as concept notes and proposals within the Africa Directorate.        

Personal capacity development. 

• Explore PhD studies and develop proposal.

Education, knowledge and experience

•  Must have at least an MSc degree in GIS, geography, environmental studies, surveying computer science or related field with demonstrated capabilities in GIS and remote sensing.
•  A PhD will be and adder advantage.
•  Familiarity with GPS data collection and data management, including collector for ArcGIS and other GIS and RS software.
•  Familiarity with standard cartographic methods, theories and principles.
•  Ability to use and edit shapefiles and geodatabases (personal, file, and enterprise)
•  Ability to work with vector and raster datasets.
•  Hands-on knowledge of Esri ArcGIS desktop software, including ArcMap and ArcPro.
•  Proficiency with database programming languages such as SQL, R or Python.
•  Proficiency with front end design languages such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript and various mapping languages.
•  Strong understanding of geodatabases and geodatabase applications.
•  Seven (7) years' relevant experience with three (3) years of supervisory experience in an agricultural or environmental organization
•  Experience using ArcGIS Online, ArcGIS Portal, or another web mapping system.
•  Experience with GPS measuring tools.
•  Experience with mapping tools such as QGIS and Carto.
•  Experience working with different coordinate systems, map projections, and datum’s.
•  Experience using Google Earth and KMZ files.
•  Familiar with LiDAR datasets and usage
•  Experience using Python, ModelBuilder or another common GIS scripting language is desirable,
•  Experience in GIS / RS applications to NRM and Agroforestry is an advantage.

The application deadline is 27 Jul, 2023