GIS Associate

This position can be based in Cameroon, the Republic of Congo or the Democratic Republic of Congo.

**About the Program:
**
WRI’s Global Restoration Initiative is accelerating restoration progress as the Secretariat and catalyst for key regional initiatives such as the African Forestry Restoration Initiative (AFR100, 32 countries committed to restore 120+ million hectares by 2030) and Initiative 20 x 20 (18 countries in Latin America committed to restore 50+ million hectares by 2030). The Global Restoration Initiative operates through three pillars: Enabling decision makers to meet ambitious restoration targets through political mobilization and programs like the Policy Accelerator Informing stakeholders and restoration implementers with cutting-edge data, monitoring, and tracking tools through Land and Carbon Watch, TerraMatch, and other digital platforms Investing in smallholder restoration through entrepreneurs and communities with direct capital (TerraFund for AFR100) and capacity building (Land Accelerator/TerraMatch) TerraFund for AFR100 | TerraMatch.

**Job Highlight:
**
In this role, you will support TerraFund progress verification protocol development, the execution of verification roll-out across TerraFund projects, and lessons sharing. You will build project developers’ skills on how to interact with geospatial data and provide technical assistance. You will support GIS restoration work in the Congo Basin and existing projects in Cameroon. You will be supported by Global Restoration Initiative project management, monitoring, and product teams as well as the Congo Basin, Forests Program. You will report to the Congo Basin Strategy and Engagement Leader and Global Restoration Initiative Project Monitoring Manager.

This role will involve 30-40% travel.

**What will you do:

TerraFund Verification (40%):**

• Support analyses of how verification data comes together (e.g. field, drones, geotagged photos)
• Manage drone imagery and drone image processing and coordinate logistics and planning with drone partners
• Support the production of knowledge products on verification, project monitoring knowledge products related to the lessons learned of Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV), and data trends
• Design data visuals and collaborate with TerraMatch UX researcher and Product Manager on what project developers want to see and provide input on specifications for TerraMatch developers and user testing documents

Technical Assistance and Training (30%):

• Provide technical assistance to project developers, especially French speakers on how to submit quality shapefiles and attribute tables as well as assess the quality of their shapefiles
• Provide quality assurance of translated materials such as technical content and guidance to project developers
• Collaborate with other GIS analysts and the Restoration on the Monitoring Support Unit to explore relevant data (e.g. external, Global Forest Watch/Land and Carbon Lab) that could be used to help projects make decisions about their restoration planning or manage performance such as tree cover gain, like the Radar for Detecting Deforestation (RADD) alert
• Provide GIS related restoration support in the Congo basin, as needed

GIS training and forest atlas update in Cameroon (30%):

• Support the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife (MINFOF) in data collection, quality control and data update to the Cameroon Forest Atlas as well as identify new areas of analysis to support the ministry’s atlases and dashboard development
• Participate in the administration of the country’s forest atlases production servers and the development of new database management tools (e.g. CMS, map builder, ArcGIS Hub) in the Amazon web service
• Support PAMFOR project implementation by guiding CSOs in investigation preparation, planning and reviewing map quality in the report prior to publishing

What will you need:

• Education: You have completed a bachelor’s degree in GIS, Environmental Science, Geography, Forest Ecology, or another related field
• Experience: You have 5+ years full-time relevant work experience using GIS, with expertise in GIS software, including ArcGIS Desktop 10.x, ArcGIS Pro, or QGIS, and Google Earth Engine
• Demonstrated experience independently developing GIS methods and delivering robust analytical products
• Experience with both raster- and vector-based GIS analyses, including large and complex datasets
• Experience with giving presentations and explaining technical topics to non-technical audiences
• Experience with writing, including the development of methodology and guidance documents
• Familiarity with programming using Python, R, SQL, or other analysis tools to automate workflows, including large volumes of data
• Languages: You are proficient in written and verbal English and French.

Potential Salary: 
Salary is commensurate with experience and other compensable factors. WRI offers a competitive remuneration and benefits package.   How to Apply:

Please submit a resume with cover letter by 7 April 2023. You must apply through the WRI Careers portal to be considered.

What we offer:

• A competitive salary
• Access to the WRI global network with the opportunity to exchange with and learn from passionate colleagues working at the cutting edge of their fields across Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and the US.
• The chance to have an impact and to develop your career within a mission driven organization with access to varied learning and training opportunities.
• A workplace that strives to put diversity and inclusion at the heart of our work.
• The opportunity to join and get involved in different working groups and affinity groups to shape the future of WRI.
• Long-term commitment to hybrid working model with flexible working hours.
• Generous leave days that increase with tenure.

About Us:

Founded in 1982, World Resources Institute (WRI) is an independent, nonprofit global research organization that turns big ideas into action at the nexus of environment, economic opportunity, and human well-being. We are working to address seven critical challenges that the world must overcome this decade to secure a sustainable future for people and the planet: climate change, energy, food, forests, water, sustainable cities, and the ocean. WRI has a global staff of over 1,800 people with work spanning 60 countries. We have offices in Africa, Brazil, China, Europe, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Colombia and the United States, as well as a growing presence in other countries and regions.

The foundation of our work is delivering high-quality research, data, maps, and analysis to solve the world’s greatest environment and international development challenges and improve people’s lives. We work with leaders in government, business, and civil society to drive ambitious action and create change on the ground. Equally important, we bring together partners to develop breakthrough ideas and scale-up solutions for far-reaching, enduring impact.

Our mission and values:

WRI’s mission is to move human society to live in ways that protect Earth’s environment and its capacity to provide for the needs and aspirations of current and future generations.

Our values are shared ideals that bind us together: Integrity, Innovation, Urgency, Independence, Respect.

Our culture:

WRI is committed to advancing gender and social equity for human well-being in our mission and applies this principle to our organizational and programmatic practices. We are committed to providing equal opportunities in employment, we embrace all diversity and encourage women, the LGBTQ+ community, persons with disabilities, Afro-descendants, and Indigenous people to apply. Recognizing our strong commitment to gender equality, WRI has also been awarded EDGE certification.

Our team in Human Resources carefully reviews all applications.