Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology

Digital Field Data Technical Lead (f/m/d)

The Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (MPI EVA) in Leipzig investigates the history of humankind through comparative analyses of genes, cultures, cognitive abilities, languages, and social systems of past and present human populations, as well as closely related primate species. The integration of these research areas leads to new insights into the history, diversity, and capabilities of the human species.
The MPI EVA currently brings together approximately 450 staff members and around 250 visiting researchers from diverse countries across seven scientific departments, all of which pursue interdisciplinary research on human evolution.

The Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture (Director: Prof. Richard McElreath) investigates the role of culture in human evolution and adaptation. The primary goal is to theorize, design, and conduct longitudinal studies of human adaptation and cultural dynamics in ecological context. By integrating cross-cultural fieldwork with mathematical models and advanced quantitative methods, we hope to contribute to the interdisciplinary study of human evolution and human social dynamics.

We are seeking
a Digital Field Data Technical Lead (f/m/d)
as soon as possible (full-time with 39h/week)

Your responsibilities

• Designing, operating, and further developing large-scale digital field research systems focused on high-frequency, longitudinal household data (income, production, consumption, assets, demographics).
• Maintaining and extending multi-year household panel systems requiring repeated data collection across years and seasons.
• Integrating household- and community-level economic data with field-based ecological measurements.
• Developing and maintaining systems for integrating remote sensing data and computer vision-based ecological monitoring outputs with socio-economic and institutional datasets.
• Ensuring continuous, reliable operation of field data systems under real-world constraints (e.g., delayed reporting, incomplete observations, enumerator turnover, seasonal variation).
• Coordinating technical integration across multiple long-running research programs and active field sites.
• Providing hands-on technical support and training to field teams and research collaborators in remote and logistically complex environments.
• Developing field-tested protocols, workflows, and documentation to ensure consistent data collection, system resilience, and long-term research continuity.
• Supporting statistical and computational analysis pipelines that jointly analyze ecological, economic, and behavioral data generated by these field systems.
• Collaborating with local partners, community representatives, and research stakeholders to ensure context-sensitive, culturally appropriate technical systems.

Your profile

• Advanced academic degree (M.Sc. and Ph.D.) in economics, computational social science, environmental social science, or a closely related discipline, with substantial field research experience.
• More than 10 years of experience managing active field research sites in remote or logistically complex settings.
• Direct responsibility for an ongoing, multi-year field research system focused on the interaction between environmental conditions and household economic behavior.
• Demonstrated expertise in designing, operating, and maintaining high-resolution longitudinal household economic data systems under real field conditions.
• Excellent programming skills in R, Julia, and Python applied to large, complex field datasets.
• Extensive experience integrating field ecological data, remote sensing data, geospatial analysis, and computer vision-based ecological monitoring approaches into field-based research workflows.
• Proven ability to combine mobile data collection platforms (e.g., Kobo) with geospatial processing pipelines, ecological monitoring systems, and automated data integration processes.
• Deep practical understanding of data quality management and validation in live field systems, including attrition, missingness, reporting delays, selection bias, and noisy measurements.
• Extensive hands-on experience working directly with communities and local NGOs over multiple years.
• Strong ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly to multidisciplinary scientific teams, field staff, and local community partners.
• Excellent project coordination, documentation, and operational planning skills.
• Excellent spoken and written English skills.

Our Offer

• A diverse, scientifically challenging role in a vibrant, international team within a renowned research institution.
• Remuneration in ac