Manager, Geospatial Science

About Wildlife Works

Wildlife Works is a community-centered conservation company that implements market-based initiatives to protect the planet’s threatened wilderness and endangered wildlife. The company was founded on the premise that if we want wildlife in our world, it must work for local communities who share their environment. Wildlife Works’ conservation projects drive direct financing to forest communities to fund their own economic development while preventing millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions from entering the atmosphere annually.

Job Summary

The Manager - Geospatial Science will manage the geographic science, analysis and reporting functions in support of the delivery of high-quality carbon offsets for all Wildlife Works’ projects and institutional partnerships. The candidate should have broad experience in both remote sensing and GIS techniques. The candidate should be well versed in land use / land cover change analysis, cartography and remote sensing of biomass. They will also ideally have direct experience in large scale emissions estimation, disturbance monitoring, and risk mapping. Familiarity with leading REDD+ project and program standards criteria is desired, preferably with knowledge of forest and biodiversity conservation. Along with academic credentials, practical experience and demonstrable results are also expected of the applicant.

The role will report to the Chief Technology Officer, based in Burlington, Vermont USA. The candidate’s primary role is to produce scientifically accurate deforestation and degradation estimates at scale, contributing to Wildlife Works’ baseline setting and forest monitoring, reporting and verification activities. Supporting Wildlife Works’ emphasis on building and maintaining regional capacity, the candidate will manage a growing team of analysts in Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America. They will also be expected to work effectively and efficiently with national governments and their donors in support of Wildlife Works’ project goals. Wildlife Works is not donor- or grant-funded; the ideal candidate supports a market-based solution to climate change, with a focus on community partnership.

Responsibilities:

• Lead and manage remote sensing projects related to deforestation and degradation analysis, land cover change monitoring, and emission reductions.
• Manage an international team of geospatial professionals to design and execute remote sensing and GIS projects, including data acquisition, processing, analysis and reporting.
• Develop and implement new remote sensing techniques and methods to improve land cover change and emission reduction analysis, including managing relationships with vendors, consultants and technology providers.
• Stay up-to-date with the latest developments in remote sensing technology and land cover change and emission reduction analysis.
• Prepare and present reports and visualizations of land cover change and emission reduction data to internal and external stakeholders.
• Contribute cartographic, land use / land cover change analysis, risk mapping and baseline setting content to vital documentation throughout the project development lifecycle.
• Develop and maintain relationships with government and higher education partners in support of a science-based approach to achieving accurate, independent results.

Requirements

Required

• Masters degree in Remote Sensing, Geography, Environmental Science, or a related field, PhD preferred.
• At least 5 years of practical working experience in remote sensing, with a focus on land use / land cover change and forest dynamics.
• Experience with remote sensing processing techniques for forest carbon accounting, including the use of optical data sources, lidar and radar.
• Strong experience with GIS software such as ArcGIS Pro, with programming skills in Python or R and experience with GIS workflows and geoprocessing.
• Effective communication and presentation skills, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
• Adept interpersonal skills, with the ability to foster collaboration and build rapport in a multi-cultural team.
• Highly organized, with the ability to effectively collaborate across multiple time zones.
• Legal authorization to work in the United States.

Preferred

• Familiarity with REDD+ implementation and carbon accounting methodologies, including the IPCC guidelines, VCS and other emerging standards and frameworks.
• Knowledge of baseline setting techniques for REDD+ projects, including forest reference emission level