Mercy Corps
Geospatial Advisor
Requisition Number: 7KEMN003069
Full-Time
Garissa, Kenya
About Mercy Corps
Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is
possible.
To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are
diverse and every team member feels that they belong.
We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that
we can be stronger and have long term impact.
Mercy Corps Kenya
Mercy Corps has been working in Kenya since 2008, partnering
with Kenyan communities to drive peace and development.
Last year, our programs reached over 905,000 people across the
country in the areas of strengthening governance, empowering young people,
promoting peace and stability, and supporting resilient livelihoods.
The ASAL Adapts program aims to strengthen ecosystem health in
Wajir and Garissa counties by enhancing the uptake and use of digital
information services and tools among county governments and other key
stakeholders in the rangeland management decision-making chain.
This approach is highly participatory and guides decision-makers
to think more broadly about the relationship between natural resources and the
productivity of their livestock.
The Position
The Geospatial Advisor, working under the ASAL Adapts Program
Manager, is responsible for leading geospatial analysis, capacity building
activities, and stakeholder engagement in Wajir and Garissa.
They will incorporate climate modeling and rangeland health/use
data to lead on decision making with county, ward, and community stakeholders.
They are responsible for initiating and building partnerships
with local governments in Wajir and Garissa counties, translating geospatial
analyses to ward development committees, and working closely with the
Geospatial officer and Natural Resource Managers to prioritize land management
activities in consultation with ward development committees.
They will work closely with the monitoring, evaluation, and
learning (MEAL) team to measure climate information metrics.
They will supervise the Geospatial Officer, who is responsible
for the daily management and implementation of technical activities including
data collection and cleaning, tool development, and creation of maps.
The Geospatial Advisor will also have the opportunity to
participate in Mercy Corps’ wider GIS Working Group with colleagues around the
world.
Essential
Responsibilities
GEOSPATIAL ANALYSIS
& DEVELOPMENT (40%)
· Offer technical support
to the County Governments of Wajir and Garissa on the adoption and utilization
of a web-based and user-friendly county development integrated system which
includes the locations of assets such as vegetation, soil water content,
underground water availability, population density, and county infrastructure
like health facilities, schools, roads, etc.
· Advise the development
of geospatial analyses, writing program code or using desktop software from
inception to production stage.
· Work with users from
county government to scope and analyze geospatial system requirements and
provide tailored support and troubleshooting to users related to geospatial
tools and analyses.
· Incorporate insight from
Ecosystems Services Valuation in geospatial analyses and where relevant,
incorporate datasets from Mercy Corps’ NASA partnership or from the Google
Earth Engine catalog.
· Consider gender, youth,
and people with disabilities in land use analysis and planning.
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION
(30%)
· Work with Geospatial
Officer in collaboration with county government and ward development committees
to make decisions about natural resource management.
· Apply a sustainability
lens to land and water use decisions, balancing the need for livelihood
activities and long term landscape ecology.
· Draw on geospatial data
and community input to make natural resource management decisions and allocate
resources for natural resource management decisions.
· Train communities on
uptake and utilization of digital climate information services.
· Train climate
information actors on integration and co-production of climate advisory
services.
· Incorporate feedback
from government and community stakeholders into the analytical process.
· In collaboration with
the MEAL coordinator, support in the monitoring and evaluation of program
activities.
INFLUENCE,
REPRESENTATION & FUNDING (30%)
· In collaboration with
Communications and Learning Coordinator, contribute to knowledge sharing
materials and disseminate with relevant audiences.
· Represent Mercy Corps
and the work of the ASAL Adapts program at relevant sector conferences and
meetings.
· Works with the Program
Manager and other team members to support future geospatial funding proposals
or geospatial elements of other proposals in Northeastern Kenya.
· Collaborates with
Technology for Development (T4D) to communicate results and learnings on the
use of geospatial technology for climate change adaptation.
Supervisory
Responsibility
Direct Reports: Geospatial Officer
Accountability
Reports Directly To: ASAL Adapts
Program Manager
Works Directly With: ASAL Adapts
program team, Kenya MEL team, county governments and Ward Development
Committees in Wajir and Garissa, Technology for Development team.
Accountability to
Participants and Stakeholders
Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts
toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community
partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding
international relief and development work.
We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal
partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.
Minimum Qualification
& Transferable Skills
· Bachelor’s or master’s
degree preferred. Must have strong components in Geographic Information
Science, quantitative analysis, statistics, data science, or related fields.
Demonstrated advanced skill and experience in geospatial technology and
development will be considered in lieu of educational requirements.
· 3-5 years of experience
working in GIS, quantitative data analysis, computer science, or a related
field. Must have demonstrated experience working with geospatial data, software
(at least QGIS or ArcGIS), and methods including experience with raster
datasets and remote sensing analysis
· Background in land use
planning, natural resource management, rangeland ecology, or water resources.
· Demonstrated experience
in training/capacity-building and in fostering collaborative relationships with
data users and other stakeholders.
· Ability to work effectively
with geographically dispersed teams.
· Excellent oral and
written English skills required; proficiency in Swahili and/or Somali
preferred.
· Attention to detail.
· Ability to work with a
team and independently.
It is not required, but we encourage you to share a small
portfolio of geospatial work products with your application to get a sense of
your skills and experience.
This could be web based or through attachments to your
application.
Success Factors
The Geospatial Advisor is expected to be a strong communicator
who can effectively work with stakeholders from a variety of technical and
non-technical backgrounds including county government, ward development
committees, and community members.
They do not hesitate to seek clarification and assistance when
needed. They are curious about other people’s ideas and perspectives and are
willing to share their own.
They welcome and proactively seek feedback and are interested in
exploring alternative paths to solving a problem.
Living Conditions /
Environmental Conditions
The position is based in Garissa, Kenya and it requires up to
30% travel to Wajir to support the program.
Ongoing Learning
In support of our belief that learning organizations are more
effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all
team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further
their personal and/or professional growth and development
Diversity, Equity &
Inclusion
Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work
together.
Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people
of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better
able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most
complex challenges.
We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone
contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as
individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.
We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we
are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse,
equitable and inclusive than we are today.
Equal Employment
Opportunity
Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not
tolerate discrimination on any basis.
We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and
skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global
impact.
We are committed to providing an environment of respect and
psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all.
We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of
race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation,
national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital
status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations
where we work.
Safeguarding &
Ethics
Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we
come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community
members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity.
We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of
sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and
have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme.
We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or
harassment by or of our team members.
As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work
environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional
manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of
Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to
complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual
basis.
How to Apply
CLICK HERE to apply online.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Mercy Corps does not charge any fees at any stage of the
recruitment process.
