This position will be hybrid requiring a few days per week in office based in the WRI Africa office in Nairobi, Kenya. Existing work authorization is required at the time of application submission. WRI is unable to sponsor any visa work sponsorship for this position.
About the Program:
WRIโs Global Restoration Initiative informs, enables, and invests in people that restore degraded land. The teamโs flagship investment program for locally led enterprises and community non-profits, TerraFund, currently finances, trains, and monitors 230+ growing organizations across Africa, Latin America, and South Asia. The program operates three funding windows: In Africa, TerraFund for AFR100 finances 200+ organizations through grants, low-interest loans, and equity investments with a focus on the Lake Kivu & Rusizi River Basin in Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda; the Greater Rift Valley of Kenya; and the Ghana Cocoa Belt.
In India, Harit Bharat Fund, a new landscape restoration fund, is financing its first cohort of restoration champions in the states of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra. And globally, the Priceless Planet Coalition is financing large-scale restoration projects that benefit the climate, biodiversity, and communities. To build this pipeline of champions ready for investment, WRI has trained more than 400 organizations in Africa, Brazil, and India Land Accelerator, which teaches the fundamentals of financial management, pitching, and monitoring and evaluation.
In 2024, that program will expand to work with hundreds of entrepreneurs annually. These portfolios for funding and capacity building are built through the TerraMatch platform, an end-to-end system that hosts open calls for proposals, connects champions with technical assistance, and tracks the progress of funded projects through a standard monitoring, reporting, and verification protocol. Through its more than 50 core business processes and tested standards, TerraFund shows that targeted investments in locally led champions can build viable restoration economies around the world.
Job Highlight:
As the Data Quality Analyst for Great Rift Valley, you will be in central to build trust in TerraFund for AFR100 and in tree-based restoration as an important solution in mitigating climate change, restoring degraded land, and supporting livelihoods. You will provide hands-on support and guidance to Restoration Champions. You will use data collection apps, create polygons, collect critical quantitative data, and assess the quality of submitted geospatial polygons of restoration sites.
You will report to the Lead for TerraFund Polygon Collection in the Inform team and collaborate closely with TerraFundโs project management and investment teams.
What will you do:
Data Collection, Entry, and Management (70% of time):
- Guide Restoration Champions in collecting geospatial data (polygons and GPS points) following TerraFundโs Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) Framework
- Assess the quality and integrity of geospatial data through rigorous checks and validation procedures
- Clean and correct errors in geospatial data, including manipulating polygons using GIS software and satellite base maps, editing attribute information, and addressing problems with data collection app use and data uploads
- Provide technical support to and build relationships with Restoration Champions in Lake Kivu & Rusizi River Basin in Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda; the Greater Rift Valley of Kenya; and the Ghana Cocoa Belt through emails, WhatsApp, calls or in-person
- Enter, organize, and manage collected polygons and related data in WRIโs data management platforms (TerraMatch, Air table, spreadsheets, etc.)
- Manage the polygon collection and quality assurance process for a portfolio of projects, working directly with TerraFund project managers to provide necessary support to Restoration Champions
- Test, adjust, and document new polygon and data collection methods, including field data collection apps
- Contribute to other data collection efforts such as tree and job verification protocols and interviews with Restoration Champions during site visits
Technical Assistance (30%):
- Conduct regular checks with Restoration Champions on challenges that they are facing with GPS and polygon collection and submission
- Develop knowledge transfer programs for Restoration Champions, such as online training sessions, workshops, and in-person events, aimed at improving polygon and GPS collection skills and data submission into TerraMatch
- Train Restoration Champions on how to access, understand, and use the data that they submit and the data that WRI and its partners produce about their project.
What will you need:
- Education: You have a completed bachelorโs degree in environmental science, forestry, geography, GIS, or a related field
- Experience: You have 3+ years of experience, including working with non-specialists on how to use GIS to solve their problems
- Experience using Geographic Information System (GIS) software such as ArcGIS Pro, QGIS, or GRASS GIS to collect, edit, and analyze spatial data
- Experience in remote sensing, with the ability to interpret and create spatial data from satellite imagery or other remote sensing data
- Proficiency in working with vector data, including editing and manipulating vector data and their attribute tables
- Experience with mobile app and online geospatial data collection tools such as Flority, ODK, Kobo Collect and Survey CTO
- Experience with project management tools, such as Air table or Monday.com
- Demonstrated experience communicating about spatial and statistical data
- Familiarity with forestry practices. Experience working with projects and local organizations working on restoration
- Willing and able to travel within the country and internationally (30% - 40% of time)
- Languages: Proficient in written and spoken English
- Requirements: Existing work authorization is required where this position. WRI is unable to authorize visa work authorization.
Potential Salary:
Salary is commensurate with experience and other compensable factors.
How to Apply:
Please submit a resume with cover letter by 15 January 2024.
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
- Commitment to hybrid working model with flexible working hours
- Education: You have a completed bachelorโs degree in environmental science, forestry, geography, GIS, or a related field