Mercy Corps
Position Title: 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.