Fauna & Flora
Job Description
BACKGROUND:
African Parks is a non-profit conservation organisation that takes on responsibility for the long-term management of protected areas in partnership with governments and local communities. African Parks manages 24 protected areas in 13 countries covering over 20 million hectares.
In South Sudan, African Parks supports the management of the Great Nile Migration Landscape (GNML), centred around Badingilo National Park, Boma National Park, and the Jonglei landscape. Covering more than 120,000 km², the landscape supports the world’s largest remaining terrestrial mammal migration and is of major ecological importance regionally and globally.
JOB OVERVIEW:
The GIS team is the focal point for all mapping and spatial data management activities within the landscape and plays a critical role in supporting land-use planning and decision-making. The GIS Assistant will work closely with Control Room Operators, Aerial Observers, Land Use, and Community teams to support the collection, management, analysis, and reporting of geospatial data across the AP SSD program.
This will include assisting in training personnel in standardized methods to collect and store geo-spatial data to assist in assuring that AP SSD is adequately equipped with the hardware and software for our geo-spatial needs, ensuring activities run efficiently and effectively through centralised data management.
The GIS Assistant is expected to proactively identify opportunities to improve geospatial data collection, management, analysis, and reporting processes. The role requires a continuous improvement mindset, with a focus on developing efficient, practical, and innovative solutions that enhance data quality and operational effectiveness. This role requires an individual with a genuine interest in conservation, a passion for technology and innovation, and a desire to apply geospatial solutions to real-world conservation challenges. The position requires a willingness to live and work in remote environments and to support field-based operations as needed.
Main Roles and Responsibilities:
- Assist in developing and managing data-flow for park operations and conservation planning, including:
- Help to develop communications protocols and data collection SOPs
- Help to fine-tune data collection platforms, including EarthRanger, ArcGIS, etc and ensure proper data storage and sharing protocols;
- Work with managers and departments to ensure efficient communications across all park teams in the landscape;
- Proactively review and evaluate data collection, management, and processing methodologies to identify opportunities for improvement, and support the implementation of enhanced workflows, tools, and procedures to increase efficiency, accuracy, and data quality
- Assist in technology material management
- Assist GIS manager to:
- Coordinate data collection streams across all departments (law enforcement, community, conservation, operations, etc) such that data streams are uniform and accurate
- Provide geo-spatial analyses and products in collaboration with all users
- Participate fully in landscape planning process for the Boma-Badingilo Landscape
- Manage data sharing with external partners
- Provide GIS and data training to internal and external partners.
- Assist in developing and managing a data team to collate and analyse all data into products useful to inform park management, including:
- Collaborate with users to identify geo-spatial analytical needs
- Design and conduct basic and advanced analytical training
- Ensure the integrity and accuracy of analytical information stored in databases
- Analyse geo-spatial data, with other technical personnel, to produce products and insights for users.
Education & Competencies:
- Studies in Geo-spatial Science
- Experience with GIS systems, including ArcGIS, QGIS, etc.
- Experience with relevant software (Earth Ranger, Google Earth Engine, etc.), and data collection applications such as Survey 123 and KOBO, preferably in a conservation context
- Fully computer literate - Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, and Outlook
- Experience in organising and analysing spatial datasets and in disseminating such analysis in understandable and actionable way
- Knowledge of, and work experience in the area of intervention, is a clear advantage.
Experience:
- High level of proactivity and independence, as teams are spread out over the landscape
- Culturally sensitive, able, and interested in working with a multi-ethnic team and work environment
- Emotional intelligence, patience & communication skills, using a calm, listening but firm and solutions-centred demeanour for effective team management
- Organized and structured, with attention to details and procedures
- Able to work independently as well as a team player
- Showing a high level of respect for his/her staff and people, demonstrating a team approach to staff management strong willingness to live and work in a rural setting and remote areas, as the position is based within the national park, with limited access to cities such as Juba
- Passion or interest in biodiversity and the natural environment;
- Excellent writing, reporting, and presenting skills;
- Good command of written and spoken English; Arabic beneficial.
