Remote Geospatial Data Engineer Volunteer

Are you a Geospatial Data Engineer Volunteer wanting to use your skills to help people in a humanitarian crisis and ultimately help save lives? Map Action can enable you to volunteer to do just that.

Volunteers have been the heart of the Map Action for over 20 years but the range of skills needed continually evolves. Now we are looking for a enthusiastic Geospatial Data Engineer professional who has a desire to commit to a great team, and to help Map Action make a difference that has a lasting effect on vulnerable communities.

Map Action works with a range of humanitarian partners, from local organisations who are closest to the ground to a range of global UN partners.

Come and be part of something that is exciting and impactful!

Why Map Action?

Map Action is a leading humanitarian mapping charity, delivering information services and products to enhance decision making in disasters and conflicts. In collaboration with our partners, this mapped information helps responders understand vulnerabilities and target their response effectively, contributing to saving lives and minimising suffering. We work through a team of skilled volunteer professionals and a small paid staff team.

We have built a strong reputation in the humanitarian sector, and are a technical partner of the United Nations, Non-Government Organisations and Civil Society Organisations, the Red Cross, Red Crescent Movement, regional entities and national authorities.

The humanitarian sector is evolving, and technical expertise such as GIS, mapping, information management, data processing and visualisation are becoming increasingly utilised for improving decision making in complex humanitarian response. Map Action and our partners are uniquely positioned to provide technical expertise in support of this.

As a volunteer, we will be able to work with technical staff and volunteers on different opportunities. Once your onboarding is complete, you will be able to choose the tasks and projects that best fit your skillset and interests. Here below some activities that our data engineer volunteers can support with:

• Map Action external projects that require a Data Engineer skillset (e.g.: data pipeline automation, hazard exposure platforms, multi-risk models, conflict incident reporting, etc…)
• Work with external partners such as UN agencies, International NGOs and Academic Institutions
• Conduct and automate data collection and processing scripts
• Create and maintain optimal, performant data pipeline architectures, both internally and externally
• Propose improvements to infrastructure, schemas, platforms, tool chains and configurations
• Assist in the automation, provision and management of development environments, source-code, build-tools, pipelines and deployments
• Support ad-hoc Data Processing during Map Action’s Emergency Responses in collaboration with Map Action’s GIS team
• Support internal systems maintenance in collaboration with Map Action’s IT Support Engineer
• Attend and / or represent Map Action on technical conferences
• Train other volunteers or external organizations on Data Engineer tools and processes

What are we looking for?

If you feel you are a good match but do not feel like you meet all the requirements, we are still happy to receive your application! The core skills we look for in all of our team members are the following:

• A desire to use their skills, experience and dedication in the cause of humanitarian ends
• Good team player with leadership and/or project management experience or ambition wherever possible
• Exceptional communication skills, to explain your work to people who don't understand the mechanics behind data analysis, and experience in understanding partner needs and requirements, in particular working with non-technical clients
• Adaptable, resilient and solution-oriented
• Self-motivated and organised
• Time to commit to Map Action, for more details on the time commitment, please refer to the “What does it mean to be part of the Map Action team?”

Essential:

• Degree or equivalent experience in the field of Data Science, Data Engineering, Computer Science, Software Development, Information Technology or a related…