Regional Geospatial Technical Director

**SUMMARY**

People need nature — and for over 30 years, Conservation International (CI) has worked to protect it. Through cutting-edge science, innovative policy and global reach, we work to protect the nature that we rely on for food, fresh water and livelihoods. CI is a US headquartered N.G.O. with offices in 29 countries and 2,000 partners worldwide.

CI is one of the global leaders in using Natural Climate Solutions (NCS) to combat climate change. There is significant growth in the demand for high-quality conservation projects that can access the voluntary and compliance carbon markets and CI is rapidly expanding their portfolio of high-quality carbon projects to meet this demand. CI Asia Pacific (CIAP) has recently launched the Asia Pacific Technical Assistance Facility (TAF), a multi-donor facility, to provide technical support and invest in NCS projects and enabling conditions. Projects include REDD+, Landscape Restoration, and Blue Carbon mechanisms.

CIAP is seeking a remote sensing, modeling, and geospatial data scientist to provide technical leadership for NCS carbon project development for the Asia Pacific Field Division. The Geospatial Technical Director is a member of the Asia Pacific Carbon Development Team within the regional NCS program.

He/she develops tools and provides spatial analyses for a broad range of NCS initiatives including investable avoided deforestation, forest restoration, and blue carbon projects. The technical director will be responsible for managing spatial analysis workflow for the development and implementation stages of carbon projects using voluntary market standards like the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and the Climate Community Biodiversity (CCB) standards, or compliance markets, such as Japan’s Joint Crediting Mechanism.

For the origination pipeline, he/she will provide the Carbon Development Team, CI programs, and partners with the maps and spatial data required to generate Project Identification Notes (PIN) and Project Opportunity Profiles (POP). He/she is also responsible for providing spatial analyses required to move priority opportunities to full-scale development including the Project Description Documents (PDD). He/She will work in close collaboration with project implementers such as CI’s country offices in Asia Pacific and external partners, project developers, finance partners, and with key personnel across CI’s Global Programs and Centers to ensure efficient and timely delivery of NCS project documents and reports. The technical director is responsible for developing and curating, including version control, all program spatial data and data management systems.

To be successful, the Geospatial Technical Director must be current with latest scientific trends and developments and demonstrate deep technical understanding of voluntary market methodologies. He/she will be highly proficient at geospatial scientific programming, spatial-temporal modeling, modern machine learning techniques, and developing compelling cartographic products to high publication standards.

**KEY RESPONSIBILITIES**
- Provide geospatial support to develop carbon projects for voluntary market standard certification. Develop tools, frameworks, and templates to streamline data gathering, analysis, and narrative elements for PIN, POP, and Project Design Documents (PDD) and Monitoring and Implementation Reports (MIR), including but not limited to spatial components of biodiversity and community monitoring, stakeholder engagement, benefit-sharing mechanism plans, emissions reduction or removal models, and financial models. Build and maintain a network of specialists that contributes to specific aspects of the PDD and MIR.
- Develop a library of software tools, scripts and spatial data supporting APFD NCS initiatives including streamlining the carbon development process through standardization and automation of baseline and monitoring methodologies. This will include testing and deploying programs and systems, producing clean and efficient code based on specifications, design algorithms, and Integrate software components and third-party programs, Troubleshoot, debug and upgrade existing software Gather and evaluate user feedback - Work in close collaboration with project implementers such as CI’s country offices in Asia Pacific and external partners, project developers, finance partners, and with key personnel across CI’s Global Programs and Centers to ensure efficient and timely delivery of NCS project documents and reports.
- Develop and curate, including version control, all program spatial data and data management systems. ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
- Broadly support the APFD region with NCS-related geospatial tool development, analyses, and cartography.
- Assess and comment on carbon standards, methodologies, and technologies for use within CI NCS programs

**PEOPLE AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES**

Not applicable - this is an individual contributor role.