Data Science Associate, Global Restoration Initiative

Data Analysis & Technical Research Washington, DC, United States

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This position will be hybrid which requires 8 days/month in Washington DC office. Existing work authorization is required at the time of application submission. WRI is unable to sponsor any visa work sponsorship for this position. To be eligible for this position in US, you must be a resident of DC, Maryland or Virginia at the start of employment.

 

About the Program:
 
WRI’s Global Restoration Initiative informs, enables, and invests in people that restore degraded land. The team’s flagship investment program for locally led enterprises and community non-profits, TerraFund, currently finances, trains, and monitors 200+ 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 and low-interest loans, 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 focused on India, is funding 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.  
These portfolios 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: 

 

Reporting to the Senior Product Manager, TerraMatch, you will integrate equity into your work.

As a Data Science Associate within WRI’s Global Restoration Initiative, you will own and govern the initiative’s data model for managing and monitoring restoration projects. 
In this role, you will lead the reorganization of the TerraMatch database and work with the Product and Engineering teams to improve the integration of application, project, monitoring, and reporting data across all platforms. This will include managing the flow of data between TerraMatch and the program’s flexible database on Airtable, overseeing the API connection between the two sources to make data more usable for staff at WRI and partner organizations. 
You will collaborate with team members across WRI Africa, WRI India, WRI Brasil, and WRI US to ensure that the data structure is meeting the daily needs and expectations of colleagues. You will serve as the go-to person for all data requests, data cleaning, and data analysis duties, managing and mentoring any consultants and interns that assist with these responsibilities.  
You will also work with the Data Lab at WRI to ensure that the data within Restoration is meeting the guidelines and standards established by this group of technology professionals. Through your collaboration WRI’s Data Science Lead, you will be expected to provide guidance on the management, storage, usage, and presentation of data across Restoration and other teams at WRI. 
You will be responsible for communicating and presenting complex data to internal and external audiences through visually appealing communications products and presentations.  

 

What will you do: 

 
Data Strategy & Management (60%) 
  • Lead efforts to build a robust data model for restoration projects, emphasizing high-quality and trustworthy data that is understandable and functional, while meeting the data integrity standards set by WRI’s Data Lab
  • Work with the TerraMatch product and engineering teams to improve the infrastructure of the TerraMatch database
  • Oversee the creation of the API linkage between the Airtable data management and analysis system and the TerraMatch database
  • Manage the continued development of the database on Airtable, including the usage and creation of interfaces and integration of new insights into existing tables
  • Organize and oversee multiple ongoing data projects, consistently documenting the processes used so that they adhere to Data Lab standards. 
 
 
 

 

Data Analysis (30%) 
  • Perform complex analysis of application, reporting, and monitoring data from restoration projects, using in-depth programming languages to deliver novel and reproducible data insights for the Restoration team and external partners
  • Mentor other data analysts, including consultants and interns, on computational tasks, coaching them to learn new skills

 

Communications (10%) 
  • Use high-quality data visualization techniques and clear writing to produce reports and presentations that communicate data insights to internal team members and external partners 

What will you need:

  • Education: Bachelor’s degree in data science, environmental sciences, social sciences, or other related field; relevant work experience in lieu of degree is accepted.
  • Experience: 5+ years of experience, including in data and research
  • Experience designing and launching new data analysis projects from scratch
  • Experience developing data processing pipelines for large and complex datasets. 
  • Experience deploying advanced statistics and methods to solve real-world problems.  
  • Experience writing efficient and reproducible code. 
  • Experience using cloud technologies including Google Cloud Platform and Amazon Web Services. 
  • Experience leading small teams to delivery data analysis and applications. 
  • Experience using online project management tools and platforms, such as Airtable.  
  • Familiarity with ArcGIS and other geospatial analysis software is preferred. 
  • Languages: You will be proficient in written and spoken English, with additional fluency in French, Spanish, Portuguese, and/or Hindi preferred.  
  • Requirements: Existing work authorization in the US is required at the time of application.  

 

Potential Salary: Salary range is between 101,000 and 114,000 USD. Salary is commensurate with experience and other compensable factors. WRI offers a competitive remuneration and benefits package.

 

How to Apply: Please submit a resume with cover letter by the date of 14 January 2025. We may close for applications sooner if we receive a high volume of qualified applications.

 

We are unable to consider your application without a cover letter. 

 

You must apply through the WRI Careers portal to be considered. 

 

What we offer:

 

  • 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
  • Generous leave days that increase with tenure
  • For US location: Medical Coverage, Dental Coverage, Vision Coverage, retirement plan access and employer contribution

 

About Us:

 

Founded in 1982, World Resources Institute (WRI) is an independent, nonprofit global research organization that turns big ideas into action at the nexus of environment, economic opportunity, and human well-being. We are working to address seven critical challenges that the world must overcome this decade to secure a sustainable future for people and the planet: climate change, energy, food, forests, water, sustainable cities, and the ocean. WRI has a global staff of over 1,800 people with work spanning 60 countries. We have offices in Africa, Brazil, China, Europe, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Colombia and the United States, as well as a growing presence in other countries and regions. 

 

The foundation of our work is delivering high-quality research, data, maps, and analysis to solve the world’s greatest environment and international development challenges and improve people’s lives. We work with leaders in government, business, and civil society to drive ambitious action and create change on the ground. Equally important, we bring together partners to develop breakthrough ideas and scale-up solutions for far-reaching, enduring impact. 

 

Our mission and values: 

 

WRI’s mission is to move human society to live in ways that protect Earth’s environment and its capacity to provide for the needs and aspirations of current and future generations. 

 

Our values are shared ideals that bind us together: Integrity, Innovation, Urgency, Independence and Respect. 

 

Our culture: 

 

WRI is committed to advancing gender and social equity for human well-being in our mission and applies this principle to our organizational and programmatic practices. We are committed to providing equal opportunities in employment; we embrace all diversity and encourage women, the LGBTQ+ community, persons with disabilities, Afro-descendants, and Indigenous people to apply. Recognizing our strong commitment to gender equality, WRI has also been awarded EDGE certification. 

 

Our team in Human Resources carefully reviews all applications.

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