Manager, Spatial Analytics

Job Description:

Position Summary:

In pursuit of Audubon’s conservation mission, the Data & Technology team partners with programmatic and business teams across the organization to develop and deploy enterprise data systems and data-driven practices at the scale needed to achieve our ambitious goals.  The Manager, Spatial Analytics will play a key role in developing and delivering data analysis and insights using enterprise scale data resources to inform hemispheric strategic plan monitoring and decision support for conservation and operational objectives.

The ideal candidate will be a highly-skilled and self-motivated analytics professional with GIS experience. This role will work alongside GIS technology and product development specialists, as well as Audubon’s Data Analytics and Data Engineering teams, utilizing ArcGIS tools as well as the full suite of Audubon’s Enterprise Data Architecture stack.  With critical thinking and a problem-solving mindset, the successful candidate will acquire and manipulate data sources, support effective data management and integration processes, and analyze raw data to develop valuable intelligence. This role will collaborate with programmatic and business teams to identify and deliver analytics capabilities through the development of data processes and products that enable robust, data-driven approaches to delivering, evaluating, and communicating progress toward our mission for hemispheric level bird conservation. 

A successful candidate will have expertise in spatial analytics and data science as well as experience with project management and communication among technical and non-technical stakeholders. This position reports to the Director of Enterprise GIS within the Audubon Technology team.

This is a hybrid position based in Audubon’s New York City or Washington, DC offices. We will also consider remote candidates within the United States. 

Interested candidates should attach a cover letter to be considered for this opportunity.

Examples of initiatives that the position will support are:

• Generate spatial analysis to ensure holistic, precise, and reproducible measurement of strategic plan outcomes, such as allocating unique land areas impacted by Audubon’s conservation activities and tracking changes in these measures over time.

• Create repeatable Python scripts to generate summary statistics about human population variables across custom multi-part geometries to share with experts developing data visualizations for public and/or executive audiences.

• Collaborate with database and visualization experts to define and create analytic components of user-facing tools for decision-support and other use cases.

Compensation:

Salary range based on geo-differentials:

• $90,000-$105,000/year = National

• $100,000-$115,000/year = Alaska, CA (not San Francisco), Connecticut, D.C., Chicago, Oyster Bay, NY

• $115,000-$130,000/year = NYC (not Oyster Bay), San Francisco, Seattle

Additional Job Description

Essential Functions

• Compile, process, and analyze data of varying scales and sources, both raster and vector based, in order to produce derived products, maps, statistics, and other information.

• Perform data and spatial analysis including summary statistics, geostatistics, index generation, benchmarking, and other methods for metrics reporting.

• Use data to identify and answer important, complex, and actionable questions across multiple Audubon departments and teams.

• Develop expertise in Audubon’s existing datasets and potential new datasets to identify opportunities to leverage them to support programmatic goals.

• Develop repeatable and/or automated analysis processes to inform decisions and track results, answer routine questions, and track key strategic measures.

• Provide subject matter expertise on spatial statistics and machine learning to the team and the organization.  Advise the Director of Enterprise GIS, Senior Director of Data Analytics, and the VP of Data and Technology, as well as others throughout the organization, on spatial analysis best practices.

• Collaborate closely with internal stakeholders to address complex business and operational problems with data, design and deploy data products, answer questions and uncover actionable insights.

• Advise on the development of complex enterprise data products and solutions to large scale programmatic and business needs, including collaboration with internal and external experts.

• Present findings to decision makers including c-suite executives as well as external audiences as appropriate.

• Collaborate with data team colleagues, train GIS users across the Audubon network including Science department and state/regional GIS Analysts, and mentor Dangermond GIS Fellows to share tools and best practices about data science and spatial analysis.

• Contribute to initiatives that improve Audubon’s data governance, documentation, and data quality standards. Implements that guidance in practice with methodology documentation, metadata, code comments, etc.

• Convey willingness and customer orientation to train users of varying backgrounds and skillsets to adopt and interpret analysis.

• Collaborate with Audubon staff to ensure that equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging principles are incorporated and followed in all aspects of our work.

• Travel two or more times a year to attend meetings and conferences.

• Other job-related duties as assigned.

Qualifications and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Geographic Information Systems, Computer Science, Statistics, Data Science, Mathematics, or related field preferred.

• At least 5 years of experience as a GIS Analyst, GIS Developer, Data Scientist, or similar role. An equivalent combination of education and work experience will also be considered.

• Substantial professional experience managing and analyzing spatial data, including expertise in coordinate systems, projections, GIS file types, and other specializations related to spatial data.

• Substantial professional experience in data analysis, quality assurance/control, and experience working with large-scale, scalable data solutions.

• Experience cleaning messy, incomplete, or imperfect data.

• Experience selecting and applying appropriate spatial and statistical analysis, as well as machine learning algorithms.

• Competent in non-spatial and spatial data management, handling, and analytics using GIS software and Python libraries (e.g., arcpy, gdal, pandas). PostGreSQL and R desired.

• Experience working in the Esri platform including ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online, ArcGIS Enterprise, as well as web applications, e.g., Experience Builder.

• Advanced Python skills with ability to automate a series of methods, program new scripts, and modify existing scripts.

• Experience with notebook environments such as Jupyter.

• Experience with common spatial databases and associated data infrastructure such as PostGres, SQL Server, Snowflake, and AWS data storage environments.

• Familiarity with business intelligence tools (e.g., Sigma, Airtable, PowerBI).

• Familiarity with JavaScript API, Arcade, and HTML desired.

• Demonstrated ability to manage projects, delegate and collaborate with others. Experience with project management tools (e.g., Asana, Jira, etc.) desired.

• Demonstrated ability to communicate technical information to non-technical audiences.

• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including technical documentation.

• Ability to build strong, lasting relationships with stakeholders.

• Self-starter who can work as part of a virtual team and remain motivated in a dynamic environment.

• Curiosity to stay on the cusp of software and product trends in non-profits and the greater tech industry.

• Develop and present results for oral presentations to staff, stakeholders, and at professional conferences.

• Commitment to Audubon’s organizational values of care, collaboration, change, integrity, impact, and innovation.

• Demonstrated personal and professional commitment to and experience in advancing equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging.

• Ability to travel domestically more than two times per year.

This position is represented by the Communication Workers of America (CWA).

EEO Statement

The National Audubon Society is a federal contractor and an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE). All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. We are committed to a policy of nondiscrimination, inclusion and equal opportunity and actively seek a diverse pool of candidates in this search.

Accessibility Statement

The National Audubon Society endeavors to keep our careers site accessible to any and all users.  If you would like to contact us regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process, please contact [email protected]. This contact information is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.