WorldFish Bangladesh is hiring a GIS Scientist for a 5-year project funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). USAID, WorldFish and the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) have partnered to implement the “Enhanced Coastal Fisheries (ECOFISHBD) Activity.” The ECOFISHBD project supports coastal fishing communities and other key stakeholders to improve the resilience of the Meghna River estuarine ecosystem and the livelihoods it supports. ECOFISHBD components aim to improve science-based fisheries management decision-making, strengthen fisheries adaptive co-management; and enhance the resilience and livelihood options of poor fisherfolk. ECOFISHBD aims to enhance ecosystem resilience through the establishment of effective co-management in essential Hilsa shad habitats. ECOFISHBD also seeks to enhance household and community resilience by improving the livelihoods and coping capacities of marginalized and extremely poor, particularly women, and reducing their risk to climate-affected natural hazards.
This project will integrate with the CGIAR Research Program on Aquatic Agricultural Systems (AAS CRP), and operate as an extension of the existing program in Southern Bangladesh. To achieve its objective of “improved resilience and governance of estuarine ecosystem and livelihoods of communities reliant on the Hilsa,” ECOFISHBD will adapt aspects of the AAS CRP approach to deliver three intermediate results (IRs) and nine sub-IRs. This process will include undertaking a number of cross-cutting activities relating to research, dialogue, learning and scaling.
WorldFish Bangladesh is hiring a GIS Scientist for a 5-year project funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). USAID, WorldFish and the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) have partnered to implement the “Enhanced Coastal Fisheries (ECOFISHBD) Activity.” The ECOFISHBD project supports coastal fishing communities and other key stakeholders to improve the resilience of the Meghna River estuarine ecosystem and the livelihoods it supports. ECOFISHBD components aim to improve science-based fisheries management decision-making, strengthen fisheries adaptive co-management; and enhance the resilience and livelihood options of poor fisherfolk. ECOFISHBD aims to enhance ecosystem resilience through the establishment of effective co-management in essential Hilsa shad habitats. ECOFISHBD also seeks to enhance household and community resilience by improving the livelihoods and coping capacities of marginalized and extremely poor, particularly women, and reducing their risk to climate-affected natural hazards.
This project will integrate with the CGIAR Research Program on Aquatic Agricultural Systems (AAS CRP), and operate as an extension of the existing program in Southern Bangladesh. To achieve its objective of “improved resilience and governance of estuarine ecosystem and livelihoods of communities reliant on the Hilsa,” ECOFISHBD will adapt aspects of the AAS CRP approach to deliver three intermediate results (IRs) and nine sub-IRs. This process will include undertaking a number of cross-cutting activities relating to research, dialogue, learning and scaling.
The GIS scientist will plan and execute a program of research work for the ECOFISH project. The key purpose of this position is to develop research activities to enhance socio-ecological and economic resilience of target communities. You will work closely with three senior level leaders seeking to strengthen adaptive co-management of Hilsa fisheries and improve science-based fisheries management decision-making, respectively. Collaborating closely with WorldFish staff on other research projects and integrating research findings is vital for the success of the ECOFISH project.
Key responsibilities
- Work with senior management team and other stakeholders to build a coherent data storage and retrieval system for all data collected during the project
- Synchronize the data collected with USAID (the donor) online geo-data portals which have been specifically set up for this purpose
- Provide a complete and comprehensive mapping service to the ECOFISH project
- Engage with the Monitoring and Evaluation components of the project to ensure needs for spatially resolved information are fully met
- Communicate efficiently with all stakeholders, including the Government of Bangladesh agencies and especially the Department of Fisheries (DoF)
- Undertake extensive field visits around the country in rural and coastal areas to support and ground-truth data and metadata collection
Essential skills and qualification
- A postgraduate qualification in bio-informatics relating either to earth or natural sciences
- Demonstrable competence with standard GIS software, e.g. ArcGIS, PostGIS, or R
- Complete fluency in GIS metadata standards
- 5+ years experience in the analysis of spatial data preferably for aiding decision-making
- Fluency in written and spoken English, excellent interpersonal and communication skills
- Proven ability to work in team
- Demonstrable skills in information technology
Desired skills and qualifications
- Relational database and SQL skills an advantage
- Experience with USAID GIS portals
- Fluency in written and spoken Bangla and English, excellent interpersonal and communication skills