Data Science Volunteer at MapAction

Job Title: Data Science Volunteer

Job Purpose: Support the Data Science Lab.

Location: Remote

Salary: Volunteer position

The Opportunity

Are you a Data Science professional wanting to use your skills to help people in humanitarian crises? MapAction can enable you to volunteer to do just that.   Good decision making is critical in any crisis. MapAction data science volunteers can help to ensure decision makers have the data and insights they need in humanitarian situations.   

Volunteers have been the heart of the MapAction for over 20 years but the range of skills needed continually evolves. Now we can offer more Data Science volunteers the chance to join with a team of other specialists on innovative projects. 

Your ultimate goal will always be to bring greater insights to humanitarian crises, leading to better outcomes for the people affected. In practice this could be anything from identifying and preparing appropriate datasets, writing code, evaluating data quality, conducting statistical analysis, creating visualisations and data models and much more. 

MapAction’s Data Science volunteer roles don’t currently include field volunteering but as our strategy and your experience will inevitably evolve, it would be useful to understand if you would ever be keen to deploy.

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

Why MapAction?

MapAction 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 data science, GIS, mapping, information management, data processing and visualisation are becoming increasingly utilised for improving decision making in complex humanitarian response. MapAction and our partners are uniquely positioned to provide technical expertise in support of this.

What does it mean to be part of the MapAction team?

Being part of MapAction means entering acommunity of highly skilled and committed professionals in different industries, with years of experience both in academia, the public or private sectors and in the humanitarian world. It means using your unique skills to help prepare for, anticipate, or respond to humanitarian emergencies, enabling our partners to provide life-saving support.

At MapAction, training and team building are at the heart of our organisational culture. We have frequent meet-ups in person and online where staff and volunteers get together for training opportunities and skill-sharing, to strengthen our service offer.

As a volunteer, you can participate in all levels and areas of the organisation, working alongside our colleagues at various UN agencies and/or other humanitarian partners. Volunteers also steer the organisation's strategic direction and are involved with designing and implementing our operational capacity.

As a member of the team, you will be expected to participate in at least 6 internal weekend training events each year. This must include our annual simulation exercise, which all volunteers are required to attend. Other weekend training events include 5 annual training weekends where we get together in person at various locations around the UK, and 4 online development days. Volunteers should live either within the UK or within reasonably easy and affordable reach of the UK in order to be able to attend face to face training events.

You will also be expected to participate in project work and/or emergency missions and support. Generally, that takes the form of a couple of weeks of full-time work either remotely or abroad each year to 18 months. There is also the potential to be involved in remote, regular engagement work of a few hours per month. To be a successful volunteer, you should have a very good working relationship with your employer and the ability to take time off for volunteering work. MapAction can help support employer engagement.

Exceptionally, we can accommodate different engagement styles and requirements, depending on the specific situation.

From the MapAction team you can expect:

• A chance to put your skills to use in the context of a humanitarian crisis
• Access to our unique network, and the opportunity to exchange with a unique and diverse set of professional geospatial and data peers
• Opportunities to learn and develop new skills
• Opportunities to travel: conferences, training events, project work, missions
• A never-ending supply of snacks during training events (we take our snacking seriously)
• All MapAction-related expenses covered: travel and mission-related costs, including insurance

Responsibilities of the role

• Support the development and maintenance of data-science products, mainly using Python
• Perform statistical analysis of geospatial data
• Create data visualisations and dashboards, using Python (e.g. Streamlit, Dash, Voila) and/or R libraries (Shiny)
• Conduct reviews of exciting literature and data-analytics products and methods
• Support the design and management of data-science projects
• Convey analysis results clearly and in a language accessible to a non-technical audience
• Engage in conversations with partners
• Prepare and provide internal and external training on data-science products and methodologies

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 MapAction, for more details on the time commitment, please refer to the “What does it mean to be part of the MapAction team?” 
• Strong project management skills 

Essential: 

• Master’s degree or equivalent in the field of Data Science, Physics, Mathematics, Engineering, GIS or a related field
• At least one year of professional experience working in the area of data science or data analytics is required
• Intermediate to advanced programming skills in Python and common data-science libraries (e.g. Geopandas, Scikit-learn, Jupyter Notebook, Streamlit, Dash)
• Experience with git and version control
• Strong data editing, analysis and processing skills
• Experience in in particular working with non-technical clients

Desirable:

• Proficiency in GIS and software development, or related subject or equivalent professional experience
• Experience with other developer tools (aws, docker, etc.)
• Experience in database interrogation and analysis tools, such as Hadoop, SQL
• Practical experience with one or more of these: GeoServer, PostgreSQL / PostGIS, OpenLayers, Leaflet, MapBox, QGIS Server, QGIS, GeoExt and/or ESRI ArcGIS Suite, MapServer, MapInfo, Google Earth Engine
• Graphic design/visualisation skills
• Project management experience
• Humanitarian knowledge/experience
• Adventure or professional travel experience
• Relevant international work experience
• Knowledge of languages (particularly French and Spanish)

How do I apply?

Your application should include: a) a covering letter and b) an attached SINGLE file containing:

• Your CV. It should include: Current work, skills and experience, Other relevant IT/technical skills and experience, Educational details, Where you live, Languages spoken (we are currently seeking French, Spanish and Arabic speakers), Contact details, References
• An example that demonstrates your skills for the profile, for example:
  • A data / analytics / visualisation product you have made that demonstrates your technical skills for the role of Data Science volunteer.

The example can be uploaded together with the CV if in PDF format, otherwise please share a link to a public website / repository, or to a file-sharing site.

For your application to be considered it must include the covering letter, CV and example work.

Selection Process

The selection process consists of:

1. Application deadline 15th January 2023
2. Shortlisted candidates informed by 27th January
3. Round 1: Online interviews between 1-8th February. 
4. Notification of progression to round 2 by 11th February
5. Round 2: Recruitment open day, in person in Milton Keynes on 21st or 22nd February. The Interview & Open Day includes:
   1. A practical skills test for your volunteer role.
   2. A group exercise
   3. An introduction to the organisation, and a chance to meet the Office Team
   4. A Q&A with current volunteers
6. Notification of outcome from round 2 by 2nd March
7. Subject to references successful candidates will be invited to join MapAction shortly afterwards
8. Induction and the first training weekend to attend will take place from 24-26th March in Oxfordshire. 

Beyond volunteering

In addition to our volunteer team we have a smaller team of more experienced professionals who also undertake additional work on a consultancy basis.  There are opportunities both for stand by cover for emergencies and also for more substantial pieces of project work. Please indicate in your application if you would like to know more about this opportunity. 

Diversity & Inclusion

As an organisation, we recognise the value that diversity brings to our entire operation, deployments and culture. Diversity brings different experiences and perspectives to bear in all aspects of our decision-making. It also enables us to respond most appropriately and effectively to the challenges which our teams face, where they are required to operate in diverse and challenging circumstances.

MapAction is an Equal Opportunities employer. All employees and volunteers have a personal responsibility to promote and support measures designed to create a working environment that is free from harassment or discrimination on the grounds of gender, marital status, family status, age, race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, membership of the Traveller community or HIV& AIDS status.

Any questions then please contact info@mapaction.org. 

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