The contract is full-time and fully remote and can be based in any country where TNC is registered as a Non-government Organization and established employer in Africa (Angola, Gabon, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia)..

#LI-REMOTE

#PDN – Professional diversity Network

WHO WE ARE

The mission of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is to conserve the lands and waters upon which all life depends. As a science-based organization, we develop innovative, on-the-ground solutions to the world’s toughest environmental challenges so that people and nature can thrive. Our work is guided by our values, which include a commitment to diversity and respect for people, communities, and cultures. From a rewarding mission to career development and flexible schedules, there are many reasons to love life #insideTNC. Want to know more? Check out our TNC Talent playlist on YouTube   to hear stories from staff or visit  Glassdoor.

One of TNC’s primary goals is to cultivate an inclusive work environment so that employees around the globe have a sense of belonging and feel that their unique contributions are valued. We know we’ll only achieve our mission by hiring and engaging a diverse staff that reflects the communities in which we work. Recognizing that people bring talent and skills that have been developed outside the scope of a job, we take a holistic approach to recruitment that considers life experience in addition to the professional requirements listed in our postings. Please apply – we’d love to hear from you. To quote a popular saying at TNC, “you’ll join for the mission, and you’ll stay for the people.”

WHAT WE CAN ACHIEVE TOGETHER

The Science Associate supports engagement teams with critical science outputs for place-based watershed projects on behalf of the Nature for Water Facility (‘N4W’). Housed within The Nature Conservancy’s Resilient Watersheds Strategy, the Nature for Water Facility is a technical assistance outfit that provides hand-in-hand support to local champions seeking to develop watershed investment programs. N4W aims to support 40-60 place-based engagements globally over four years via a mixture of pro-bono and fee-for-service partnerships. For additional background on the program please see the About, Services, and Portfolio sections of the N4W website.

The Science Associate (‘Associate’) provides critical science inputs as part of broader N4W engagement teams that work with local organizations and agencies to build watershed investment programs that deliver water security and healthy ecosystem outcomes. The Associate’s work involves executing primary freshwater analyses, project coordination, information gathering and analysis from local, national, and global datasets, obtaining inputs from partner subject matter experts, incorporating feedback from local stakeholders, and ensuring the quality of finalized scientific outputs. This position provides technical execution support for projects promoting Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for water security, including aspects relating to hydrology, geographic information systems, prioritization & optimization algorithms, land use / land cover evaluation, and monitoring & evaluation program establishment. The position requires occasional domestic and/or international travel, including to remote field locations (anticipated travel burden of 20%).

The Science Associate will play a vital role in supporting the prioritization of Nature-based Solution (NbS) implementation options for watersheds, ensuring they effectively deliver targeted water security objectives. This role will apply spatial analytical tools, hydrological models, and tools for projecting land use and land cover scenarios. Additionally, the Science Associate will develop implementation management dashboards utilizing relational database visualization tools.  This role will work closely with Science Leads, helping them coordinate scientific workstreams, and requires effective collaboration with partners from diverse backgrounds and geographies to incorporate their perspectives and contribute to the development of interdisciplinary science products.  The Science Lead will also be responsible for providing technical information and metrics to update TNC Shared Conservation Agenda (SCA) HUB.

The contract is full-time and fully remote and can be based in any country where TNC is registered as a Non-government Organization and established employer in Africa (Angola, Gabon, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia).

WE’RE LOOKING FOR YOU

Are you a results-oriented individual passionate about applying scientific solutions to real-world water security challenges?  Do you possess a strong foundation in spatial analysis and hydrological modeling, and thrive in a collaborative environment working with diverse partners?  If you’re eager to contribute to the prioritization of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for watersheds and develop innovative management tools, we want to hear from you!  The N4W Facility seeks a talented Science Associate to join our team.

WHAT YOU’LL BRING

• Master’s Degree in water resources, ecology, hydrology, civil or environmental engineering, environmental science, geography, or a related field and 1 year of professional experience or equivalent combination
• Experience in geo-spatial analysis, hydrological modeling, and remote sensing /earth observation
• Experience synthesizing, interpreting, and communicating scientific information
• Experienced in project management planning and techniques, including elaborating clear workplans and managing deadlines
• Programming, statistical, and data science expertise such as Python, R, MATLAB
• Proficient in the English language, both written and spoken.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• 3+ years of professional experience, preferably within water sector consultancies and/or water resource management
• Ecology expertise across a diversity of ecosystem environments
• Geo-spatial and remote sensing analysis expertise (Desktop and cloud-based), including ArcGIS, QGIS, Google Earth Engine
• Hydrological modeling expertise, such as SWAT, WEAP, HEC-HMS, InVEST, MODFLOW
• Visualization expertise, including Tableau, ArcGIS Online, Power BI
• Professional experience in NbS project design and implementation
• Record of peer-reviewed publications and/or grey literature (non-peer reviewed) specific to the field of water resource management and NbS
• Ability to communicate complex scientific concepts and outputs to non-technical audiences
• Stakeholder engagement, facilitation, and human-centered designed skills
• Experience providing capacity building and training to staff and officials from different backgrounds and professional levels on basic to advanced hydrological modeling, GIS, and remote sensing
• Experience in geospatial and remote sensing field data collection and processing
• Ability to work efficiently and effectively on multiple concurrent projects
• Multi-language skills (in particular, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Hindi, Swahili).

WHAT WE BRING

Since 1951, TNC has been doing work you can believe in. Through grassroots action, we have grown from a small non-profit into one of the most effective and wide-reaching environmental organizations in the world. Thanks to more than 1 million members, over 400 scientists, and the dedicated efforts of our diverse staff and partners, we impact conservation around the world!

TNC offers competitive and comprehensive benefits packages tailored to the individual countries where we work. These may include health care benefits, retirement benefits, parental leave, paid time off, life insurance, and disability coverage as well as an employee assistance program and other life and well-being benefits. Learn more about our benefits on our Culture Tab on nature.org/careers.

We’re proud to offer a flexible work environment that supports the health and well-being of the people we employ.