Manager, Geospatial Scientist

Field Museum•Chicago, IL

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Manager, Geospatial Scientist oversees and develops geospatial science across the Keller Science Action Center’s Andes-Amazon and Chicago Region programs. The role combines advanced technical expertise with strategic and people leadership to ensure spatial analysis, remote sensing, cartography, and data systems inform conservation projects from planning through execution, analysis, follow-up, and evaluation. The manager identifies high-impact opportunities, turns complex spatial information into actionable insights for staff and partners, and guides initiatives from scoping through delivery. Expected work includes participation in biological and social inventories in remote areas of the Andes-Amazon region; modeling biotic and abiotic assets in unvisited natural areas; applying remote-sensing technologies to inventory tropical landscapes; and monitoring conservation impacts and interventions. The position collaborates with ecological and social scientists, community engagement specialists, program leaders, museum colleagues, and spatial data science leaders at partner organizations. It establishes geospatial standards, oversees data quality and governance, manages staff and collaborators, and strengthens geospatial capacity across teams and partner organizations, balancing technical leadership with responsive, relationship-based collaboration.

Requirements

Advanced degree in geography, GIS/geospatial science, ecology, environmental science, remote sensing, earth system science, conservation science, anthropology, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
At least seven years of progressively responsible experience in GIS, remote sensing, spatial analysis, applied conservation science, or a closely related field, including technical leadership.
Demonstrated ability to manage projects, including scopes, work plans, schedules, budgets, deliverables, partner relationships, and quality review.
Advanced proficiency with Esri platforms, QGIS, geospatial analysis workflows, and programming and analytical environments such as R, Python, or Google Earth Engine.
Demonstrated experience with satellite imagery, raster analysis, spatial statistics or modeling, cartography, spatial databases, and integrating large or multi-source environmental datasets.
Effective spatial data management, including metadata, quality assurance and quality control, data security and sharing, and long-term stewardship.
Ability to translate complex analyses into clear findings, visualizations, recommendations, and decision-support products for scientific, community, policy, donor, and public audiences.
Experience supervising or mentoring staff and coordinating multidisciplinary, multicultural, or multi-institutional teams.
Fluency in Spanish or Portuguese.
Ability and willingness to travel periodically, work occasional non-traditional hours, and participate in field activities in variable and sometimes remote conditions.

Nice To Haves

Strong professional proficiency in the other of Spanish or Portuguese.
Working knowledge of or direct experience with conservation, territorial management, or socio-environmental governance issues in the Andes-Amazon region.
PhD in a relevant discipline.
Experience with participatory mapping or co-production of spatial knowledge with community or Indigenous partners.
Experience with machine learning or GeoAI, image classification, ecological modeling, LiDAR, radar, drone or multispectral imagery, or automated monitoring workflows.
Experience developing web maps, dashboards, interactive decision-support tools, or other accessible geospatial applications.
Record of contributing to peer-reviewed publications, applied research products, or high-impact conservation plans and proposals.
FAA Remote Pilot Certificate.

Responsibilities

Lead the design and implementation of geospatial science supporting conservation, territorial management, and strategic planning.
Work with Andes-Amazon and Chicago Region program teams to identify priority spatial questions and develop analytical approaches aligned with program strategies and partner-defined conservation goals.
Lead multiple initiatives, including project management and implementation, work plans, indicators, and publications.
Supervise staff responsible for geospatial management and analysis, and develop staff leadership and collaboration capacities.
Collaborate with partners in academia, communities, Indigenous federations, government agencies, and conservation organizations.
Identify strategic opportunities to expand geospatial programming and funding; collaborate on grant writing, budget management, progress evaluation, reporting, and communications.
Integrate satellite and aerial imagery, field observations, biodiversity inventories, climate and environmental data, participatory mapping, and appropriate social and cultural information into interdisciplinary assessments.
Conduct or guide analyses of land-use and land-cover change, habitat and ecological connectivity, climate vulnerability and resilience, hydrology, and socio-environmental dynamics.
Evaluate and selectively apply emerging methods, including machine learning, GeoAI, cloud-based remote sensing, automated change detection, and predictive modeling, ensuring methods are appropriate, explainable, and validated.
Support professional development and museum citizenship.