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Data Lead

Contract duration: 1 year; can transition to indefinite term contract based on evaluation

Level of effort: Full time

Location: Remote; 10-20% international travel once safe/feasible

Reports to: Director of Programs

Starting date: December 2020

About HOT

Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT) is a US-based NGO and global community of thousands of volunteers working together to use maps and open data for humanitarian response and the Sustainable Development Goals. As the world’s preeminent participatory mapping NGO, HOT has fostered a global mapping community composed of more than 270,000 people with ground operations in eight countries. HOT supports the growth of open mapping communities worldwide. When major disaster strikes anywhere in the world, HOT rallies this global network to create the maps and data that enable responders to reach those in need.

HOT works closely with humanitarian and development partners including the Red Cross, Médecins Sans Frontières, World Bank, and UN OCHA, among others. In 2020, HOT was awarded funding from The Audacious Project. Over the next five years, this funding will enable HOT to scale up its support to local mapping communities with the aim of mapping an area home to one billion people, adding places at high risk of natural disaster or experiencing poverty.

HOT is soliciting applications from experienced mid and senior career digital development and humanitarian professionals to lead HOT’s Responsible Data team, starting December 2020.

Position overview

The Data Lead will help HOT build a new Responsible Data team that will develop HOT’s policies, procedures, and strategy on ethical and responsible data collection and use. The Program Manager serves as the focal point for data policy and practice within HOT as well as support OpenStreetMap community partner organizations. Scope of the position includes:

  • Data ethics, privacy, and protection: Covering both ‘Remote’ data creation (from satellite imagery and other sources) and field data collection, including data privacy, protection and informed consent

  • Data quality: That humanitarian partners and the OpenStreetMap community benefit from collected data and maps is critical in ensuring HOT’s efforts are useful and meaningful. Quality Assurance, Quality Control, and data validation; data storage; data analysis; and meaningful availability and accessibility of data

  • Data literacy: Developing HOT’s capacity to support the global OpenStreetMap movement and OSM communities in responsible collection, analysis, visualisation, and communication of data

The Data Lead reports to the Director of Programs. The Data Lead manages and oversees the work of a small team. The core team includes a Data Quality Lead and a Responsible Data Training Lead. Additionally, this role will oversee the overall status and progress of HOT’s validation and QA work, and support, training and indirect management of QA staff in Hub locations and Country teams.

Profile

This is a full time position on the basis of remote work initially, but will likely include travel to regional hubs, country team offices, and potentially areas with active disaster activations. The candidate for this position should be:

  • Connected and with an expansive network in the field of (humanitarian) data and ethics, principles and values, and the practical challenges associated with respect to geospatial data and ‘big’ data.
  • Aware of the technological landscape around, and experience with, GIS, remote sensing, (mobile) data collection, large scale data storage and processing and associated fields versus privacy, protection, and other humanitarian and ethical principles.
  • Well versed in the different layers and aspects of data quality and QA, and approaches to managing this at a very large scale.
  • Eager to learn, inquisitive, and questioning. You should be the kind of person people want to come to with questions or issues.
  • Able to explain abstract concepts well - and to translate these to actionable frameworks and planning. Have very strong written communication skills and ability to communicate ideas and concepts digitally.
  • Demonstrated experience handling conflict situations, negotiation, and encouraging. collaboration, compromise and shared solutions.

Responsibilities

  • Build and lead the Responsible Data team. Develop the team’s strategy, vision, roadmaps, budgeting and planning. Support professional growth and open communications within the team, and coordination and support of other teams at HOT.
  • Develop HOT’s policies, procedures, and standards, for ethical and responsible data practices, adapting our established guidance (e.g. IFRC’s Data Playbook, OCHA Data Responsibility Guidelines, HHI’s Signal Code, Sphere Standards, and other sources) and produce guidance relevant to the OpenStreetMap context.
  • Publish new field guides, workbooks, training materials, and revised data collection forms that reflect and integrate best practices for ethical and responsible data collection among HOT projects, teams, and OpenStreetMap communities.
  • Advocate and evangelize responsible data practices within HOT and the wider OpenStreetMap communities.
  • Create and foster partnerships with leading individuals and organizations in the field of open data & licensing, protection, responsible & ethical data collection and use.
  • Source legal advice and assess compatibility and compliance of HOT and OpenStreetMap data, collection, and sharing practices with legal frameworks and requirements in HOT’s 94 priority countries under Audacious, and potentially other implementation contexts.
  • Oversee development of training materials and curriculum, and provision of workshops and trainings on the responsible use of OpenStreetMap maps and data within and outside of HOT.
  • In coordination with the Data Quality Lead and Data Quality Working Group, develop a workflow for monitoring, evaluating, and reporting on the quality of data produced by HOT and HOT OpenStreetMap community partners with periodic data audits to measure usage and effectiveness of these new standards.
  • Coordinate with the Tech team on the planning and implementation of (technological) products, tools and solutions, to ensure these comply with and adhere to HOT’s standards and principles for data collection, storage and analysis.
  • Advise OpenStreetMap communities and other HOT community stakeholders on data quality approaches before and during large scale organized OSM editing campaigns.
  • Promote and advocate HOT’s approach and implementation on ethical and responsible data externally and publicly - speak publicly, consult, and present.

About you

ESSENTIAL

  • University or college degree in International Development, Data Science, Humanitarian Data and Technology, Human Rights and Ethics, or related fields or equivalent professional experience.
  • Experience in open source or open data communities (please name these in your application).
  • Significant and verifiable experience, knowledge and awareness with data collection, storage and analysis tools, methodologies and technology, including remote sensing technologies, ‘big’ data and OpenStreetMap.
  • Experience managing a small team of professionals.
  • Experience working remotely and coordinating activities across multiple timezones.
  • Fluency in English, plus conversational in either French or Spanish.
  • Empathy and understanding, a good sense of humour and willingness to learn.
  • Driven, goal-oriented and strives for continuous improvement.
  • Comfortable with using a wide range of digital platforms.

DESIRABLE

  • Experience participating in HOT and OSM Working Groups, particularly the Data Quality Working Group.
  • Experience working with and alongside (large) volunteer groups and communities, such as open source, open data or the OpenStreetMap community.
  • Multi-lingual and able to participate in online discussions in multiple languages.

Are you missing a few of the (technical) skills listed? We would still like to see your application. While the skills above fit our vision of this role, we are open to those candidates with a strong knowledge foundation that are fast learners and highly motivated to close any skill gaps, and are happy to provide on-the-job training.

HOT is committed to diversity and inclusion within our team, and recognizes our role in closing the digital divide, including identifying obstacles that certain groups face in developing skills needed for roles in the humanitarian & technology sectors. Women, nationals of low and middle income countries, and members of other underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply.

Compensation & Benefits

  • HOT values salary transparency and equity. All HOT salaries globally are set according to a framework detailed on our website.
  • HOT offers a work-from-anywhere culture, flexible working arrangements, a variety of health care options, retirement savings plans, and 24 days of annual leave for all full-time employees, in addition to 12 paid holidays.

To Apply

Please complete the form linked here. Continue to the second page to upload your CV/resume. Your CV/resume should not exceed 2 pages. If invited to an interview, expect to hear by late November via email. Please check junk/spam folder.