Terms of Reference 

 Background 

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is a private, nonprofit, tax-exempt U.S. organization, founded in 1895, that saves wildlife by understanding critical problems, developing science-based solutions, and taking conservation action that benefits nature and humanity. With over a century of experience, long-term commitments in dozens of landscapes, a presence in more than 60 countries, and a track record of creating more than 150 protected areas worldwide, WCS has accumulated the biological knowledge, cultural understanding, and partnerships needed to ensure that wild places and wildlife thrive alongside local communities. Working with local communities and organizations, this knowledge is applied to address species, habitat, and ecosystem management issues critical to improving livelihoods that depend on the direct use of natural resources. 

Position Summary 

WCS is a GCF Readiness Delivery Partner (DP) in support of the DRC’s National Designated Authority (NDA) and the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (MEDD) as part of this work. WCS is seeking a highly qualified and motivated spatial analyst working in collaboration with WCS’s teams to oversee geospatial data compilation and analysis for the national land use modeling in supporting the DRC Government to implementing its 30×30 strategy. The spatial analyst expert work will include data gap analysis on biodiversity, climate, and human pressures, application of spatial planning algorithms to identify priority conservation areas, and analysis of potential risks, vulnerabilities, and pressures across these priority areas. This work will also include the development of spatially explicit scenarios for implementing the DRC 30×30 strategy. The spatial analyst expert will need to ensure that spatial planning aligns with the DRC land tenure reform and related upcoming law, ensure forestry community concessions and other effective conservation measures (OECMs) are considered during the modeling exercise. The developed different spatial planning scenarios must be self-explained as much extent as possible and made available to relevant stakeholders to support informed and participatory decision making. 

Tasks and responsibilities 

Compile existing national maps of forest ecosystem integrity, biodiversity, carbon stocks, other ecosystem services and perform an analysis of priority geographies to maximize positive impact and benefits across the climate and biodiversity sectors that can contribute to the maintenance of ecosystem integrity, including protected areas, conserved areas and OECMS, and Indigenous lands. 

• Compile existing maps and databases on land use planning, including protected areas, OECMS, Indigenous lands, community forests, planned infrastructures, development projects, population, and demographics data, and perform an analysis of environmental risks, vulnerabilities, and pressures across the country. 

• Develop spatial planning scenarios to provide a baseline upon which an integrated approach can be developed for implementing the DRC 30×30 strategy. 

• In collaboration with the WCS-DRC program and our regional and global scientific and policy teams, ensure that the development of geospatial tools is fully in line with the DRC government’s priorities and strategic commitments under national and international conventions and agreements.  

• Maintain permanent collaboration with government agencies such as ONAT, DIAF and DDD, .as well as other relevant programs such as CAFI, GEF, Natur’Africa, USAID CARPE, etc. to ensure alignment and complementarity.  

Minimum Requirements 

• A Ph.D. in geosciences, land use planning and spatial modeling with working knowledge in climate projections. 

• At least 10 years of experience in conducting climate science research, with an emphasis on implications for biodiversity and ecosystems and/or protected areas as demonstrated by publications records. 

• Familiarity with IPCC-recommended approaches for climate vulnerability assessments. 

• Experience coordinating research activities with a team, timelines, and stakeholders. 

• Capacity to compile and analyze climate and socio-economic data. 

• Capacity to develop and submit for approval a set of methods that evaluate climate variability and climate change risks for biodiversity, ecosystems, protected areas and vulnerable communities 

• Familiarity with regional climate models such as RegCM3/4 and CRCM as well as global models such as HadAM3. 

• Capacity to analyze large datasets and assemble observation datasets and model simulations using Matlab, FORTRAN, Python, R, Linux shell scripting, or equivalent scripting environments. 

• Proven experience in participatory decision making using geospatial data and information and producing quality maps for visualization.  

• Familiarity with most common and relevant DRC geospatial data related but not limited to biodiversity, protected areas, forest cover and forest cover change, infrastructures, etc. 

• Ability to work and communicate efficiently in both French and English 

Selection Criteria 

As WCS is an equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and supporting a diverse workforce (qualified women and people from all ethnic backgrounds), interested candidates are invited to submit their CV and a cover letter outlining relevant experience. Please send applications to wcsdrcongorecruitment@wcs.org by December 11, 2024. 

Application deadline: December 11th, 2024, at 11.59 Goma time.