Senior Associate Community Projects-Caribbean_REMOTE

Overview

• Work Location: Remote based in the Caribbean region

• Application Close Date:  April 17, 2023

• Estimated Start date: May 8, 2023

• Department: Open Mapping Hub - Latin America and the Caribbean

• Reports to: Regional Hub Director (proxy to Head of AMPS team)

• Terms: Independent contractor (up to 40 hours per week). One year initial contract

• Travel: Up to 20-30% primarily regional

• Level:  5

About HOT

Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT) sits at the nexus of participatory mapping, community-led development, humanitarian response, open data and tech. With a talented and diverse team spread around the globe, HOT is an NGO that supports a dynamic global community of thousands of dedicated volunteers using maps and open data for humanitarian response and the Sustainable Development Goals. Working with humanitarian and development partners like the Red Cross, Médecins Sans Frontières, UN agencies, governments and others, the HOT community maps in solidarity with those affected by or at risk of disaster, contributing the maps and data aid workers need to do their lifesaving work.

In 2020 the work of the HOT community was recognized by TED’s Audacious Project, a collaborative philanthropic initiative that serves as a springboard for social impact on a grand scale, leading to an exciting new phase of growth. HOT is expanding its activities: opening four regional hubs and scaling up its support to local mapping communities with the audacious goal of mapping an area home to one billion people in 94 countries at high risk of disasters or experiencing poverty - mapping with communities before they are in crisis.

About the Open Mapping Hub - Latin America and the Caribbean

The Caribbean is a region of diversity which shares the common threat of natural disasters based on the geographic location. The small country sizes and rough terrain of these developing countries makes it inherently difficult to recover from these frequently occurring events. Every year, the island nations and territories stand guard to the inevitable passing of tropical storms and hurricanes from the north Atlantic Ocean. Rough terrains of these volcanic landforms have most of the population concentrated in coastal and low-lying regions. This increases the vulnerability of flooding and storm surge to its inhabitants. Further exacerbating these existing conditions is the potential risk for earthquakes which present themselves more violently per occurrence than other regions with this similar threat. Bearing also in mind the increasing threat of climate change, this array of destructive events and the existing developmental issues of the region, creates the need for concerted efforts in disaster preparedness, and response on a basis above the norm.

HOT as an organization was born out of the need for such a response in the Caribbean region itself, through efforts of the Haiti 2010 earthquake. The decentralization based on the large number of small countries makes it difficult for individual countries to attain the relevant resources and data needed to buffer the effects of natural disasters. The need for a dedicated specialist regarding the different issues at all stages of the disaster cycle from a mapping and data collection perspective, would be a natural imperative within HOT’s Caribbean team.

About the Role

The Senior Associate Community Projects will play a critical role in defining and leading implementation of the programmatic and community strategy in the Caribbean for the Open Mapping Hub - LAC. This includes support to the design and implementation of project activities with a specific focus on OSM community growth, agency and impact. Reporting provisionally to the Applied Mapping and Project Support Team Lead, the role will lead facilitation and coordination of activities for partners and communities in the Caribbean region. This includes delivering training, and activities aimed at supporting the evolution of an open mapping community through engagement, training and projects. The role sits across two key functional areas of HOT: community and applied mapping and also necessarily includes some aspects of impact partnerships. This position is remote, with up to 30% travel foreseen to support hub activities and staff primarily within the Caribbean region.

Responsibilities

Community engagement and support:

• Foster and support the growth of OpenStreetMap communities in the Caribbean region, providing community support, capacity building, training, and mentorship to communities looking to grow.

• Support in the creation of a Programmatic and Community Strategy in the Caribbean region

• Develop strong personal relationships with OpenStreetMappers across the region.

• Continually seek opportunities to engage mappers in the region, and support global community engagement efforts and peer to peer learning exchange opportunities

• Assess the state of OpenStreetMap in each target country, identify and reach out to the main players/actors and stakeholders to identify their strengths and readiness levels.

• Supporting the development of transparent and community-centered governance and decision-making processes.

• Support Caribbean team with communication with relevant Community connections as and when needed

Project support:

• Assess ease of work in target countries including security, technology access.

• Support set up of activities in the regions (virtual or in-person events)

• Lead in-person and virtual events across your region.

• Support to conduct pilots / user testing of new technology tools with OSM communities, and gather feedback on tool usage and development directly from users.

• Support in the microgrants and any other Community Grants program impacting the region

Learning, training and communication:

• Documenting and sharing the learnings from the hub’s Caribbean programes.

• Work closely with the Caribbean core team by providing in-person and virtual training and workshops to partners in the region.

• Communicate events and activities through social media, documenting wiki pages, and blog posts.

Qualifications

Essential

• Demonstrable personal experience of community leadership - mobilization, support, organizing - ideally in an open community setting

• Experience organizing and hosting events (training, networking, meetings, etc)

• Experience creating and running community support programs and working with community based organizations

• Experience in leading field data collection for mapping projects

• At least 3 years of work experience in GIS and spatial analysis.

• Experience contributing to OpenStreetMap

• Fluent in both written and spoken English.

• Understanding of GIS ecosystem in the region

• Commitment to evolving an open mapping ecosystem in the region

Desirable

• Have demonstrated experience in training people in using OpenStreetMap tools and ecosystem
• Have a demonstrated ability to create ODK forms for field surveys.
• Have a demonstrated ability to use JOSM for mapping and validation.
• A bachelor's degree in geography, natural sciences, international development or a related field
• Experience working in a diverse remote team environment.
• Familiarity with Google tools (Google Drive, Google Docs) and Microsoft suite.
• Experience in an entrepreneurial environment: an ideal candidate will be a self-starter with demonstrated experience starting an initiative from scratch
• Fluent in French and/or Creole.
• Conversational in Spanish.
• Ability to work online with overlapping working hours in the EST time zone (UTC-4).

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.

Compensation and Benefits

HOT values transparency and equity. All HOT compensation globally is set according to a framework detailed on our website. HOT also offers:

• Fully remote & flexible work arrangements
• Flexible public holidays
• Paid time off
• Home Office Allowance
• Healthy Staff allowance or group plan
• Learning & Development Opportunities
• Book Stipend
• Coaching Program supported by The Humanitarian Coaching Network
• Collaborating with a fast-growing, dedicated team who values humanitarianism, free, open-source, and accessible data

HOT is a leader in flexible working arrangements. As an innovative and open organization, we provide ample space and opportunity for personal initiative and growth.

Equal Opportunity

We seek to recruit persons that reflect the diversity of the communities we work with. HOT does not discriminate on the basis of age, gender identity and expression, national origin, race and ethnicity, physical ability, religious or belief systems, political convictions, or sexual orientation. Further, HOT seeks to support the development and advancement of staff within the organization. Our staff includes people who are parents and nonparents, the self-taught and university educated, and from a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds, lived experiences, and perspectives on the world. HOT is an equal opportunity employer. We seek to live our values and promote inclusivity in all locations. All of our staff work collectively and individually to promote a constructive and sensitive approach to others from a variety of backgrounds, where the work of all is valued and respected.

HOT is committed to diversity 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 developing countries, and members of other underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply.

To Apply

Please complete the application by April 17, 2023.  Your CV/resume should not exceed 2 pages.

The selection process will consist of the following steps:

• Online Application

• Panel Interview/s