SEI's Africa Centre is seeking a junior water and ecosystems researcher that will conduct water modelling to support decision makers (government policy agencies and private sector) in planning in the context of research projects on the water-energy-food nexus. The successful candidate is also expected to engage in a growing portfolio of water, ecosystems and landuse projects at SEI with the potential to develop a research career and gain experience in project management.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Work on existing and new projects as per general tasks;
- In collaboration with colleagues develop integrated water resource models for SEI’s projects covering water systems;
- Conduct analysis of water use based on current and projected demand, taking into account drivers of change, including climatic variability;
- Support and undertake research, communication and outreach on water, land and ecosystem services at SEI;
- Support the SEI Africa Centre to develop and maintain a contact network of researchers, decision-makers and partner organisations in Africa relevant to SEI’s work on water, land and ecosystem services;
- Support the water, land and ecosystem services programme at SEI Africa on activities such as proposal development, bringing to attention strategic opportunities inside and outside the region related to water and related sectors;
- Support data collection, management and analysis for projects under the water, land and ecosystems programme at the centre.
Essential skills
- Masters in hydrology, water management, engineering, environmental science, natural sciences, interdisciplinary studies with water specialisation, or a related field;
- At least two (2) years in a relevant full-time position;
- Fluency in spoken and written English;
- Experience in water systems analysis, and water modelling in a GIS environments;
- Strong data management and quantitative analysis skills;
- Knowledge and understanding of water policies and policies in related sectors;
- Basic understanding of environment, climate change and sustainability concepts;
- Ability to work independently, with little guidance and instructions from the line manager;
- Excellent oral and written communication and presentation skills for both technical and public audiences;
- Ability to represent SEI at conferences;
- Able to work in a multi-cultural environment, including being comfortable working in international teams in a virtual environment.
Desirable skills
- Fluency or working ability in Kiswahili, French and/or other relevant languages;
- Specific experience of using WEAP (the Water Evaluation And Planning tool developed by SEI) for water resource management and analysis;
- Knowledge of other modelling tools used for water and for biodiversity and ecosystems modelling such as InVEST, MARXAN and others;
- Skill and experience in the use of GIS (geographic information systems) and remote sensing tools;
- Knowledge on agricultural transformation processes and supply value chains in the bioeconomy;
- Experience in policy-relevant and interdisciplinary research;
- Experience in preparing articles and other publications;
- Ability to organize workshops, conferences and events;
- Comfortable with detailed analysis and fieldwork to support research.
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