GIS Assistant

What’s so great about Akros?

At Akros, we bring innovative ideas for gathering and using data to development challenges through a “boots on the ground” approach. We’ve built our organizational culture and nuanced approach to implementation by being where our work is: in Southern Africa. Akros has been supporting government and partner counterparts from our homebase in Lusaka, Zambia for over 10 years. This close, on the ground, partnership has helped to contextualize our work to ensure that we are only scaling the ideas and approaches which will work and will be sustained in under-resourced settings over time.

We have some exciting projects afoot! Akros is designing, building and implementing systems that make significant health impact in cost-effective ways. We are looking for a GIS Assistant who is able to join our growing organization.

Who are the people we are looking for?

Akros employs passionate, results-oriented self-starters who are willing to take the plunge with us. We are an energetic, fast moving team who often have to divide and conquer to get the job done. We are looking for people to invest in, to learn from, and to share and grow our lessons learned so far. And we are looking for those who can bring new ideas, new perspectives and new bursts of energy and innovation to our team. We have a deep history of people coming to Akros, coming alongside our founders, supporting the same vision they are seeing: to make tangible impact in sustainable ways for the vulnerable populations we are working among. Many past employees, consultants and fellows have created a lasting legacy at Akros through their own innovations which we have helped expand, and in some cases take to scale. If you have an idea that is going to create impact on global health and it fits within our wheelhouse – we are willing to help take that idea to fruition.

Responsibilities

The GIS assistant will:

• Support the GIS Manager in the setup, implementation and maintenance of GIS-integrated databases.
• Assist with database configuration for integrated DHIS2 instances: populate geographic units in the correct hierarchical manner, enter and clean shape files or centroids and work collaboratively with Akros’ HMIS
• Adviser for system design.
• Support mapping and enumeration in google earth and openstreetmaps
• Work directly with the programming and design teams to understand mapping needs and think through possible solutions.
• Maintaining the GIS database and troubleshooting data issues
• Execute assigned GIS tasks with precision and care
• Support the development of technical reports and collaborate with international technical assistants in drafting text and providing data.

Essential:

• Bachelor’s degree in ICT, GIS or Computer Science or related science required
• Experience with DHIS2, ODK, ArcGIS, QGIS and python coding is necessary.
• Experience with SQL
• Attention to detail.
• Knowledge of web services/API a plus.
• Good verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to work independently or in a group setting.
• Working experience with Jira, Confluence, and Google Docs is a plus.

Location and Term:

• This position will be located in Lusaka, Zambia. We are recruiting for a 12 month contract with options for extension.

Method of Application

Candidates will be interviewed on a rolling basis and are encouraged to apply early. To apply, please submit a cover letter and CV with references to: with “Application: GIS Assistant” as the email’s subject line.