Job Opportunities: Local Knowledge Engagement Coordinators

The Land Portal Foundation seeks dynamic and highly motivated regional consultants to engage with land-related data and research, to develop partnerships and to communicate land information. These are part-time (6 days a month) for a 12-month period,  with the possibility of renewal based on performance. The contract will include some flexibility for additional projects based on performance. The Land Portal Foundation will consider applications focused on the Global South, Eastern Europe or the Arab region.

Organizational profile

The Land Portal exists to nurture a vibrant online platform to inform and engage with partners,  promoting open data and the sharing of best practices and stimulating debate and collaboration both on and offline. We provide a vital bridge for those grappling with complex land governance issues – from researchers and NGOs through to governments and grassroots communities – connecting people, facilitating dialogue and joining the dots between fragmented information

The Land Portal was established in 2009 to create, curate and disseminate land governance information; helping to foster a more inclusive and accessible data landscape. Over the subsequent ten years, the Land Portal has grown to become an information gateway and resource base, a vibrant online community of users from around the world, and a trusted voice within the land governance sector globally.

We believe data and information are powerful tools for achieving our vision of a land governance system that benefits those with the most insecure land rights and the greatest vulnerability to landlessness. However, information sources remain highly fragmented, unstructured, poorly curated, represent a narrow range of perspectives, and continue to be published in ways that do not facilitate maximum discovery, engagement and reuse. Until policy and decision-makers, intermediaries and grassroots groups have access to the data and information they need to make sound decisions, their initiatives (programs, policies, campaigns) will fail to achieve maximum impact.

Raising awareness of “open data” – and the critical role it plays in realising tenure security for individuals and communities around the world – continues to be our greatest challenge. To this end, we make use of every possible conference, meeting and speaking engagement to promote the concept of “going open”, while recognising that, given the highly sensitive nature of land data (particularly for vulnerable communities), not everything can or should be made entirely open.

We have set out an ambitious new strategy in 2019  to improve the documentation, mapping and monitoring of land governance issues; enrich and inform the global debate on land rights; and democratize access to the land governance “information ecosystem” and improve the flow of data between diverse actors.

Job Description

Local Knowledge Engagement Coordinators have a dual responsibility of research and communications engagement in a specific region or country. Regarding research, s/he will be responsible for identifying land-related data and information opportunities in the region, building data sharing partnerships, and a network of researchers and partner organizations interested in exploring the potential of data to create stories and compelling narratives. Ensure local data is properly represented on the Land Portal pages, and support the Land Portal in understanding better the local data ecosystem.

S/he will be responsible for identifying relevant land issues in a particular regions and/or countries while stimulating dialogue about these issues with relevant networks and partners. S/he will also update the Land Portal website with land-related news, events and blogs, curate the social media presence in the region and send out quarterly newsletters to a  regionally targeted mailing list with compelling and attractive land data stories.  

Principal Tasks & Responsibilities: 

Specific responsibilities relating to research:

Support the development and enhancement of country thematic and dataset portfolios on the Land Portal under the supervision of the Research Coordinator. This will entail:

• Building a network of land researchers in the targeted region, which includes building a community of practice, seeking and identifying opportunities for collaboration, creating individual and organizational portfolios, and maintaining a list of contacts, and feeding these to the Network of Researchers Coordinator.

• Identifying land-related data and resources from government, agencies and departments, universities, civil society organizations, private sector and other stakeholder groups to be aggregated by Land Portal and ingesting this data with the support of Land Portal data analysts.

• Identifying opportunities for data sharing collaboration and data sharing partnership in the region of interest to the Land Portal Foundation. This will involve authoring and creating data stories in collaboration with the Land Portal Team.

• Representing the Land Portal and regionally relevant land related events.

• In cooperation with regional land experts, universities and research partners and under the supervision of the Research Coordinator, explore analysis of land indicators to reveal trends and new perspectives on land issues and highlighting these trends in innovative ways through data stories, visualizations or other methods.

• Identify authors for country page narratives.

Specific responsibilities relating to communications:

1. Update the Land Portal regularly with content and news.

• Review existing information sources regularly and check for news, new events, blog posts and  publications;

• Keep an updated list of sources;

• Select and publish information items every day in the respective section for news, events, blog and library resources - for a minimum of 30-40 information items per month-  in coordination with the Communications Specialist and following the Land Portal editorial guidelines.

• If necessary, translate brief Land Portal specific news items as necessary in local languages.

• Create individual and organizational profiles in relation to blogs and library resources.

• Create original interviews and/or blogs with local authors to produce compelling stories on land-related topics. 

• Reach out to blog authors to gain their permission to cross-post their blog on the Land Portal and obtain necessary biographical information for creating a profile. Explore new blog authors. 

• Identify and inform the Land Portal of potential opportunities for partnership in the region on co-authoring webinars, discussions, data stories, potential new partners, media partnerships for land conferences, etc. (this may generate the potential to work a few extra days to coordinate those collaborations).

• Compile a quarterly newsletter via Mailchimp compiling the most compelling data stories and interviews with local people..

• Promote content via social media.

Qualifications and skills

The successful candidate will have:

• University degree (Masters level) or in the process of obtaining a PHD in a relevant land related discipline;

• Prior experience or studies in land governance related issues;

• Some knowledge of data management and analysis; 

• Some knowledge of open data, data sharing technologies and standards such as metadata standards, semantic web and linked data;

• Fluency (native level) in English and fluency in relevant local languages;

• Minimum 1 year of relevant work experience;

• Excellent computer skills, including with Content Management Systems;

• Superior attention to detail;

• Excellent communications skills and understanding of social media, as well as good drafting, communicating and presentation abilities;

• Understanding of several visualization tools for story maps and data stories.

Personal and Professional Attributes

• Inclusive and effective communication skills and techniques with an ability to respectfully engage with, and to communicate concepts to others. 

• High standard of ethics and integrity which inspires trust and confidence. 

• Enthusiasm and commitment to sustained effort through diligence and pursuit of high standards. 

• Commitment to ongoing personal and professional development which drives best practice. 

• Proactively utilizes initiative, innovation and a commitment to continuous improvement. 

• Strong collaborative skills which enable effective engagement within a high functioning cohesive team. 

• Ability to employ sound judgment and decision making amongst competing demands 

• Ability to show initiative in planning and developing new ideas and approaches, and to implement and communicate change effectively.

• Problem-solving attitude;

• Diplomacy, team spirit and willingness to take initiatives;

• Ability to meet strict deadlines;

• Disciplined - good at managing his or her own time and committed to work from home in a remote environment.

Reporting

The Local Knowledge Engagement Coordinator will report to the Research Coordinator for research related tasks and to the Communications Specialist for communications related tasks. 

Position

This position(s) will be staffed on a part-time basis (6 days per month) for a year following a probationary period of 3 months. The Consultant will be working from home. 

How to apply?

Please send your curriculum vitae (CV) and a cover letter explaining your interests and qualifications (addressed to Laura Meggiolaro, Land Portal Team Leader) no later than midnight CET on Sunday, February 16th, 2020, or email your cover letter and CV to jobs@landportal.info.

Please write “Local Knowledge Engagement Coordinators –  Job Application” as the subject of the email.