Economist/Spatial Analyst @ Conservation International

Conservation International (CI) is a non-profit institution headquartered outside of Washington DC, working in over 43 countries to conserve biodiversity, manage ecosystems, and ensure the delivery of related goods and services to people. CI's mission requires the integration of conservation into development strategies. Ensuring that natural capital and ecosystem services are appropriately valued and incorporated into key economic and land use decisions is a key response to this challenge. Implementing such "Green Economies" requires multidisciplinary, long term engagements spanning economics, spatial planning, private sector engagement, markets for ecosystem services, policy, and a practical understanding of economic and political drivers in the countries where CI works. We are seeking international expertise in natural resource economics to fill an Economist/Spatial Analyst Position within our Science + Knowledge Division. The Economist/Spatial Analyst will work to ensure that natural capital and ecosystem services are appropriately valued and incorporated into economic and land use decisions. This position will contribute to Green Economies through applied research and political engagement on a) Spatially explicit analysis of economic returns from business as usual vs. conservation based land uses, b) Practical solutions including responses to market failures and application of state of the art in landscape planning, and c) Developing innovative approaches to spatially explicit land use tradeoffs. The economist will serve a key technical role in teams engaging national/regional governments and will be instrumental in developing CI's vision and approach to green economies. Accordingly, he/she will balance practical collaborations with analytical rigor and production of high impact publications. In addition, he/she will be a part of a team which engages private sector, civil society and public sector stakeholders in the GEI and therefore will play a critical role in cultivating partnerships and ensuring stakeholders are well integrated into the Green Economy Initiatives. 


RESPONSIBILITIES: Devise and apply spatially explicit and replicable systems for collecting, analyzing, and interpreting environmental and economic data for engagement in green economies Produce economic impact statements for environmental and natural resource policies, standards, and programs to be utilized by key decision makers through policy, ecosystem service markets, formal and informal private sector engagement Conduct research based on GIS methodologies, social science methodologies and economic theories as they apply to natural resources and environmental or regional economics Provide technical advice to S+K, CI units, CI country programs as well as key public and private sector stakeholders through focused technical projects and the supervision of consultants Prepare reports and disseminate analytical results through technical reports, scientific journals, oral presentations, etc. 


WORKING CONDITIONS: Mostly normal office environment in developed and developing countries. Domestic and International travel estimate: 30-40+%. Occasional time in the field including camping, hiking, etc. 


QUALIFICATIONS: Required: Advanced degree or demonstrated technical proficiency in natural resource economics or related field; Minimum 5 years of related work experience working on environmental economics and/or land use planning relevant to conservation and development issues Advanced knowledge in area of environmental economics, including global markets, related natural resource management policies Advanced proficiency in data collection, compilation, analysis and innovation in the designing and developing of concepts, applications, and technologies Proven ability to publish technical or scientific writings in peer review journals Ability to delivering presentations; interpreting and presenting information to suit the target audience Demonstrated ability of working effectively with multicultural, multidisciplinary teams to produce results Ability to work with a variety of stakeholders from local and national governments to the private sector Expertise in statistical tools and GIS software, i.e., IDRISI, ArcGIS, Erdas Imagine. Preferred: Proficiency in Spanish, French, or Portuguese Experience with Systematic Conservation Planning (Marxan) software a plus.