Biodiversity Data Cordinator/GIS Analyst (Oslo, Norway)

Node Manager, Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)

Job description
A permanent position in biodiversity data coordination  (position code 1087,  Senior Engineer) is vacant at the Department of Research and Collections, Natural History Museum,  University of Oslo, Norway.

The Natural History Museum (NHM), University of Oslo, is the largest of its kind in Norway with 150 employees engaged in research, collection work, teaching and popularising the science of botany, mycology, geology, palaeontology and zoology.

GBIF Norway  (www.gbif.no) is the Norwegian participant node in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, GBIF. GBIF was initiated by the OECD’s Mega Science Forum in 2001, to fulfill the need to make primary data about the Earth's biological diversity freely available to anyone over the Internet. The main task of GBIF Norway is to make primary data on biological diversity from the Norwegian collections and observation databases freely available and to coordinate GBIF-related activities in Norway. GBIF Norway is currently holding data from 16 institutions and 66 databases and includes more than 7.8 million records.  The node has 7 full or part time staff members.

We are seeking a new head of GBIF Norway (node manager). The new node manager will be responsible for the day to day administration of the node. This also includes coordinating support and technical guidance to GBIF Norway’s data holders and users. About 50% of the position is allocated to administrative work, the other 50% is allocated to supporting NHM researchers and the research community in applying Geographical Information System (GIS) methodology to biodiversity data.

In order to be successful, the applicant has to satisfy the following:

Data from GBIF databases are typically downloaded into a variety of GIS tools and used for map analyses and distribution modelling. We seek a person with solid knowledge and broad practical experience in GIS analysis using various statistical methods and modelling software. This person is also expected to participate in university-level teaching in his or her area of competence.

The node manager should be able to communicate with Norwegian data holders and motivate data sharing through GBIF. The applicant must have a master’s degree (or equivalent) within a relevant field, excellent written and oral communication skills and good capabilities for social networking. An existing network of contacts within the Norwegian biodiversity community is considered to be an advantage. The successful candidate should also document good administrative skills. In the ranking of competent applicants, the whole breadth of their qualifications will be assessed.

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