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GIS Research Analyst

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC), a nonprofit organization with more than 160,000 members and supporters, is the nation's largest trails organization dedicated to connecting people and communities by creating a nationwide network of public trails, many from former rail lines and connecting corridors. Founded in 1986, RTC’s national office is located in Washington, D.C., with regional offices in California, Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

This position is located in our National Headquarters in downtown Washington, D.C., in the West End neighborhood, and is easily accessible by Metro rail.

Job Description

This position will report to the VP of Trail Development and will be an integral part of RTC’s Trail Development and Policy Department to conduct research and analysis of geo-spatial interest as it relates to RTC’s mission, goals and objectives. The GIS Research Analyst will work in the primary role of leading RTC’s GIS research and analysis program with RTC’s geospatial data and publicly available datasets.

The GIS Research Analyst will work closely within the Trail Development and Policy Department as well as across technical and non-technical project teams to produce research that advances RTC’s active trail network projects as well as the goals of the organization, including but not limited to: trail proximity and accessibility analysis, trail equity analysis, trail connectivity analysis and property values in proximity to trail networks analysis. The analyst will be responsible for translating their research findings into easily digestible and well written communication products such as reports, briefings, presentations, blog posts, etc.

This position will coordinate with the TrailLink team, including the GIS Specialist for TrailLink and the Senior Director of TrailLink, to ensure the goals and strategies for the TrailLink platform are met and that RTC’s geospatial data is properly collected and maintained.

Qualifications

The qualified candidate for this position will hold a master’s degree in the social sciences with an emphasis on research using geospatial data. A bachelor’s degree in Geography, Environmental Science or other suitable social sciences, plus five years of applicable job experience and research experience, may substitute for a master’s degree. A GISP Certification is preferred.

Experience with spatial statistics is required, including but not limited to, hot-spot analysis (e.g., Getis-Ord Gi* statistic). Experience with non-spatial advanced statistics, such as regression analysis, is also required.

Excellent verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills are essential to listen to and interpret technical and non-technical user requests, and clearly communicate technical ideas to both GIS users and non-users. Top candidates will be exceptional at translating their technical findings into well-written communication products intended for non-technical audiences.

Extensive experience with the ArcGIS platform, including spatial analyst and network analyst extensions, is required. Experience creating, working with, maintaining and evaluating large datasets is required. The preferred candidate will have experience obtaining and manipulating Census data and other government-sourced geo-spatial datasets. The candidate should have experience creating and executing database queries and knowledge of relational database concepts. A verifiable ability to create high-quality custom cartographic products is also required.

The ideal candidate will have experience creating custom programs in .Net, Python or JavaScript to manipulate geospatial data. Experience with the MapWindow ActiveX component is a plus. Experience with the R statistical programming language is a plus.

How to Apply

Please use one form of transmitting your resume. No phone calls please. Recruiters, please do not contact our offices.

Mail, fax or email cover letter, résumé and three professional references to:

Elton A. Clark
Human Resources Manager
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
The Duke Ellington Building
2121 Ward Court, NW, 5th Floor
Washington, D.C. 20037

Email: elton@railstotrails.org
Fax: 202.223.9257

Welcome to CUPPA Careers!