Senior GIS Analyst

Title: Senior GIS Analyst
Supervisor: Co-Director of Outreach & Communications
Location: Warrenton, Va.
Job Classification: Full Time, Exempt

Introduction

The Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) conserves and restores the lands and waters of the Virginia Piedmont, while building stronger, more sustainable communities. Founded in 1972, PEC is a locally based, community-supported 501(c)(3) nonprofit and accredited land trust. At the core of PEC’s approach is a focus on educating, engaging and empowering people to effect positive change in their communities.

Your Role

PEC is seeking an experienced, innovative and collaborative GIS professional to help advance PEC’s mission. PEC utilizes cartography and GIS tools to create effective visualizations of data and easy-to-understand maps for the public. In this fast-paced world, we know that an effective visual can be the pathway for community engagement and action on critical environmental issues facing our region and the planet.

As a Senior GIS Analyst, you will leverage geospatial technology to support conservation efforts, better land use planning and visual storytelling. You will maintain an up-to-date GIS database for the Virginia Piedmont and surrounding areas and be the administrator of the PEC’s ArcGIS Online system. You will organize and share content with users on staff and train new staff on how to use the system. In addition, you will work with other staff to produce maps, data analyses and graphics for PEC staff, board and partner organizations as needed.

Areas of Responsibility

The Senior GIS Analyst will report to PEC’s co-director of outreach & communications and be responsible for a mix of the functions outlined below:

  • Acquire, organize, and maintain an up-to-date GIS database for the Piedmont Region, incorporating data from local, state and federal sourced into PEC-produced data
  • Create, analyze, and maintain a wide variety of geospatial databases, web maps, scripts, documentation, information, and map layers
  • Conduct spatial analyses to identify environmental trends, prioritize conservation efforts, and assess land use impacts
  • Perform quality assurance/quality control on a wide variety of spatial data used by the organization and ensure metadata standards are met
  • Utilize GIS analytical tools to produce maps, web applications, web maps, and 3D visualizations
  • Administer the organizational ArcGIS Online account and support related staff access and data needs
  • Maintain and enforce PEC mapping, data management and data storage policies and procedures for all staff
  • Assist the co-directors of outreach and communications in identifying needs and improving the efficiency, accessibility, and efficacy of spatial tools of the organization
  • Develop training tools and provide technical support to staff using GIS-related programs to accomplish and support departmental programs
  • Develop process improvements and tools to continually enhance the delivery and support of GIS solutions to the organization
  • Work closely with the rest of staff to produce engaging maps for PEC’s website, social media, print publications and presentations
  • Assist with PEC events and field projects as necessary

This position will be based out of PEC’s headquarters office in Warrenton, VA, with some ability to telework. You can also expect to travel to locations within PEC’s nine-county service area a couple of times a quarter for meetings and site visits. Occasional attendance at night or weekend events may be required.

Required Qualifications

Outstanding candidates will share a commitment to PEC’s mission and will bring the following experience and attributes:

  • Strong work ethic and commitment to PEC’s core values, mission and vision.
  • Demonstrated commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice
  • Strong interpersonal skills and collaborative abilities, including the ability to work with people of diverse backgrounds and work styles
  • Four to six years experience in planning, design, operation, and maintenance of the Geographic Information System (GIS) and other integrated information systems and databases
  • Demonstrated proficiency in cartographic applications and best practices
  • Extensive experience with ESRI ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Online and common extensions, including  Spatial Analyst, 3D Analyst, Publisher, and apps including  Field Maps, Survey123, Survey123 Connect
  • Experience developing and maintaining relational databases and geodatabases
  • Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in GIS, Geography, Environmental Studies, Planning, Computer Science, or a related field
  • Working knowledge of Google Suite products and Microsoft Office
  • Strong project management, organizational and prioritization skills; attention to detail; ability to work on numerous deadline projects simultaneously
  • Reliable transportation

Preferred Qualifications

  • A Master’s degree in GIS, Geography, or related field
  • Proficiency using Adobe products (e.g. Photoshop, Illustrator, Acrobat)
  • Experience using project management software (e.g. Asana, Trello)
  • Programming experience (JavaScript, Python)
  • Ability to develop, customize, and integrate with web applications using software/tools including ArcGIS Online, HMTL/JavaScript, APIs, and Python web libraries
  • Familiarity with customer relationship management (CRM) platforms (e.g. Salesforce, EveryAction)
  • A working knowledge of local land use planning and zoning in Virginia
  • A working knowledge of conservation easements

Compensation

This position is an exempt position with benefits. The salary range is $70,000 to $90,000 annually, commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Benefits

PEC offers an outstanding and robust benefits package including:

  • Two health plans (83% employer paid premium for employee only plan, 73% employer paid for added dependents)
  • Short & Long Term Disability*
  • Group Term Life*
  • Accident, Critical Illness & Hospital Indemnity insurances*
  • HSA account (with employer match up to $750 per year)
  • FSA accounts (health & dependent)
  • 403(b) pension plan with employer contribution after 1 year of service with 100% vesting from day one
  • 12 paid holidays
  • PTO leave – 24 days per year, accrued each pay period
  • 1 day per year of paid leave to volunteer at another non-profit or charitable cause
  • Salary continuation leave for employee or family illness – from 2 to 8 weeks fully paid leave eligibility every 24 months, depending on length of service
  • Paid bereavement, jury duty and military service training leave
  • Travel expense reimbursement
  • Hybrid work environment and flexible work schedules
  • Professional development support
  • Payment for relevant licenses & professional membership fees.


*Indicates that this insurance premium is 100% paid by PEC for employee’s coverage.

Application Process

Interested applicants should fill out our job application form. Candidates must submit a cover letter and resumé. Candidates are also encouraged to submit examples of previous work products including but not limited to map projects, web apps and other products from ArcGIS. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.


The Piedmont Environmental Council strives to increase diversity, equity, inclusion and justice (DEIJ) in all aspects of achieving our mission. We recruit, employ, train, compensate, and promote regardless of race, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity (including gender nonconformity and status as a transgender individual), age, physical or mental disability, citizenship, genetic information, past, current, or prospective service in the uniformed services, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Read more about our Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) commitments.

We recognize that people come with a wealth of experience and talent beyond just the technical requirements of a job, therefore our job descriptions are guidelines, not hard and fast rules. Your experience, which may include paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work, helps build the competencies and knowledge that translates to our openings. Diversity of experience and skills combined with passion is a key to innovation and a culture of excellence. Therefore, we encourage people from all backgrounds to apply to our positions.

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), reasonable accommodations during the application or interview process may be requested.

If selected for this position, a background check will be conducted.

Pay Equity Pledge Participant

Our organization has conducted a pay equity analysis of staff compensation to look at differences in compensation in regard to race, ethnicity, and gender, to collect and analyze relevant data, and take corrective actions to remediate pay disparities.