VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
Date: October 28, 2026
Assignment: Consultant – Geographic Information System (GIS) Officer
|
Location: Reddiyarchattram, Dindigul, Tamil Nadu
|
|
Assignment type: Consultancy
|
Reporting to: Senior Field Officer / Programme Manager
|
|
Duration: up to six months
|
Work environment: On-site
|
|
About ChildFund
|
|
ChildFund India works towards ensuring that children from the most marginalized sections of the society become able, confident, and responsible adults.
ChildFund’s Values
ChildFund values a diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible environment where everyone is welcomed and celebrated equally. In our culture of connection, you will have ample opportunity to grow, learn, and lead while contributing your talents and innovations to our inspiring mission.
ChildFund’s Commitment
ChildFund India’s Safeguarding Policy and Procedures will be strictly adhered to throughout the engagement period to ensure the safety, dignity, and well-being of children and vulnerable adults. ChildFund India maintains a zero-tolerance approach towards sexual exploitation, abuse, harassment (SEAH), and all forms of harm by staff, partners, consultants, vendors, and representatives in the delivery of its programmes and services. The organisation is committed to maintaining a safe and respectful environment within the workplace and in the communities where it operates. Accordingly, the selected candidate will be required to sign ChildFund India’s Safeguarding Commitment and Behavioural Protocol as part of the contractual agreement and comply with all safeguarding standards, policies, and do-no-harm principles throughout the engagement period.
|
|
About this Assignment
|
|
The GIS Officer will lead the project’s geographic information systems (GIS), spatial data management, mapping, and remote-sensing activities for ChildFund India’s climate resilience and agroforestry initiative in Dindigul District, Tamil Nadu. The role will support the Project Manager, Agroforestry Expert, and project team by producing accurate spatial evidence for project planning, plot assessment, plantation monitoring, tree audits, land-use analysis, and carbon verification.
The GIS Officer will maintain reliable and updated spatial databases, integrate GPS and field-survey data, and produce maps and analyses to inform programme decisions, reporting, and learning.
Remain alert and responsive to any safeguarding risks; acquire and maintain the relevant knowledge and skills necessary to promote strong safeguarding practices; understand and adhere to ChildFund India’s Safeguarding Policy and Procedures; and conduct yourself at all times in a manner consistent with ChildFund India’s safeguarding principles and standards.
|
|
Required Experience and Education
|
|
Education: Postgraduate degree in Environmental Sciences, Natural Sciences, Agriculture, Forestry, Geography, Geoinformatics, Remote Sensing, or a related discipline. Additional qualifications or certification in GIS or remote sensing will be an advantage.
Work Experience: Relevant professional experience in GIS, spatial data management, remote sensing, or geographic analysis. Experience in agroforestry, agriculture, natural resource management, climate change, or conservation programmes is highly desirable.
Language Proficiency: Good written and spoken English; working knowledge of Tamil is essential for field-level coordination.
Skills and Abilities:
- Strong analytical thinking, accuracy, and attention to detail.
- Results orientation and effective problem-solving.
- Planning, organisation, and accountability.
- Effective communication and collaboration with field teams and technical stakeholders.
- Adaptability and willingness to learn.
- Commitment to gender equality, inclusion, child protection, and safeguarding.
Knowledge:
- Demonstrated experience in GIS-based spatial data collection, mapping, and spatial database management.
- Practical knowledge of LULC mapping, NDVI, satellite imagery, image classification, change detection, and area estimation.
- Experience digitising and validating GPS-based farmer and plot boundaries and integrating field-survey data.
- Ability to conduct ground-truthing and interpret spatial data for land-use and plantation monitoring.
- Proficiency in relevant GIS and remote-sensing software and tools.
- Strong data management, analytical, documentation, and report-preparation skills.
- Willingness and ability to travel across project locations in Dindigul District.
|
|
Scope of Work
|
|
1. GIS Mapping and Spatial Data Management
- Develop, update, and maintain Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) maps and spatial databases for project intervention areas.
- Digitise, verify, and maintain farmer and plot boundaries, integrating GPS coordinates, survey information, and other spatial datasets.
- Organise, clean, document, and maintain GIS datasets, metadata, data dictionaries, and version control.
- Maintain an integrated spatial database of project locations, farmers, plots, plantations, and related geographic information.
- Ensure spatial data are accurate, secure, well documented, and available for project planning and reporting.
2. Remote Sensing and Land-Use Analysis
- Use satellite imagery and GIS tools to calculate NDVI and other relevant vegetation indices and assess changes over time.
- Conduct supervised and unsupervised image classification, change detection, and area estimation to assess land-use and agroforestry changes.
- Analyse changes in vegetation cover and land use across project locations and prepare clear findings for programme teams.
- Prepare spatial analysis outputs to support plot feasibility assessments and identify suitable areas for agroforestry interventions.
3. Field Verification and Plantation Monitoring
- Conduct ground-truthing and field verification to validate mapped boundaries, land-use classifications, and spatial datasets.
- Support plot feasibility assessments, plantation monitoring, tree audits, sapling survival verification, and carbon verification through GIS and remote-sensing analysis.
- Coordinate with field teams and the Agroforestry Expert to collect and verify GPS coordinates and plot-level information.
- Undertake regular field visits across project locations in Dindigul District, as required.
4. Mapping, Visualisation and Reporting
- Produce accurate, publication-quality maps, spatial visualisations, and thematic maps for project reports, presentations, and donor reporting.
- Prepare spatial summaries, maps, and analytical outputs to track project coverage, plantation progress, and land-use changes.
- Present GIS findings in a clear and accessible manner to support project reviews, audits, and third-party verification.
5. Coordination and Technical Support
- Work closely with the Project Manager, Sr. Field Officer, Agroforestry Expert, field teams, and technical agencies on GIS-related activities.
- Provide guidance to project staff and field teams on GPS data collection, plot mapping, and basic spatial data management.
- Develop and maintain simple GIS procedures, documentation, and data collection protocols.
- Perform other relevant responsibilities assigned by the Line Manager.
|
|
Required Competencies
|
|
ChildFund’s Core Competencies
- Teamwork: the ability to work effectively and collaborate with others; values and respects individual differences.
- Communication: demonstrates empathy and tact when communicating with others and uses a storytelling approach when appropriate.
- Results orientation: gets things done; takes proactive steps to achieve organizational goals and quality standards.
- Decision making: uses good judgement, critical thinking, and non-traditional ways to evaluate problems and opportunities; reflects and innovates to improve decisions and outcomes.
- Resilience: thrives and grows in rapidly changing, demanding, and complex environments.
- Digital literacy: adopts and champions new technology to relevant contexts, stays aware of technological trends and embraces technological solutions to business challenges.
|
Disclaimer: This TOR is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the assignment.
How to Apply:
i) Please send your updated CV to recruitment@childfundindia.org (renaming your CV with your name is appreciated). Attaching a cover letter to demonstrate your suitability for the position is highly recommended.
ii) Please include answer to the following question in your email for application –
Do any of your relatives or members of your family/household work for ChildFund or if any child related to you is being currently sponsored/enrolled by ChildFund?? If yes, please provide the following details:
- Name, Relationship, Current Position, and Location
iii) Please mention in the subject line of your email “Application for , Dindigul”
Kindly pay attention to all of the above three points under “How to Apply” section as missing information may result in disqualification of the application.
Application Deadline: November 8th, 2026.
Note: Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.