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Director of the Spatial Analysis Laboratory
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Position Number: 5008916
Location: Northampton, MA
Position Type: Laboratory and Research

Director of the Spatial Analysis Laboratory

If you have any questions about the position or our application process, reach out to us at recruiting-u@smith.edu.
Center for the EnvironmentJob Description

Job Summary

Lead the spatial analysis program to develop, implement and assess spatial data services and grow the network of faculty, staff, and students aiming for opportunities to innovate spatial thinking, teaching and learning in a liberal arts environment. Provide leadership for a team of GIS professionals in order to provide and develop tools and resources that enable the discovery, access, management, and analysis of spatial data across all disciplines (i.e., arts, humanities, natural and social sciences). Advance and evolve the spatial data framework vision that integrates the mission and strategic priorities of the College, including curriculum. Contribute to the planning process within CEEDS to maintain alignment with the college's strategic plan. Collaborate with other academic and administrative units, including the libraries, to seek innovative and sustainable approaches to incorporate spatial data methods and techniques in support of teaching, research, and integrative learning.

Take appropriate actions to support a diverse workforce and participate in the College's efforts to create a respectful, inclusive, and welcoming work environment.

Essential Functions

Leadership, Management, and Administration (35%)

Develop, coordinate, deliver, promote, and evaluate spatial data management services. Spatial data services include consultation for and with faculty, staff, and students on a broad range of data use and management issues, including data description, discovery, citation and reuse, ownership, sharing, visualization, preservation, and archiving.
Lead and manage a growing group of professional GIS specialists. Encourage team members to be active in communities of interest and practice. Provide opportunity for team members to maintain technical and research skills through professional development activities.
Collaborate across the College and the Five Colleges with interest groups to identify innovative and best practices to broaden research endeavors and communities of practice.
Participate in formal and informal college leadership and governance mechanisms for academic support, especially at the intersection of spatial analysis and issues of environment, ecological design, and sustainability.
Lead proposal writing, budget development, and administration of grant awards related to spatial data services and network building. Participate in grant-funded research and collaborate on scholarship projects with faculty and student scholars.

Research and Educational Technologies (35%)

Advance knowledge and skills in spatial science within CEEDS to support spatial thinking and spatial literacy across campus. Conceive and develop services to support the application of learning and pedagogical theory. Develop and implement best practices to enhance user experience.
Apply and promote best practices in the discovery, access, use, analysis, visualization, curation, dissemination, and preservation of locally-created and externally available geospatial data through reference, research consultations, instruction, online guides, websites, and other outreach efforts.
Maintain presence in the Libraries' Learning, Research, and Technology (LRT) unit as one among a number of research modalities. Collaborate with LRT to maintain and grow platforms that enable discovery of and access to geospatial data within the Libraries' collections.

Practice and Tradecraft (30%)

Recognizing the small team configuration, the Director is expected to maintain fluency in the spatial sciences, remote sensing, cartography, geohumanities, and allied fields of study. Maintaining technical fluency in spatial science, broadly speaking, is required to effectively plan and contribute to all
phases of research, teaching, and learning. The Director will ensure that spatial data are fully incorporated into the research data management (RDM) cycle.
Maintain fluency and expertise in all forms of spatial data assembly including field data collection (GPS, Drones, Sensors), crowdsourcing, data fusion, and data harvesting.
Acquire and maintain enterprise GIS systems to support research and teaching across the college in collaboration with campus partners. Collaborate with the library units to ensure spatial methods are part of search and discovery of data, objects, and holdings.
Engage with state, national and international GIS or geospatial data-related professional organizations or affinity groups and stay abreast of trends, issues, and technologies for the management, curation, and discovery of geospatial data.
Identify and oversee the acquisition of large volumes of local and international geospatial data, which includes negotiating licenses and pricing, as well as coordinating libraries, academic departments, and information technology to leverage acquisition resources.

Other Functions

All employees are expected to participate in the College's efforts to create a respectful, inclusive, and welcoming work environment.

Minimum Qualifications (knowledge, skills, education, experience, certifications, licenses)

Master's degree in geography, geoscience, GIS, or a related field plus a minimum of 8 - 10 years of experience or an equivalent combination of education and relevant work experience. Progressively responsible experience in planning, implementing, and managing research and learning, and educational technology services; supervisory and leadership experience; fluency in spatial sciences, especially within a liberal arts context; demonstrated experience of curricular support, emerging pedagogies and technologies, and experience in best practices in communicating with spatial data.

Experience working with individuals from diverse backgrounds.

Skills

Excellent communication, problem solving and analytical skills; accuracy and attention to detail; ability to organize and prioritize work effectively; ability to work independently and as part of a team. Proven ability to lead and to work in a collegial and collaborative environment. Ability to apply critical, analytical and innovative thinking to work. Ability to successfully manage projects; and identify and solve problems. Demonstrated continuous learning of new skills, their application and sharing with colleagues. Understanding of best practices in application of spatial science in research and teaching. Ability to stay adept and agile to guide and mentor team members to excel in a rigorous and technically intensive environment.

Additional Information

The search committee will begin reviewing applications on 03/06
Please attach BOTH a current resume and a cover letter in order for your application to be considered for this position . Be sure you have provided all attachments before submitting your application.
You will NOT be able to attach additional files after you have hit the Submit button.

Review of applications will begin
March 6, 2024

Compensation Grade:
Grade G

Position Type:
Regular

About Smith College

Located in Northampton, MA, Smith College is one of the largest women's colleges in the country and is dedicated to excellence in teaching and research across the liberal arts. A faculty of outstanding scholars interact with students in small classes, as advisors, and through student-faculty research projects. The College is a member of the Five College Consortium with Amherst, Hampshire and Mt. Holyoke Colleges, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Students cross-enroll and faculty cross-teach across the Five Colleges.

Consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 151B, it is the policy of Smith College to provide reasonable accommodation when requested by a qualified applicant or employee with a disability, unless such accommodation would cause an undue hardship. The policy regarding requests for reasonable accommodation applies to all aspects of employment, including the application process. If reasonable accommodation is needed, please contact our recruiting team at recruiting-u@smith.edu.

As set forth in our mission and values, Smith College is committed to promoting a culture of equity and inclusion among students, staff and faculty. The College will not discriminate in employment on the basis of age, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, genetic information, age, veteran status, physical or mental disability, or any other classification protected by law. Smith College is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all state and federal laws that prohibit discrimination.

To apply, visit https://smithcollege.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/smithcollege/job/Smith-College/Director-of-the-Spatial-Analysis-Laboratory_R-202400055?timeType=f5076f035909016d0a03432e742a7800