Remote Sensing Analyst [Contractor]

GiveDirectly has delivered more than $1B in cash directly to 2+ million people living in poverty across 15 countries since 2011. Our work has been covered by The Economist, NPR, TED, and The Washington Post. We are one of Time100’s Most Influential Companies of 2026. Our culture is candid, analytical, and non-hierarchical. We support high ownership and real professional growth.

About the role

GiveDirectly is launching an exploratory research initiative to understand the market-level economic effects of cash transfers—moving beyond household impacts to measure how cash circulation affects local markets, prices, firm dynamics, and economic activity. To advance this ambitious research agenda, we're seeking a Remote Sensing Analyst to lead a three-month pilot project that will test whether satellite imagery and geospatial analysis can serve as cost-effective, scalable proxies for measuring market transformation in cash transfer contexts.

Responsibilities

• Lead geospatial analysis design: Work with the GiveDirectly research team to translate research hypotheses about market effects into testable geospatial proxies (e.g., agricultural intensification, road quality, population clustering, infrastructure development).
• Source and evaluate imagery options: Identify, assess, and procure satellite imagery or telecom data from various sources (open-source platforms, public datasets, etc.) for study areas; evaluate data quality, temporal resolution, and suitability for hypothesis testing.
• Conduct exploratory analysis, and interpret findings: Execute spatial analysis on smaller samples of pilot data to detect changes in agricultural composition, cultivation intensity, infrastructure, and spatial patterns of economic activity, based on the rollout of GiveDirectly’s past programs. Synthesize technical results into clear insights about whether remote sensing can effectively detect market transformation; assess validity of proxies against conceptual models of economic multiplier effects.
• Develop repeatable analysis scripts: Build reproducible, well-documented code (Python/R/GIS tools) for automated detection and quantification of landscape and infrastructure changes over time, making methodology transparent and shareable across GiveDirectly.
• Document and communicate: Create clear technical documentation, methodology notes, and findings summaries suitable for both technical and non-technical audiences; contribute to defining a scope of work for potential scaling.

Requirements

• Exceptional alignment with GiveDirectly Values and active demonstration of our core competencies: intellectual humility, problem-solving, project management, follow-through, and attention to practical constraints.
• We welcome and strongly encourage applications from candidates with experience in or commitment to international development, poverty reduction, or the Global South.
• Strong geospatial and remote sensing expertise: Demonstrated experience with satellite imagery analysis, GIS platforms (ArcGIS, QGIS), and geospatial data interpretation. Familiarity with commonly used geospatial and remote sensing datasets (e.g., Sentinel-2, Landsat, VIIRS nighttime lights, WorldPop, OpenStreetMap).
• Technical programming skills: Proficiency in Python, R, or similar languages for geospatial data processing and analysis; ability to write clean, documented, reproducible code.
• Hypothesis-driven thinking: Ability to translate economic and social research questions into technical geospatial proxies; experience working with or supporting economics projects a plus.
• Resourcefulness with data: Experience sourcing, evaluating, and working with open-source or cost-effective data sources; comfort troubleshooting data quality and availability constraints.
• Clear communication: Ability to explain technical findings to non-specialists; strong documentation practices; comfort translating between research and implementation teams.

Qualifications

• Experience with satellite imagery analysis, GIS platforms (ArcGIS, QGIS), and geospatial data interpretation.
• Familiarity with commonly used geospatial and remote sensing datasets (e.g., Sentinel-2, Landsat, VIIRS nighttime lights, WorldPop, OpenStreetMap).
• Proficiency in Python, R, or similar languages for geospatial data processing and analysis; ability to write clean, documented, reproducible code.
• Experience working with or supporting economics projects a plus.
• Experience sourcing, evaluating, and working with open-source or cost-effective data sources; comfort troubleshooting data quality and availability constraints.
• Ability to explain technical findings to non-specialists; strong documentation practices; comfort translating between research and implementation teams.

Skills

• Geospatial and remote sensing expertise.
• Programming skills (Python, R).
• Hypothesis-driven thinking.
• Data sourcing and evaluation.
• Clear communication.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation based on experience and location.
• Flexible work schedule.
• Professional growth opportunities.
• Cultural alignment with GiveDirectly values.

Pay

To be determined based on candidate experience and geographic location.

Schedule

Remote, 50% capacity contract duration of approximately 3 months.

Application Instructions

No application instructions provided.