Job Alert: Data Consultant
The Marine Science Programme comprises a portfolio of several separate projects past and present, each of them a collaboration between teams from multiple institutions globally. Each project collects and holds data in a wide range of formats, from genetic meta-barcoding through ecological observations to social science surveys. The Marine Science Programme seeks a long-term data recording and access solution that protects the integrity of the data, encourages collaboration and amplifies the utility of the science towards conservation aims.
The Marine Science Programme applies the FAIR principles to the data collected by the programme and prioritises equitable access for science teams working in the Indian Ocean region.
General Role Description
The data consultant will work with the management team at ZSL and each of our project teams to identify the range of data sets and the best way to:
- Ensure they represent the programme as a whole
- Are stored and described using FAIR principles
- Promote accessibility and use of our data
The consultant will identify and commission a suitable data platform on which to make the data accessible and which will link to other data storage locations for direct access to data. The consultant will liaise with a nominated person from each project team to ensure data collection is well managed and fully documented with metadata and will train the management and project teams in the use of the data management platform. The data consultant will work with the management team to explore innovative ways to make our programme data as accessible as it can be, regionally and globally, and to champion the vision of equitable and open data usage. Much of the programme data is already hosted on a range of digital platforms – we are not seeking to design any new ones or to move the data – the priority is to link these locations back to a central, user friendly point of access.
Outputs
- Work with project leads to record the range of data sets on the programme and establish their locations.
- Establish a suitable platform to host/link/showcase the data and data products that has a user-friendly front end for accessing data.
- Ensure all project data sets from the start of the programme are represented on the platform by at least metadata by end 2024.
- Train management team and nominated data person per project to use the platform.
- An agreed system for recording usage metrics to be in place and management team trained on its use.
- Work with the ZSL team to monitor progress of other ocean data initiatives, especially those linked with the UN Decade, to inform decisions about how the Marine Science Programme showcases its own data.
- Produce an end of project report.
Deadline to apply: 1 February 2024
Role will be consultancy based and contracted to the Zoological Society of London working with the Marine Science management team during UK business hours. This is a home-based role with no restrictions on location of applicant.
The contract should start ideally no later than 1 March 2024 and outputs should be completed six months from the start date.
ZSL is committed to making our recruitment practices as barrier-free and accessible as possible to everyone. This includes making adjustments or changes for disabled people, neurodiverse people or people with long-term health conditions. If you would like us to do anything differently during the application or interview process, please let us know.
For more information and to apply, please see: Data Consultant Proposal