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Remote Sensing Analyst [Contractor]

New York, United States

GiveDirectly has delivered more than $1B in cash directly to 2+ million people living in poverty across 15 countries since 2011. We believe cash transfers are one of the most scalable, cost-effective, and dignified forms of aid, with the research to back it up. 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. Curious about what it's really like to work here? Read our values and hear from the people who do. If they resonate, this could be a great fit!

Location: Remote

About this 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.

You will work closely with our research team to design and implement a feasibility study using satellite imagery, telecom data, and geospatial analysis tools to track agricultural patterns, infrastructure changes, and population movement as indicators of market-level economic effects. This is a rare opportunity to help pioneer a novel methodology for development research in-house at an implementing organization—one that could unlock new ways to measure economic multiplier effects and structural transformation in low-income settings. You'll own the technical execution of the pilot, from sourcing imagery and developing analysis scripts to documenting findings and recommending next steps for the potentially larger application of these methods.

Level: Analyst

Contract Duration: 3 months (approximately 50% capacity)

Travel Requirement: No travel required; this is a fully remote position.

What you'll do:

  • 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). Candidates should have access to a high-performance computing environment (or cloud computing resources) capable of processing and analyzing large-scale satellite imagery and geospatial datasets.
  • 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.

What you'll bring:

  • 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.

Who should apply (three broad profiles)

  • Remote sensing / geospatial analyst track: GIS specialist, satellite imagery analyst, or environmental monitoring professional with hands-on experience analyzing earth observation data for development, conservation, or humanitarian applications.
  • Quantitative development researcher track: Researcher, economist, or data analyst with experience in development evaluation, impact assessment, or field research who's eager to explore novel measurement approaches using spatial data.
  • Geospatial technologist track: Software engineer or data scientist with geospatial expertise (PostGIS, rasterio, etc.) interested in applying technical skills to development challenges and working on hypothesis-driven projects.

Compensation

At GiveDirectly, we strive to pay our employees generously and equitably. We use an accredited third party salary aggregator to calculate what we believe to be competitive pay based on role, location, and cost of living. We also have a no negotiation policy to ensure we are paying staff equitably across roles. Read more about our compensation philosophy here.

Estimated total compensation for this 3-month contract: To be determined based on candidate experience and geographic location. GiveDirectly is committed to competitive, equitable compensation for contract roles.

Working at GiveDirectly

GiveDirectly is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to the person’s race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Flagging for US applicants: We invite you to "Know Your Rights" as an applicant.

Commitment to Safeguarding

As a global organization working with communities to eliminate extreme poverty, GiveDirectly takes the safeguarding of its recipients, staff, and partners seriously. To that end, GiveDirectly is a member of the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme, and will systematically check with previous employers about any abuse or misconduct related matters involving potential new hires. We may also employ other robust pre-hire screens, including in-depth reference checks, criminal background checks, and sanctions screens.

These efforts help us continue to build and maintain trust with the communities we work with, and prevent abuse to our recipients and staff.

**GD is committed to observing all local, national and international laws that protect people and basic human rights of all. GD is committed to a policy of “zero tolerance when it comes to preventing,  reporting, or responding to any form of abuse or  exploitation.” and expects anyone who works for GD to uphold the protection and safeguarding of our recipients as a priority.**

Reasonable Accommodations

We are committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible work environment. If you require any accommodations during the application or interview process, or to perform the essential functions of the role, please email us at careers@givedirectly.org with the email subject “Accommodation Needed”. We will work with you to ensure reasonable accommodations are made to support your needs.

Want to put your best foot forward on your GiveDirectly application? Take a look at our Candidate Application Prep Guide!

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