Senior Geospatial Field Technician

NatCarbon Africa; Gqeberha; On-site; ZAR 520,000 - 780,000; Full time

Job summary

NatCarbon Africa seeks a Senior Geospatial Field Technician to lead UAV-based monitoring and data collection for the Spekboom Restoration Project in the Eastern and Western Cape. You will coordinate a team of technicians and Young Professionals, ensuring on-time, on-budget deliveries with high technical and safety standards.

You will conduct drone flights, process imagery, and integrate outputs with GIS systems while mentoring junior staff and liaising with cross-functional teams.

Qualifications

• Degree in Geomatics, Remote Sensing, GIS, Environmental Science, Earth Science, Engineering, Land Surveying, or related field.
• 2–5 years’ UAV operations, remote sensing, geospatial field monitoring or similar experience.
• Valid Remote Pilot Certificate (RPC); BVLOS rating is required.
• South African driver’s licence; off-road driving experience advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Serve as field point-of-contact between the Geospatial Team Lead and field technicians/young professionals.
• Plan, lead and coordinate daily activities and schedules for the geospatial team.
• Supervise and mentor team; ensure safe UAV operations and data quality.
• Conduct UAV flights with advanced sensors; ensure aviation and safety compliance.
• Perform post-flight data processing and integrate with GIS systems.
• Manage geospatial data systems with proper storage, versioning, and metadata.

Skills

Leadership

UAV operations

Data management

GIS (ArcGIS/QGIS)

Photogrammetry

Communication

Team leadership

Field safety

Bilingual (English/Afrikaans)

Education

Geospatial/Geomatics degree

Tools

ArcGIS

QGIS

Agisoft Metashape

DJI Terra

Job description

Senior Geospatial Field Technician, Spekboom Restoration Project

Technical and Carbon Department, Eastern Cape (Gqeberha), South Africa

Location: Gqeberha, Eastern Cape

Reports to: Geospatial Team Lead

Are you ready to embark on an extraordinary adventure that will revitalise landscapes, combat climate change, and promote sustainable agriculture?Join NatCarbon Africa: a mission-driven, proudly African organisation dedicated to high-quality implementation of large-scale carbon, climate, and biodiversity projects. We embrace the power of innovative technology to enhance project execution. Community engagement lies at the heart of our projects, driven by a genuine commitment to meaningful and inclusive participation and co-benefits, such as biodiversity conservation and socioeconomic upliftment.

NatCarbon Africa seeks a Geospatial Young Professional in the Technical and Carbon Department for the large-scale Spekboom Restoration Project in the Eastern and Western Cape Provinces of South Africa.

With our partner, Imperative Global, our aim is to restore up to 100,000 hectares of degraded subtropical thicket biome. The Project entails planting Spekboom (Portulacaria afra) on privately owned land to improve ecosystem functioning and agricultural productivity over time, promote biodiversity, improve soil filtration, enhance water storage capabilities, and to reduce soil erosion. The Project is estimated to permanently store large quantities of Carbon Dioxide over the Project life, thus positively contributing towards climate change mitigation.

Position Summary

The Senior Geospatial Field Technician reports to the Geospatial Team Lead and is responsible for coordinating and managing a team of Geospatial Field Technicians and Young Professionals in the planning, execution, and reporting of UAV-based monitoring and spatial data collection activities. The role combines field leadership with advanced technical expertise in drone operations, data processing, and quality assurance, ensuring that all aerial monitoring deliverables are completed on time, within budget, and to the highest technical and safety standards. The role also carries mentoring and training responsibilities, supporting the continuous development of the geospatial monitoring team.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Serve as field point-of-contact between the Geospatial Team Lead and the Geospatial Field Technicians and Young Professionals.
• Plan, lead, and coordinate the daily activities of the Geospatial Field Technicians and Young Professionals, including weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual schedules.
• Supervise and mentor Geospatial Field Technicians and Young Professionals, providing on-the-job training and ensuring efficient and safe UAV operations.
• Provide feedback and technical guidance to the Geospatial Team Lead to inform adaptive management decisions around project activities.
• Conduct and supervise UAV flights using advanced sensors and platforms, ensuring compliance with all aviation and safety regulations.
• Lead logistical and operational planning for UAV deployments, including flight permissions, equipment readiness, vehicle maintenance, and coordination with the Operations and Project teams.
• Perform post-flight data processing and analysis, including image mosaicking, terrain modelling, and data integration with GIS systems.
• Conduct quality assurance checks to validate data accuracy, completeness, and consistency prior to analysis or reporting.
• Manage and maintain geospatial data systems, ensuring proper data storage, version control, and metadata documentation.
• Ensure that monitoring schedules and deliverables are met in accordance with project timelines and budgets.
• Lead applied research and development activities that contribute to the growth of the Geospatial Team, without compromising delivery on core project priorities or timelines.
• Identify, test, and evaluate new and emerging drone technologies, sensors, or methodology workflows, and communicate findings effectively.
• Develop and refine standard operating procedures and automated workflows to improve efficiency in drone deployment, image processing and analysis, machine learning tools, and data handling.
• Collaborate with the Ecology and GIS and Data teams to develop custom monitoring approaches, such as linking drone outputs with field biodiversity plots, canopy metrics, or carbon estimation models.

General

• Embrace a culture of continuous learning by adapting to evolving job responsibilities, driven by NatCarbon Africa’s commitment to innovation, personal growth, and shifting operational priorities.
• Some travel within the Eastern and Western Cape may be required, including to remote locations, with occasional weekend or holiday work to accommodate schedules.
• Work hours may be irregular.

• This outline of duties and responsibilities is not exhaustive. The employer reserves the right to assign additional duties or responsibilities at any time, provided they are reasonably aligned with the scope of the role or necessitated by operational requirements. The functions and responsibilities detailed within this job description may be subject to modification at the employer’s discretion, based on evolving operational requirements, while remaining consistent with the parameters of the employee’s position.

Skills

• Excellent leadership and communication skills, with the ability to manage and motivate a small technical team.
• Strong technical proficiency in UAV operations, photogrammetry, and geospatial data processing.
• Excellent data management and organisational skills, with a focus on quality control and accuracy.
• Ability to plan and execute complex aerial missions independently.
• Strong computer literacy, including GIS software (ArcGIS, QGIS), photogrammetry tools (Agisoft Metashape,DJI Terra), and data visualisation platforms.
• Problem-solving mindset with attention to operational detail and safety.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively across teams.
• Physically fit and able to work in challenging outdoor environments.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English and Afrikaans (isiXhosa advantageous).

Qualifications

A degree or relevant tertiary qualification in Geomatics, Remote Sensing, GIS, Environmental Science, Earth Science, Engineering, Land Surveying, or a related technical field.

Knowledge and Experience

• Minimum of 2-5 years' experience in UAV operations, remote sensing, geospatial field monitoring, or other relevant experience.
• Proven experience leading or supervising small technical teams in field-based or data collection contexts.
• Demonstrated expertise in photogrammetry, orthomosaic generation, and 3D modelling.
• Experience with spatial data management systems and quality assurance processes.
• Knowledge of remote sensing workflows for vegetation and landscape monitoring is advantageous.
• Valid Remote Pilot Certificate (RPC), fixed-wing and multi-rotor, required; BVLOS rating required.
• Valid South African driver's licence (off-road driving experience advantageous).

Working Conditions

• Frequent travel within the Eastern and Western Cape anticipated, including to remote locations.
• Travel may on occasion cross weekends and holidays to accommodate schedules.
• Work hours may be irregular

You will join a great team!We are:

• From diverse locations and backgrounds, but all experts in our respective fields. We bring together a wide range of cross-sector experiences, ideas, and skills.
• Relentless in our pursuit of excellence and innovation, always pushing the boundaries and challenging the status quo. But it is not all work for us – we also believe in celebrating our successes, recognising individual contributions, and taking time to support each other’s growth and development.
• At our core, explorers, constantly learning, evolving, and seeking new ways to deliver impactful solutions. We are not afraid to dream big, take risks, and step out of our comfort zones because we know that together, we can achieve great things.

Compensation

To help us attract and retain top talent, NatCarbon Africa pays employees competitively to the market, depending on experience. Salary is one component of NatCarbon Africa’s total compensation package which also includes health care and life insurance, contributions to each employee’s retirement plan, paid time off and funds to support professional development. We will recognise employees who go beyond expected performance with salary increases and/or promotions.

In return, we expect each employee to, at a minimum:

• Meet expectations in terms of work effort and performance.
• Take the initiative to build the skills and knowledge needed to do their job effectively; and
• Embode the values of NatCarbon Africa.

NatCarbon Africa provides equal opportunity for all job applicants and employees and is committed to providing a work environment free of discrimination.