Request for Proposal (RFP) - Marine data specialist - Latin America

About the role

Global Fishing Watch is an international, non-profit organization committed to advancing ocean governance through increased transparency. We create and publicly share knowledge about human activity at sea to enable fair and sustainable use of our ocean. Founded in 2015 through a collaboration between Oceana, SkyTruth, and Google, GFW became an independent non-profit organization in June 2017. Using cutting-edge technology, we create and publicly share map visualizations, data, and analysis tools to enable scientific research and drive a transformation in how we manage our ocean. By 2030, we aim to monitor and visualize the impact of ocean-going vessels, both industrial and small-scale, that are responsible for the vast majority of the global seafood catch. We believe human activity at sea should be common knowledge in order to safeguard the global ocean commons for the common good of all. Using cutting-edge technology, we create and publicly share map visualizations, data and analysis tools to enable scientific research and drive a transformation in how we manage our ocean. To pursue our unified organisational strategy, by 2030 across 30 countries we aim to empower institutions and people to 1) support the reduction of illegal unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and destructive fishing practices 2) better enforce and protect the rights of 1 million small scale fishers and 3) improve the effective designation and management of marine protected areas and other area based conservation measures. Latin America is a region deeply intertwined with the ocean-its more than 35,000 miles (56,000 kilometers) of coastline shape the lives, economies and cultural identities of its coastal communities. GFW works closely with countries across the region, including Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Ecuador, Panama and Peru, to strengthen ocean stewardship and advance global conservation goals. A major focus of our efforts is the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP), one of the most biodiverse marine regions on the planet. While most countries in the region have already designated at least 30 percent of their waters for protection, they continue to face significant management and monitoring challenges. Through improved monitoring, transparency and enforcement, GFW aims to support countries in achieving meaningful conservation outcomes and contributing to the global 30x30 target. Professional profile: GFW seeks to hire a marine data acquisition and integration specialist consultant to support the identification, acquisition, assessment, and preparation of datasets relevant to marine protected area management across Latin America. The primary objective of this consultancy is to expand the dataset library available through Marine Manager by identifying and obtaining high-value marine datasets that can support conservation planning, monitoring, management, and decision-making. The Consultant should have experience working with marine spatial datasets, biodiversity and conservation datasets, geospatial platforms, and marine conservation initiatives related to the Latin American context as described below under Scope of Work (a). Experience identifying, acquiring, licensing, curating, or managing environmental datasets is highly desirable. The consultant should also demonstrate experience preparing datasets for integration into spatial data platforms, including data cleaning, harmonization, metadata preparation, and formatting of large and heterogeneous geospatial datasets. The consultant should also be familiar with working with government agencies, research institutions, and NGOs in Latin America. Scope of Work: a) Dataset Identification and Assessment Under the direction of the relevant GFW team, the Consultant will: Identify regional, national, and site-specific datasets relevant to marine protected area management and conservation across Latin America. Priority will be given to biodiversity, conservation, habitat, and protected area datasets, including species distribution datasets, protected area datasets, key biodiversity areas, important habitats, and other spatial datasets that can support marine conservation planning, monitoring, and management. Additional oceanographic, environmental, fisheries, and socioeconomic datasets may also be considered where relevant. Contact relevant government agencies, MPA managers, academic institutions, international organizations, NGOs, and experts to identify potential datasets that could be integrated into Marine Manager. Assess datasets based on: Relevance and usefulness for marine protected area managers and policymakers; Accessibility and availability; Data ownership and permissions; Source credibility and data quality; Geographic scope and temporal coverage; Data format and technical compatibility; Technical requirements for integration; Legal, licensing, or regulatory considerations. Develop and prese

Additional Information

GLOBAL, application closes July 1 2026

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