Drone Tech Lead at Code for Africa

About the Role:

The successful candidate will join africanDRONE’s team as part of CfA’s wider Knowledge team. The Knowledge initiative spearheads training management and partnerships, data analysis, digital journalism, and storytelling initiatives for partner newsrooms, universities, and local community events across Africa. The Knowledge team is also the custodian of other major CfA public infrastructure, including the largest open data portal on the continent, open.AFRICA, and Africa’s biggest census data portal, HURUMap.

You will work as part of a network with pilots in over 30 countries to build, grow and add expertise to our in-house repertoire of drone activities and knowledge. 

You will initially focus on providing technical support and expertise for producing core documents on drone activities, including standard operating procedures for drone activities within Africa. You will also take the lead in recommending, testing, and operating drones and survey-related equipment for our projects focused on drone mapping throughout Africa. 

You will be responsible for keeping up to date on the latest trends, research, and activities in the drone space. You will be expected to develop and undertake drone-based activities, participate in meetups and online spaces, and help create educational content around drones. You will be the active point person within the wider drone community in Africa representing africanDRONE. 

This role will involve managing, operating, and recommending hardware and software that relates to africanDRONE’s capabilities, including drone mapping planning and processing software. You will be expected to travel and undertake drone surveys throughout Africa, as well as lead and mentor a small team of local drone experts who will support you. 

Responsibilities: 

• Liaising with africanDRONE team and other CfA’s programmes team to give periodic updates or participate in staff meetings.
• Activate and participate in drone communities activities including meetups, trainings events across Africa, promoting africanDRONE as a viable network.
• Research and prepare one-pagers on drone trends, including surveys, AI, equipment, hardware, software, etc. 
• Provide oversight and manage drone equipment. 
• Prepare, process, organise drone survey data, including recommending and using various software such as Pix4D Matic, Drone Deploy, other technical software, and GIS applications 
• Liaising with clients for technical requirements for processed drone data
• Participate in client calls as the africanDRONE technical lead. 
• Travel to perform on-site drone surveys and implement projects.
• Develop educational content for Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) in relation to drone mapping, GIS, and data processing

Required

• A background in using drones commercially. 
• A GIS/survey background or high degree of familiarity.
• Proven experience in drone technology development, including the design, implementation, and deployment of drone systems.
• The ability to research the latest industry trends and emerging technologies in drone technology, and provide recommendations for their integration into africanDRONE initiative.
• The ability to communicate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Proven track record of successfully delivering drone technology projects on time and within budget.
• The desire and ability to mentor young pilots, work within a team, and manage your own logistics for travel and work.
• Digital-first workplace skill-sets, including proficiency in collaborative work solutions such as Google Drive (Google Docs, Slides, Sheets, etc) and Slack (or equivalents such as Teams), as well as project management tools like Trello (or equivalents). 
• A willingness to travel to remote locations.
• Aptitude for new tasks, experimentation, and collaboration.
• Demonstrable ability to work independently, self-manage and prioritise.

Preferred: 

• Proficiency in GIS software such as QGIS or other related softwares.
• Familiarity with drone flight planning software such as Drone Deploy, Pix4D, etc.
• Familiarity with drone data processing software such as DJI Terra.
• Familiarity with latest trends in AI, drone data interpretation, 3D modelling, and photogrammetry.  
• A background in journalism/education.