South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) Assistant Director 2: Eco-DRR Data Management Specialist Vacancy 2026 | Annual Salary: R582,444.00

Opportunity Overview

The South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) is seeking a dedicated and professional individual for the role of Assistant Director 2: Eco-DRR Data Management Specialist. This position is crucial for ensuring that biodiversity data related to the Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction (Eco-DRR) project is accurate, well-organised, standardised, easily accessible, and maintained sustainably.

The focus of this role will be on data governance, quality control, system management, data pipelines, and the long-term security and management of biodiversity data within the Eco-DRR project. This is a fixed-term contract of employment for five (5) years, based in Cape Town, Western Cape.

Minimum Requirements

• A degree (NQF 7) in Biodiversity Informatics, Environmental Science, Information Science, or an equivalent qualification. A post-graduate qualification (NQF 8) in these fields is an added advantage.
• Six (6) years of work experience in biodiversity data management, informatics, or environmental data systems.
• Three (3) years of the required experience must be in a supervisory position.
• Demonstrated experience with the ingestion, cleaning, validation, and quality control (QC) of biodiversity or spatial datasets.
• Proven experience with GIS systems (specifically ESRI tools) and spatial data workflows.
• Experience coordinating data contributions from researchers, institutions, field teams, or citizen scientists.
• Experience supporting users in a data or technical environment (helpdesk-style role).
• Familiarity with metadata and documentation tools. Experience with ESRI ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Enterprise, Survey123, Field Maps, Spreadsheet tools (Excel), and scripting (Python/R) is an advantage.
• A valid driver’s licence with at least one year of practical driving experience.
• Willingness to travel is essential.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee the ingestion, validation, quality control, and curation of biodiversity and spatial datasets.
• Ensure that metadata standards are consistently applied (e.g., Darwin Core, SANBI metadata standards).
• Maintain the reliability of data infrastructure, including versioning, backups, and access control measures.
• Provide support to data contributors, citizen scientists, and internal users, working in close collaboration with the Biodiversity Information Management (BIM) Team on hosting, security, user access, and system stability.
• Coordinate the entire data lifecycle management process, from data collection and processing through to publication.

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted online and must include the following:

• A comprehensive Curriculum Vitae (CV).
• A motivational letter explaining why you are a suitable candidate for this position.
• Certified copies of qualifications that confirm you meet the minimum educational requirements.
• The full names, addresses, telephone numbers, and (if possible) email addresses of at least three referees.
• Please quote the Reference Number: Eco-DRR/2026/001 in your application.

Applications lacking evidence of meeting minimum qualifications and relevant experience will not be considered. A competency test will be part of the selection process.

Apply online by visiting: https://sanbi.simplify.hr/Vacancy/Apply/uymvwb

The closing date for applications is July 14, 2026.