Geospatial Data Engineer Jobs in Washington (NOW HIRING)

Who We Are

The Center for Geospatial Solutions (CGS) is a self-sustaining nonprofit enterprise. Founded to help bridge the gap between policy and practice, our mission is to enable people and the planet to meet the pace of change by expanding access to new technologies that power more sustainable and equitable outcomes.

We are a fully remote team of award-winning professionals with decades of applied expertise and end-to-end GIS capabilities. By embracing whole-system thinking and state-of-the-art technology, we enable partners across public, private, and nonprofit sectors to tackle complex, real-world challenges—like housing affordability, ecosystem conservation, water management, and sustainable infrastructure—with greater clarity. Our work liberates and connects key information, creates nuanced pictures of complex situations, and makes land, water, and social data easier to use, understand, and act on. We use tools like satellite data and artificial intelligence to deliver insights for impact.

At CGS, we believe that technology can be a tool for positive change. We are dedicated to building a diverse team that represents the communities and systems we live and work in. If you’re excited about this role but don’t meet every listed qualification, we encourage you to apply. We value potential, curiosity, and lived experiences, and know a more inclusive team makes us a stronger organization.

About the Lincoln Institute

CGS was established in 2020 at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, which seeks to improve quality of life through the effective use, taxation, and stewardship of land. A nonprofit private operating foundation whose origins date to 1946, the Lincoln Institute researches and recommends creative approaches to land as a solution to economic, social, and environmental challenges. Through education, training, publications, and events, the Lincoln Institute integrates theory and practice to inform public policy decisions worldwide and has office locations in Cambridge, Massachusetts; Washington, DC; Phoenix, Arizona; and Beijing, China.

Position Overview

The Center for Geospatial Solutions (CGS) is seeking a Data Scientist II to implement geospatial data science, remote sensing, and environmental modeling workflows that support real-world choices about land, water, conservation, infrastructure, and related challenges.

Reporting to the Associate Director of Data Science, the Data Scientist will acquire and evaluate data, run and improve analytical workflows, conduct accuracy assessments, document results, and help automate repeatable processing steps. The role will exercise sound judgment about data quality, appropriate methods, and issues that should be elevated to senior technical staff.

This position is well suited to an applied data scientist who is comfortable moving between geospatial analysis, Python-based processing, remote sensing, statistics, and collaborative project delivery. The successful candidate will be eager to deepen their expertise while producing reliable, reproducible work that can scale across projects and geographies.

What You Will Do

Geospatial Analysis and Workflow Implementation

• Implement established geospatial data science and remote sensing workflows from data acquisition through processing, analysis, model execution, validation, and delivery.
• Acquire, organize, clean, and evaluate raster, vector, tabular, terrain, and Earth observation datasets from public, partner, and client sources.
• Use Python, GIS software, and open-source tools to process large geospatial datasets and generate repeatable analytical outputs.
• Run geospatial machine learning or deep learning workflows, evaluate model outputs, and identify important performance issues or data limitations.
• Exercise judgment about the best available data, important caveats, and technical issues that should be elevated to senior technical staff.

Validation, Documentation, and Quality

• Conduct spatial statistics, accuracy assessments, quality-control checks, and validation using established methods.
• Prepare clear documentation of data sources, processing steps, code, assumptions, limitations, and results.
• Review outputs for completeness, consistency, and technical quality before they are shared with partners or clients.
• Contribute to reproducible project structures, data dictionaries, metadata, and technical handoff materials.

Automation and Process Improvement

• Identify repetitive or error-prone steps that can be automated, standardized, or made more efficient.
• Develop and maintain scripts, functions, notebooks, and reusable components that improve delivery speed and consistency.
• Work with senior data scientists, AI engineers, and cloud engineers to move useful prototypes toward scalable workflows.
• Test new datasets and methods and share practical findings with the broader technical team.

Collaboration and Delivery

• Work closely with senior technical staff, AI engineers, GIS professionals, project managers, and subject-matter experts.
• Communicate progress, technical considerations, results, and risks clearly in team meetings, written updates, and presentations.
• Contribute to client deliverables, proposals, technical memos, presentations, and demonstrations.
• Participate in peer review and contribute to an inclusive team culture focused on learning, quality, and impact.

What You Will Need

• Master’s degree or equivalent experience in data science, geography, remote sensing, environmental science, engineering, computer science, or a related quantitative field.
• 2-5 years of professional experience applying geospatial analysis, data science, remote sensing, or environmental modeling to solve real world problems and address stakeholder needs
• Proficiency in Python for data engineering and data science workflows, including experience with common geospatial and scientific libraries.
• Experience with raster and vector data, GIS software such as Esri or open-source equivalents, and large geospatial datasets.
• Strong foundation in statistics, data science, machine learning, and remote sensing.
• Experience acquiring, cleaning, evaluating, and documenting data from multiple sources.
• Experience independently designing and implementing GeoAI models and other analytical approaches, addressing open-ended problems with incomplete or evolving requirements.
• Experience with Git/GitHub or comparable version-control workflows.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to reproducible, well-documented work.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively in a fully remote environment.
• Collaborative and able to work successfully in interdisciplinary teams with colleagues from various topical backgrounds and different skill levels and communication levels
• Exceptional critical thinking skills with the ability to deconstruct complex problems, prioritize issues, and implement sensible solutions
• Experience translating client needs into clear milestones, scopes of work, and risk assessments
• Strong ability to communicate technical and computational concepts clearly to non-technical audiences, including domain experts, stakeholders, and partners
• Self-motivated and goal-oriented with the ability to take an innovative, strategic, and evidence-based approaches to research and empathetic collaboration
• Willingness and ability to learn new frameworks, data structures, and infrastructure
• U.S. Citizen, or legally authorized to work in the United States with no need for future sponsorship

Helpful Experience (Nice to Have):

• Experience with hydrology, geomorphology, terrain analysis, wetlands, ecology, or other environmental domains.
• Experience with cloud-based processing using AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Google Earth Engine, or similar platforms.
• Experience with geospatial foundation models, embeddings, or large-scale Earth observation datasets.
• Experience contributing to academic or applied research, including study design, analysis, and communication of findings.
• Experience with field data, wetland delineations, survey data, or validation datasets.
• Experience supporting government, nonprofit, or consulting projects and working within defined scopes and deadlines.

Application Process

Please submit a cover letter and resume. The cover letter should succinctly describe your interest in joining the CGS team; why you are qualified; and what relevant expertise and experience you offer. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Compensation Overview

The salary market range for this role is posted above and dependent on level of education and years of experience. We value internal and external equity and encourage those who may be missing qualifications to submit their materials still.

Our Benefits

Our Benefits Benefits highlights include but are not limited to (a) 3x employer contribution towards retirement matching your employee contribution up to 15%, (b) health insurance with no deductible (c) dental insurance, (d) vision insurance, (e) copay assistance through an employer-funded health reimbursement account, (f) short-term disability coverage, (g) long term disability coverage, (h) paid parental leave, (i) voluntary insurances such as accident insurance, (j) health care flexible spending, (k) dependent care flexible spending, (l) paid time off for holidays, vacation, personal, sick, bereavement, and jury duty, (m) office closure between December 24 Jan 1 each calendar year, (n) flexible schedule and option for a compressed 4 day workweek, (o) tuition and staff development reimbursement, (p) pet insurance, and (q) Employee Assistance Program.

Our Values

Cooperation and Teamwork, Forthright Feedback, Initiative, Acceptance of Responsibility, Multicultural Sensitivity

Equal Opportunity Employer

The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy is dedicated to creating an inclusive work environment by hiring, training, promoting, and carrying out personnel procedures with respect to compensation, benefits, transfers, layoffs, or terminations, on the basis of individual merit, experience, and ability without regard to race (including traits historically associated with race such as hair texture, length of hair, protective hairstyles or cultural or religious headdresses), color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), ancestry, citizenship status, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital or domestic/civil partnership status, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, military service, serious medical condition, expunged juvenile record, personal appearance, family responsibilities, matriculation, political affiliation, status as a victim, credit information, homelessness status, reproductive health decision making, or any other characteristic protected by law or otherwise. 

Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Provision

Lincoln Institute of Land Policy will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.

Non-Smoking Organization

Lincoln Institute of Land Policy is a Non-Smoking organization. Smoking and the use of tobacco products are prohibited at all times and on all property owned, leased, or under the control of Lincoln Institute of Land Policy at all times, including, but not limited to indoor and outdoor grounds, walkways and sidewalks, parking lots, company vehicles, and private vehicles parked on Lincoln Institute of Land Policy property.

MA Polygraph Statement

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.