Scientific and Data Officer

Contract Type : Full-time (12-month Fixed term contract) Reports to : General Manager

About Return to Thicket

Return to Thicket (Pty) Ltd is a South African ecological restoration company leading one of Africa’s largest land restoration programmes — replanting degraded Subtropical Thicket with spekboom (Portulacaria afra) across 100,000 hectares in the Sarah Baartman District. The initiative aims to restore ecosystem function, sequester atmospheric carbon, and generate high‑integrity carbon credits under the Verra VCS and CCB Standards. The project integrates rigorous ecological science with advanced monitoring technologies — including soil and biomass sampling, remote sensing, and GIS analysis — to ensure credible, transparent, and verifiable reporting aligned with international standards.

Position Overview

The Scientific and Data Officer supports the project’s technical, ecological, and carbon monitoring systems. The role ensures accurate, traceable, and Verra‑compliant data collection, management, and analysis across biophysical and socio‑ecological indicators. The Officer will coordinate field monitoring teams, manage databases and GIS layers, and assist with model calibration, reporting, and external verification processes.

What You’ll Do

• Implement and maintain the project’s Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) system in line with Verra VM0047 requirements.
• Oversee permanent sample plots, biomass and soil sampling schedules, and vegetation monitoring.
• Coordinate laboratory analyses and maintain full chain‑of‑custody for all samples.
• Design and analyse field trials, restoration experiments, and remote‑sensing validations.
• Compile technical reports and summaries for PDDs, verification reports, and research publications.
• Develop and manage structured databases for ecological, carbon, and socio‑economic data.
• Implement quality assurance and control (QA / QC) procedures to ensure data integrity and traceability.
• Process and analyse satellite and drone imagery (Sentinel-2, Landsat) for NDVI, canopy cover, and vegetation recovery.
• Support spatial delineation of Project Areas, Leakage Zones, and Reference Regions according to Verra methodology.
• Integrate spatial data with field inventories to support growth model calibration.
• Assist in carbon stock estimation and greenhouse gas (GHG) removal calculations using allometric equations and soil carbon models.
• Maintain transparent documentation of model assumptions, inputs, and emission factors.
• Contribute to the preparation of Verra monitoring and verification submissions.
• Train field teams on accurate sampling, GPS use, and data collection procedures.
• Collaborate with universities, consultants, and laboratories to align methodologies.
• Support the development of scientific communications (reports, posters, datasets, and publications).
• Regular travel to restoration sites for data collection.

What You’ll Need

Skills and Attributes

How to Apply

Send your latest CV , qualifications , and a brief cover letter to with the subject line : Scientific and Data Officer Application – (Your Name)

Please note if you have not received feedback within four weeks after closing, please consider your application unsuccessful.

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