Enterprise GIS Lead

OVERVIEW:
We are looking for a battle-hardened Enterprise GIS Lead who has spent significant time in the field – collecting data, configuring GNSS rovers, wrangling drone imagery, and building real-world maps – and who also knows how to design a multi-million-dollar national geospatial portal from the whiteboard all the way to go-live.

You will lead our enterprise GIS practice across the full lifecycle: from pre-sales solutioning and tender response through to hands-on technical direction during implementation. You will be the bridge between commercial teams, government clients, software engineers, and field crews, ensuring that what we promise is both technically sound and practically deliverable.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Pre‑Sales & BusinessDevelopment

• Lead technical responses to complex GIS tenders (RFP/RFQ), crafting solution architectures, staffing plans, timelines, and cost estimates that are competitive and realistic.
• Present and demonstrate our GIS capabilities – including live software demos using ArcGIS Enterprise, QGIS/GeoServer, PostGIS, EPSGIS, or similar – to government ministries, utilities, and international development agencies.
• Translate client needs (e.g., cadastral modernisation, smart agriculture, water network management) into a clearly articulated technical solution that differentiates us from competitors.
• Advise commercial teams on the feasibility and risk profile of proposed solutions, particularly when field data collection, system integration, or localisation is involved.

2. Implementation Leadership & Technical Direction

• Act as the Solution Architect or Technical Project Manager for large enterprise GIS projects, defining the end-to-end system architecture: field data capture → database → OGC web services → geoportal → mobile applications.
• Lead and mentor a multidisciplinary team of GIS developers, data analysts, UX designers, and field surveyors, ensuring technical deliverables meet specifications, standards, and budgets.
• Personally configure and troubleshoot core components when required: spatial databases (PostgreSQL/PostGIS, Oracle Spatial), map servers (GeoServer, ArcGIS Server), web mapping libraries (OpenLayers, Leaflet, CesiumJS), and mobile data collection tools (QField, ArcGIS Field Maps).
• Oversee the design of data models, topology rules, and metadata profiles aligned with international standards (ISO 19100 series, OGC, INSPIRE).
• Conduct field visits to validate data collection workflows, assess ground conditions, and ensure survey-quality GIS data is produced correctly.

3. Capacity Building & Quality Assurance

• Establish and enforce GIS best practices, coding standards, and QA/QC procedures across all projects.
• Design and deliver training programs for client staff, ranging from field data capture techniques to advanced geoportal administration.
• Stay current with emerging technologies (AI/ML for feature extraction, IoT integration, 3D digital twins) and assess their applicability to our projects.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

• 5+ years of demonstrable, hands-on experience with ArcGIS (Pro, Enterprise, Online), QGIS, or equivalent GIS solutions, including field data collection, spatial analysis, map production, and service publishing.
• Proven field experience – you have personally used GNSS receivers, total stations, or UAVs to collect and process geospatial data, and you understand the realities of working in challenging environments (weather, terrain, limited connectivity).
• Deep knowledge of enterprise geospatial server technologies: GeoServer, ArcGIS Server/Enterprise, and at least a working familiarity with emerging platforms like Sunway EPSGIS.
• Strong proficiency with spatial databases: PostgreSQL/PostGIS (mandatory), Oracle Spatial (desirable).
• Experience configuring and consuming OGC web services (WMS, WFS, WMTS, WCS) and building RESTful GIS APIs.
• Familiarity with front-end mapping libraries (OpenLayers, Leaflet, CesiumJS) and the ability to communicate effectively with full-stack developers.
• Understanding of geospatial metadata standards (ISO 19115) and catalogue services (GeoNetwork or similar).
• 8+ years in the geospatial industry, with at least 3 years in a senior/lead role on enterprise-scale projects (national SDI, utility network GIS, large-area agricultural monitoring, etc.).
• Track record of writing winning technical proposals for government or international development bank (WorldBank, ADB, AFD) tenders will be highly regarded.
• Experience working in ASEAN, GCC, or Central Asian markets is a strong plus; familiarity with their procurement procedures, data sovereignty laws, and local coordinate systems is highly valued.
• Fluency in written and spoken English is mandatory.
• Proficiency in Russian, Mandarin, or a Southeast-Asian language would be a distinct advantage given our regional focus.

DESIRED ATTRIBUTES (DIFFERENTIATORS):

• Vendor-neutral mindset – you can design a solution using open-source components, Esri technology, or a hybrid, and objectively justify the choice.
• Experience with digital twin / 3D– you have worked with CesiumJS, TwinEarth, or similar, and can discuss 3DTiles, LiDAR processing, and BIM integration.
• Agricultural or water sector domain expertise – you understand concepts like crop phenology, evapotranspiration, irrigation scheduling, or utility network modelling.
• Certifications – Esri TechnicalCertification, GISP, PMP, or PRINCE2 are pluses.
• A pragmatic problem solver who can design an elegant architecture but also knows how to get a field crew operational in a remote village with a bad internet connection.
• An effective communicator who can explain spatial data infrastructure to a Minister of Agriculture in the morning and debug a GeoServer WFS error with a junior developer in the afternoon.
• Commercially aware – you understand that technical decisions have cost, timeline, and win-probability implications, and you factor those into your recommendations.
• Resilient and adaptable – you are comfortable with the unpredictability of international tenders, shifting client requirements, and cross-cultural teams. High levels of adversity quotient to function and thrive in a start-up environment where resources are limited, direction and focus pivots are the norm, and everyone is called upon to be an army-of-one. We seek founder-builders at heart who value personal growth and derive satisfaction from their impacts on the organization’s growth