Role: Associate Consultant - Data Science & Spatial Analytics
Employment type: Contract (1 year)
Location: Delhi / Gurgaon / Bangalore
Business Unit: Foundations Advisory
About Sattva
Since 2009, Sattva has been working with foundations, philanthropists, companies, non-profits, multi-laterals and impact ecosystems across India, Africa, and Asia, on a collective mission to develop scalable impact solutions for a sustainable world. Sattva is driven by impact and powered by knowledge, always striving to bring the right balance of head-heart-hands to its work. We at Sattva believe that age-old problems need new-age thinking and rigorous implementation, with empathy at the core. And, that’s what we deliver through our end-to-end support capabilities covering research, strategy consulting, programme management, impact assessment and more, to maximize social return on every investment.
About the Team
Foundations team collaborates with a network of global foundations, alongside multilateral aid agencies, aiming to inform, influence, and profoundly impact social and environmental outcomes resulting from their investments in diverse sectors such as education, child development, gender, health, and more. Our primary focus is on catalyzing ecosystem transformation by rigorously solving problems, formulating strategic solutions which are logically sound, effective on the ground and ensuring all stakeholders are effectively engaged while their interests are covered.
The Opportunity
As a Research Consultant, you will contribute to a project that analyses large-scale and spatial datasets to inform government stakeholders. This role offers the opportunity to work at the intersection of data science, policy research, and geospatial analytics, applying analytical and problem-solving skills to address complex challenges. You will play a central role in technical design, execution, and translation of geospatial insights into policy-relevant outcomes. This role will directly support the funder foundation’s engagements and government partnerships at national, state, and district levels.
Key Responsibilities:
Problem Solving & Technical Expertise
Acquire, clean, and process multi-source satellite imagery (optical, SAR, multispectral, nighttime lights, vegetation indices), including vegetation and land-use mapping for climate and environmental applications
Develop and implement methodologies for classification, change detection, and spatial modelling, applying geostatistical and spatial statistical techniques
Apply machine learning approaches (e.g., random forests, gradient boosting, CNNs) to geospatial datasets with experience in cloud computing (Azure, GEE) and distributed systems for large-scale spatial analysis
Integrate geospatial outputs with socio-economic indicators for policy-relevant insights (e.g., poverty mapping, agriculture, climate resilience, urbanisation).
Translate complex technical analysis into clear narratives and actionable recommendations.
Delivery Excellence
Manage geospatial workflows with a focus on timely, accurate, and reproducible outputs.
Develop dashboards, maps, and user-friendly visualisations for decision-makers, including digital mapping and geoinformation-based visual analytics
Ensure strong documentation, version control, and reproducibility of geospatial methods.
Track overall project progress, flag risks, and ensure delivery meets stakeholder expectations.
Stakeholder Engagement
Communicate findings clearly, tailoring outputs for non-technical audiences, including policymakers and program managers.
Contribute to knowledge products (whitepapers, case studies, technical notes) to share insights, particularly around sustainable development.
Capacity Building
Conduct internal training sessions to strengthen applied skills and knowledge.
Foster collaboration and peer learning within the team.
Contributing to Organisational Knowledge Pool
Keep up-to-date with advances in geospatial science, AI/ML applications, and open-source technologies.
Share insights internally and contribute to discussions on geospatial applications for development.
Support the organisation in strengthening its expertise and credibility in applied geospatial analytics for social impact.
Key qualifications and experiences
Master’s/PhD in Data Science, Economics, Geoinformatics, Remote Sensing, Computer Science, Environmental Science, or related fields.
2-3 years of professional experience in data science and geospatial analytics
Proven track record of integrating geospatial and socio-economic data for policy/research/ programmatic outcomes.
Proficiency in geospatial tools and libraries (QGIS, ArcGIS, GDAL, Rasterio, Geopandas, Shapely) and geostatistical and spatial analytical methods
Experience with Google Earth Engine, cloud platforms (AWS/GCP), and open-source workflows with additional exposure to Azure, REST APIs, and distributed data systems
Strong programming skills in Python and/or R with hands-on experience in deep learning frameworks and data science pipelines
Publications or equivalent applied research outputs are desirable, especially in domains linking geospatial science, climate change, and socio-economic development.
Strong analytical and research orientation with methodological rigour.
Ability to simplify technical concepts for diverse audiences.
Excellent collaboration, facilitation, and mentoring abilities.
Strong execution bias, adaptability, and a continuous learning mindset.
We cultivate a supportive and inclusive work environment for all our employees and reinforce diversity in our workplace. All applications regardless of race, religion, caste, color, place of origin, gender, sexuality, disability and age will be welcome and will be fairly evaluated as per the requirements of the role.