Job Number: BU04029
School/Department: College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
Grade: 7
Salary Information: Grade 7: £38,249 - £45,413 p.a.
Contract Duration: 30/06/2027
Responsible to: Project Lead
Closing Date: 14-06-2026
Overview
The position is a temporary full‑time role working with Bangor University’s Business School in partnership with Community Energy Wales. The successful candidate will develop an innovative online decision support system to help communities across Wales design their own Smart Local Energy Systems (SLES), integrating geographic datasets and delivering a user‑friendly web application.
Purpose of the Job
The post is part of a collaborative team that designs and develops a GIS‑based decision support system for community renewable energy planning. Responsibilities include sourcing and harmonising spatial datasets, creating backend and cloud‑hosted services, developing a web‑based visualisation interface, and engaging with stakeholders to ensure the system meets user needs.
Main Duties and Responsibilities
* Geospatial Data Analysis and Integration: source, process, and harmonise diverse spatial datasets from public and partner sources, ensuring accuracy and compliance.
* Cloud‑Hosted Decision Support System Development: design and implement technical framework, backend services, and algorithms for SLES feasibility assessment.
* Web‑Based Visualisation and User Interface Design: build an intuitive browser‑accessible front end using frameworks such as React and Leaflet/Mapbox.
* Collaborative Co‑Design: work closely with supervisors and community stakeholders to capture requirements and run participatory workshops.
* Project Communication and Reporting: provide progress updates, prepare presentations, maintain documentation, and contribute to dissemination activities.
* Project Management: monitor progress against milestones, manage risks, and coordinate tasks across partners.
* Knowledge Transfer and Capacity Building: embed GIS and analytics capabilities within Community Energy Wales and provide training and documentation for continued use.
* Stakeholder Engagement: maintain effective communication and translate complex technical concepts into clear, non‑technical language.
Person Specification
Essential
* PhD standard or close to completion, or equivalent experience in GIS, data analytics, data science, computer science, environmental informatics, engineering or a closely related field.
* Proven experience working with GIS and spatial data analysis professionally or academically.
* Proficiency in Python for geospatial data processing (GeoPandas, Shapely, GDAL).
* Experience with web mapping tools and libraries (Leaflet, Mapbox, OpenLayers).
* Familiarity with spatial database systems (PostGIS/PostgreSQL) and geospatial data formats.
* Experience designing and deploying cloud‑based solutions for data storage, processing or visualisation.
* Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills, with the ability to translate complex data into actionable insights.
* Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to present technical concepts to non‑technical audiences.
* Strong organisational skills, with the ability to prioritise workload, manage deadlines, and work independently.
* Willingness to travel within Wales for stakeholder meetings, workshops and field visits.
Desirable
* Additional training or certification in cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) relevant to hosting geospatial applications.
* Experience working with community‑based or non‑technical stakeholders to gather requirements and co‑design solutions.
* Familiarity with energy systems, renewable energy planning or Smart Local Energy Systems (SLES).
* Background in developing accessible decision support tools or public‑facing platforms.
* Knowledge of data licensing, copyright and open data principles.
* Experience in knowledge transfer between academic, industry and non‑profit/community environments.
* Understanding of user‑centred design principles and usability testing methods.
* Proven project management skills, including use of online collaboration tools and agile methodologies.
* Experience in building or maintaining open‑source software projects.
* Strong interpersonal skills, particularly in stakeholder engagement and collaborative problem‑solving.
* The ability to communicate through the medium of Welsh is desirable for this role.
* Driving licence.
Essential Skills / Abilities
* Design and implement interactive, browser‑based visualisations using JavaScript frameworks (React) and web mapping libraries.
* Set up and manage cloud‑hosted environments for web applications and databases.
* Clean, transform, and store large, complex datasets.
* Translate complex data into actionable insights.
* Present technical concepts to non‑technical audiences.
* Prioritise workload, manage deadlines, and work independently as well as part of a distributed team.
* Adapt to evolving project requirements and work flexibly across academic, industry and community contexts.
Commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Committed To Equal Opportunities. The University is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity and to creating an inclusive working environment.
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