GIS Developer - Gensler Research Institute

At Gensler, wedesignfor people. We leverage our global perspective and local presence to innovate at every scale. We're not just designers. We're tinkerers, craftspeople, visionaries, innovators,and thought leaders. Fueled by passion and entrepreneurial spirit, our people bring new ideas to solvethe world's mostchallenging problems, like designing amoreresilient, inclusive, and equitable future for our communities and cities.

Our people-centered, "People First" culture and "One Firm-Firm" motto promotes integrated teams that unite to shape the future of cities. Gensler's vision is to "Create a Better World through the Power of Design," and we do that by our deep commitment to our clients and by fostering a collaborative, diverse, and inclusive environment that enables our people to create impactful solutions together.

Your Role

As a GIS Developer in the Gensler Research Institute, you will work closely with the Institutes' team of research, data, editorial, and design specialists to conceptualize and create GIS-based applications, workflows and tools that help us to turn geospatial datasets into organized data, insights, and applied research tools. This role's initial focus will be on major strategic initiative focused on shaping the future of cities, with a broad goal to quantify how human experience is influenced by physical, social, and economic environments at the city scale. In addition to working closely with the Institute's team, you will also work closely with Gensler's distributed network of GIS, planning, and data practitioners, and our Data Development Team to ensure tools and processes fully leverage Gensler's data infrastructure and are built for ongoing evolution and maintenance. Qualified candidates should be collaborative, flexible, self-motivated, quick learners, and have an entrepreneurial spirit.

What You Will Do

• Develop, maintain, and automate GIS-based applications, workflows, and tools to support urban data analysis.
• Build and optimize spatial databases, and manage geospatial datasets related to demographics, economy, property, sustainability, and transit for cities worldwide.
• Design and implement interactive maps, visualizations, and dashboards, and web-based applications using ESRI products (ArcGIS, ArcGIS Online, ArcGIS Pro, etc.) and other GIS tools.
• Develop custom GIS tools and automation scripts using Python (ArcPy, GeoPandas), Javascript (Leaflet, Mapbox), SQL, or R to automate geospatial data processing, analysis, and visualization.
• Integrate, process, and manage various data sources (open-source, proprietary, API-based) into GIS systems for urban analysis.
• Design and optimize spatial databases (PostGIS, SQL Server, Oracle Spatial) for enhanced performance, scalability, and usability.
• Collaborate with researchers, designers, and urban planners to develop GIS-driven solutions that supports urban analysis.
• Contribute to the development of reports, presentations, and publications with GIS-based research findings.

Your Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in GIS, Geography, Urban Studies, Computer Science, or a related field.
• 2+ years of professional experience in GIS development, spatial databases, or geospatial application development.
• Strong proficiency in ArcGIS (ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online, ModelBuilder) and other GIS tools.
• Proficiency in Python (ArcPy, Pandas, Geopandas), SQL, (PostGIS, Microsoft SQL Server, or Oracle Spatial), and JavaScript for GIS applications.
• Experience developing web mapping applications using Leaflet, Mapbox, GeoJSON, and JavaScript frameworks.
• Strong experience in spatial database management, and query optimization (Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle/Oracle Spatial, and PostgresSQL/PostGIS databases).
• Familiarity with Google Earth/Maps APIs, QGIS, and other geospatial tools.
• Ability to work with large-scale geospatial datasets, APIs, and cloud-based GIS platforms.
• Ability to translate complex data into user-friendly web application and visualizations.
• Strong analytical thinking, problem-solving skills, and the ability to work independently or collaboratively in a team.
• Passion for urban analytics, data-driven decision-making, and city planning.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with urban data, such as land use, mobility, housing, sustainability, and infrastructure.
• Experience with cloud-based GIS platforms and cloud computing platforms (Google Cloud, AWS, or Azure).
• Knowledge of spatial statistics, remote sensing, and machine learning.
• Proficiency in data visualization techniques using tools such as Tableau, Power BI, or Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop).

Life at Gensler

At Gensler, we are as committed to enjoying life as we are to delivering best-in-class design. From curated art exhibits to internal design competitions to "Well-being Week," our offices reflect our people's diverse interests.

We encourage every person at Gensler to lead a healthy and balanced life. Our comprehensive benefits include medical, dental, vision, disability, wellness programs, flex spending, paid holidays, and paid time off. We also offer a 401k, profit sharing, employee stock ownership, and twice annual bonus opportunities. Our annual base salary range has been established based on local markets.

As part of the firm's commitment to licensure and professional development, Gensler offers reimbursement for certain professional licenses and associated renewals and exam fees. In addition, we reimburse tuition for certain eligible programs or classes. We view our professional development programs as strategic investments in our future.

** The compensation range will be between $75k-90k plus bonuses and benefits and contingent on relevant experience* **

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