About Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team
What is Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team?
Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT) is "an international non-profit dedicated to improving lives through accurate and accessible geographic data" (verbatim Who We Are). HOT brings together a global community of volunteers, humanitarian organizations, and technology enthusiasts who believe in the power of open data to drive positive change. The organization works to "provide map data that revolutionizes disaster management, reduces risks, and contributes to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals" (verbatim).
HOT's mission verbatim: "to improve well-being, reduce suffering, and increase resilience for people who are systematically underrepresented in countries at a high risk of disaster, humanitarian emergency and multidimensional poverty, through open map data." The organization operates programs across four priority regions, focused on impact areas including disaster response, climate resilience and sustainability, public health, gender equality, and displacement and safe migration. HOT also coordinates four "open mapping hubs" that bring together local stakeholders to develop participatory mapping projects and provide training.
Where will I work?
HOT is fully remote globally — verbatim Work-for-HOT: "At HOT, we pride ourselves on our fully remote footprint and our flexible, four-day workweek." The organization is registered in Washington, D.C., USA (its founding country), with staff distributed across regional hubs in Africa, Asia-Pacific, and the Americas. The website is published in English, Français, and Español, reflecting the multinational team. Three named staff testimonials illustrate the geographic spread: a GIS Analyst and Community Manager in Asia-Pacific, and a Project Associate in Eastern and Southern Africa.
What is the HOT team like?
Four core values guide the work (verbatim): Put people first, Collaborate for impact, Work in the open, and Build for inclusivity. Staff "are passionate about humanitarian impact, supporting communities, and exploring innovative approaches to open mapping" (verbatim Work for HOT). HOT explicitly recruits "persons who reflect the diversity of the communities we work with" and notes that staff include "people who are parents and nonparents, the self-taught and university educated, and from a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds." The community also includes voting members, board members, contractors, and interns alongside paid staff.
Work-Life Balance
The headline policy: fully remote footprint and a flexible four-day workweek (verbatim). HOT was a 2020 TED Audacious Project recipient, which enabled significant organizational growth. The transparent salary framework — published since January 2019 — uses a formula verbatim: "Role Base + Non-Profit Multiplier + Location Factor + Personal Capital Factor = Annual Base Salary". HOT partners with PayScale.com to benchmark Role Base salaries against organizations sized at 150 staff in the non-profit humanitarian sector.
Perks and Benefits
- Flexible four-day workweek + fully remote globally
- Healthy staff allowance or medical insurance (varies by location)
- Paid time off + flexible public holidays + special HOTlidays
- Home office allowance + equipment allowance
- Book stipend for ongoing learning
- Learning & development opportunities for continuous professional growth
- Coaching from the Humanitarian Coaching Network
- Wellbeing initiatives
- Published salary framework — Role Base + Non-Profit Multiplier + Location Factor + Personal Capital Factor (since January 2019)
- Contractor differential for contracted staff