Scientific Officer - Satellite Observations for Climate Change Monitoring in Bonn bei ECMWF

Your role

ECMWF is seeking to fill two positions of Scientific Officer - Satellite Observations for Climate Change Monitoring (A2) in the ECMWF Forecast and Service Department. In these roles you will provide technical support for the work on Essential Climate Variables (ECV) datasets and associated services . This is an exciting opportunity to advance the work of ECMWF and the Copernicus Climate Change Service, working at the interface between space data (satellite-based observations) and climate change.

The Global Climate Observing System have defined 55 ECVs, of which more than half of them can be measured from satellite platforms. Over the past few years C3S has developed an ambitious programme of ECV services based on satellite observations, providing guaranteed access to long-term data records of ECV products, with comprehensive documentation and related services. Climate data records are available across six different domains: atmospheric physics, atmospheric composition, ocean, land hydrology, land cryosphere, and land biosphere. These ECVs and ECV products are key for assessing long-term trends and variability, and provide an invaluable source of information complementary to climate reanalyses.

You will be an active member of the Climate Intelligence team, working closely with the ECV programme manager to evaluate, develop and promote the use of ECVs across ECMWF and the broader climate community. You will also work closely with the contract management team as the ECV data sets are externally procured. An important part of the job will be to coordinate the integration of new ECV datasets in the Climate Data Store (CDS) catalogue, supporting the update and maintenance of existing catalogue entries, including information on quality assurance. You will act as a technical officer for the management of one or more ECV contracts and also play an important interface role with many EU research groups collaborating with C3S, aiming to make ECV datasets useful for many types of users. Activities include: acting as ECV focal point for technical issues on one or more ECV domains; the review of technical and scientific reports; overseeing technical projects in coordination with several ECMWF teams, aiming at enhancing the effective management, adoption, visibility and usability of the ECV programme; leveraging your domain knowledge for contributing to climate monitoring activities; identification and implementation of recommendations issued by the quality assurance reports; and contributing to communication material about the ECV programmes with other teams.

About ECMWF

ECMWF is the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. It is an intergovernmental organisation created in 1975 by a group of European nations and is today supported by 35 Member and Co-operating States, mostly in Europe. The Centre’s mission is to serve and support its Member and Co-operating States and the wider community by developing and providing world-leading global numerical weather prediction. ECMWF functions as a 24/7 research and operational centre with a focus on medium and long-range predictions and holds one of the largest meteorological archives in the world. The success of its activities relies primarily on the talent of its scientists, strong partnerships with its Member and Co-operating States and the international community, some of the most powerful supercomputers in the world, and the use of innovative technologies such as machine learning across its operations.

Over the years, ECMWF has developed a strong partnership with the European Union, and for the past seven years has been an entrusted entity for the implementation and operation of the Climate and the Atmosphere Monitoring Services of the EU Copernicus Programme, as well as a contributor to the Copernicus Emergency Management Service. The collaboration does not stop there and includes other areas of work, including High Performance Computing and the development of digital tools that enable ECMWF to extend its provision of data and products covering weather, climate, air quality, fire and flood prediction and monitoring.

ECMWF is a multi-site organisation, with its headquarters in Reading, UK, a brand-new data centre in Bologna, Italy, and a large presence in Bonn, Germany.

For additional details, see www.ecmwf.int.

About Copernicus

Copernicus is the earth observation component of the European Union (EU) space programme. Based on the exploitation of space-based and in- situ (earth-based) observations and scientific models, Copernicus provides information services for land, marine, atmosphere and climate monitoring, as well as emergency management and security. These services, and their free, open and quality assured data and tools, support a rang