Climate Data Analyst

Your role

ECMWF is opening an exciting new position as Climate Data Analyst (A2) in the Thematic Applications team in the ECMWF Evaluation Section of the Forecast and Services Department. Working within the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), this position will support the development of on-demand applications across sectors and timescales, built within the C3S and ECMWF Infrastructures.

As Scientific Data Analyst, you will be responsible for guiding the scientific development and delivering new operational workflows that run on top of ECMWF and C3S data, co-designed and developed in collaboration with the ECMWF software and development section, the climate intelligence team, and external experts, following the latest scientific literature, methodologies, and best practices in climate services. The applications, developed to support different types of users, will process the operational climate and weather data and are delivered as a set of python packages, Jupyter notebooks, and JavaScript web-applications, including user guidance and documentation. The applications will be based on the C3S infrastructure (Data Store Services), mostly using the ECMWF Earthkit tools (https://github.com/ecmwf/earthkit). The applications, intended for adoption in the C3S operational environment, will be developed employing existing C3S data sets and newly generated data from different ECMWF and C3S activities. Where possible, the computations will be executed within the infrastructure in a distributed, service-oriented architecture.

As Climate Data Analyst you will:

• Contribute to the thematic application developments at ECMWF and the C3S service in delivering innovative, high-quality and fit-for-purpose products built on the C3S and ECMWF infrastructure and aligned with the needs of the relevant sectors and other C3S applications;
• Co-design with C3S users and ECMWF experts and operationalize python workflows and web-applications run on diverse types of climate data, including seasonal forecasts, climate reanalysis, climate projections, and observational data;
• Guide developments to be implemented in the CDS and define related scientific and technical quality testing;
• Act as scientific and technical officer for C3S contracts to develop and publish on-demand applications;
• Support the activities of the team to respond to user requests to extract tailored information from the vast array of climate data.

About ECMWF

The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) is a world leader in weather and environmental forecasting. As an international organisation, we serve our members and the wider community with global weather predictions and data that is critical for understanding and solving the climate crisis. We function as a 24/7 research and operational centre with a focus on medium and long-range predictions, holding one of the largest meteorological data archives in the world. The success of our activities builds on the talent of our scientists and experts, strong partnerships with 35 Member and Co-operating States, and the international community, some of the most powerful supercomputers in the world, and the use of innovative technologies and machine learning across our operations. ECMWF is a multi-site organisation, with a main office in Reading, UK, a data centre/supercomputer in Bologna, Italy, and a large presence in Bonn, Germany.

ECMWF has also developed a strong partnership with the European Union and has been entrusted with the implementation and operation of the Destination Earth Initiative and the Climate Change and Atmosphere Monitoring Services of the Copernicus Programme. Other areas of work include High Performance Computing (HPC) and the development of digital tools that enable ECMWF to extend provision of data and products covering weather, climate, air quality, fire, and flood prediction and monitoring.

For additional details about ECMWF, see www.ecmwf.int.

About Copernicus Climate Change Service

The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) is part of ECMWF’s Copernicus Programme and is responsible for the operation of the service on behalf of the European Commission. It delivers operational climate services to a large variety of users through its technical infrastructure, the C3S infrastructure (Data Store Services). C3S conducts a large part of its activities via external contractors, whose work is focused on service development and operations. The evolution of the service is also supported by research activities funded by external sources (e.g., Horizon Europe). The C3S National Collaboration Programme (C3S NCP) is an initiative aimed at fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange between C3S and national institutions to enhance the use of climate data and tools for local decision-making and resilience building. For details, see https://climate.copernicus.eu.

Your responsibilities

• Design and guide the development and publication of python workflows and web-applications using as input a wide variety of climate data sets;
• Contribute to the evolution of the C3S offer in different sectors (e.g., agriculture, finance, energy), including the development of state-of-the-art tools, data, and information;
• Support C3S in delivering high-quality scientific and technical products fully built on the C3S infrastructure & aligned with the needs of the relevant sectors; ensuring specific requirements collected through the C3S NCP are taken into account;
• Liaise with the scientific community and the user community within ECMWF and C3S to acquire an understanding of the needs of the different sectors in terms of data analysis and visualization;
• Learn how C3S sector-specific demonstrators are built on the data and tools made available by the service, and contribute to develop further workflows;
• Collaborate with the ECMWF Development Section and contribute to the development of relevant ECMWF software packages.

What we're looking for

Education

• Advanced university degree, preferably PhD (EQF Level 7 or above) in meteorology, climate sciences, environmental engineering, computer science or engineering, or a related scientific discipline.

Experience, knowledge and skills

• Scientific and technical knowledge of and demonstrated experience in analyzing climate data such as global ensemble climate predictions, climate projections, climate reanalysis, and their applications in climate services;
• Creativity in developing workflows to translate climate data into information for end users;
• Solid experience with Python programming language and demonstrated experience of using and creating climate data analysis libraries;
• Web-development skills, particularly Python and JavaScript for web applications is desirable but not necessary;
• Experience handling very large data sets is also an advantage.

Ideally you will bring

• An ability to effectively communicate and collaborate with a range of stakeholders including user communities and project partners;
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills;
• Self-motivation, accountability, and the ability to work efficiently with minimal supervision;
• Experience in working effectively in an international work environment and with people from diverse backgrounds.

We encourage you to apply even if you don’t feel you meet precisely all these criteria.

Candidates must be able to work effectively in English. A good knowledge of one of the Centre’s other working languages (French or German) is an advantage.

Other information

Grade remuneration: The successful candidate will be recruited at the A2 grade, according to the scales of the Co-ordinated Organisations. ECMWF also offers a generous benefits package, including a flexible teleworking policy. The position is assigned to the employment category STF-PL as defined in the ECMWF Staff Regulations. Full details of salary scales and allowances available on the ECMWF website at www.ecmwf.int/en/about/jobs, including the ECMWF Staff Regulations and the terms and conditions of employment.

Starting date: As soon as possible.

Contract duration: Until 30 Sept 2028.

Location: Bonn, Germany (Candidates are expected to relocate to the duty station).

As a multi-site organisation, ECMWF has adopted a hybrid working model that allows flexibility to staff to mix office working and teleworking. We allow for remote work 10 days/month away from the office, including up to 80 days/year away from the duty station country (within the area of our member states and co-operating states).

Successful applicants and members of their family forming part of their households will be exempt from immigration restrictions.

Interviews will take place via videoconference (MS Teams). If you require any special accommodations in order to participate fully in our recruitment process, please contact us via email: jobs@ecmwf.int.

Who can apply

Applicants are invited to complete the online application form by clicking on the apply button below.

At ECMWF, we consider an inclusive environment as key for our success. We are dedicated to ensuring a workplace that embraces diversity and provides equal opportunities for all, without distinction as to race, gender, age, marital status, social status, disability, sexual orientation, religion, personality, ethnicity, and culture. We value the benefits derived from a diverse workforce and are committed to having staff that reflect the diversity of the countries that are part of our community, in an environment that nurtures equality and inclusion.

Applications are invited from nationals from ECMWF Member States and Cooperating States, listed below, as well as from all EU Member States:

ECMWF Member and Co-operating States are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Hungary, Germany, Georgia, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Morocco, the Netherlands, Norway, North Macedonia, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.

In these exceptional times, we also welcome applications from Ukrainian nationals for this vacancy.

Applications from nationals from other countries may be considered in exceptional cases.