Scientific Officer – Extreme Event Attribution (readvertised) - #945956

Your role

ECMWF is opening a new position for a Scientific Officer – Extreme Event Attribution (A2) to join the Evaluation Section in our Forecast and Services Department. This position offers a unique opportunity to contribute to understanding and communicating how climate change influences extreme weather events, an exciting and rapidly evolving area with high societal relevance.

You will play a central role in the translation from scientific research to service of extreme event monitoring and attribution as part of the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), delivered by ECMWF on behalf of the European Union. C3S has an extensive programme of climate monitoring products, regularly used by decision makers and top-tier global media outlets. These products include a range of data, tools and services such as interactive web applications and compelling data visualisations to ensure accessibility for engaging a broad audience. With extreme events and their impacts becoming more visible and significant scientific advances being made in understanding how they are changing in a warming world, C3S is increasing its portfolio of products in the realm of extreme events. Part of this effort is an operational extreme events monitoring and attribution service implemented by external partners in collaboration with ECMWF.

As Scientific Officer, you will contribute to the development and delivery of extreme event monitoring and attribution products and help communicate findings to a wide range of stakeholders. You will act as a contact point, coordinating efforts between ECMWF and external service providers, ensuring high-quality, timely outputs. You will work collaboratively with others, leveraging expertise and knowledge across ECMWF, partner institutions and the wider climate community to ensure alignment with best practices and cutting-edge research.

Your Responsibilities

• Act as an ECMWF extreme event and attribution expert.
• Support coordination of the externally contracted service on operational extreme event monitoring and attribution.
• Review and support the delivery of e xtreme events monitoring and attribution products.
• Propose new operational climate information products and contribute to their development, evaluation and documentation.
• Engage with ECMWF scientists, partner institutions, and the wider attribution and extreme event community to align with best practices and the latest research.
• Contribute to communication and outreach activities of the C3S attribution work.
• Support the development of diagnostics for other ECMWF products.
  
  

About ECMWF

The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) is a world leader in Numerical Weather Predictions providing high-quality data for weather forecasts and environmental monitoring. As an intergovernmental organisation we collaborate internationally to serve our members and the wider community with global weather predictions, data and training activities that are critical to contribute to safe and thriving societies.

The success of our activities depends on the funding and partnerships of our 35 Member and Co-operating States who provide the support and direction of our work. Our talented staff together with the international scientific community, and our powerful supercomputing capabilities, are the core of a 24/7 research and operational centre with a focus on medium and long-range predictions. We also hold one of the largest meteorological data archives in the world.

Our mission: Deliver global numerical weather predictions focusing on the medium-range and monitoring of the Earth system to and with our Member States.

Our vision: World-leading monitoring and predictions of the Earth System enabled by cutting-edge physical, computational and data science, resulting from a close collaboration between ECMWF and the members of the European Meteorological Infrastructure, will contribute to a safe and thriving society.

ECMWF has established 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, as well as being a contributor to the Copernicus Emergency Management Service. Other areas of work include High Performance Computing 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.

ECMWF is a multi-site organisation, with its headquarters in Reading, UK, a data centre in Bologna, Italy, and a large presence in Bonn, Germany. For additional details, see www.ecmwf.int.

About Copernicus

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).

What We Are Looking For

• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills and a proactive and constructive approach
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Positive attitude and a willingness to embrace change and new challenges
• Excellent coordination, planning and organisational skills
• Dedication and enthusiasm to work efficiently
• Readiness to work independently and as part of a team
• Ability to work collaboratively in an international environment and with diverse teams and stakeholders
  
  

Your profile

• An advanced university degree (EQF Level 7 or above) in a relevant scientific discipline, or equivalent experience.
• Experience in the field of climate monitoring, particularly extreme event attribution. In-depth scientific experience in attribution methods is an advantage.
• Proficiency in Python or similar programming languages in a Linux-based environment.
• Experience working with large environmental or geophysical datasets such as climate observations and climate simulations.
• Exceptional communication skills, including the ability to make complex concepts understandable to diverse audiences.
• Inherent curiosity to co-design and co-create new climate monitoring products and services.
• Experience working in an operational weather/climate setting is an advantage.
• Experience providing technical support to programme management is an advantage.
• Good working knowledge of standard MS Office applications.
  
  

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

We encourage you to apply even if you feel your profile doesn't meet precisely all of the above criteria.

Other Information

Grade remuneration: The successful candidate will be recruited according to the scales of the Co-ordinated Organisations. ECMWF also offers a generous benefits package 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

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

As a multi-site organisation, ECMWF has adopted a hybrid organisation model which allows flexibility to staff to mix office and tele-working. Successful applicants and members of their family forming part of their households will be exempt from immigration restrictions. Interviews by videoconference (MS Teams) are expected to take place shortly after the closing date.

Who Can Apply

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 Co-operating States, 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, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Morocco, the Netherlands, Norway, North Macedonia, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye 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.