Location: ESA European Centre for Space Applications and Telecommunications (ECSAT), Harwell Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom

Contract: 4 years, extendable to indefinite

Grade Band: A2 - A4

Eligibility: nationals of ESA Member States, Associate Members and Canada; good knowledge of English or French required

Application Deadline: 31 August 2026 23:59 CET/CEST

ESA’s Actionable Climate Information Section at ECSAT in Harwell, UK

ESA’s Actionable Climate Information Section at ECSAT in Harwell, UK, is seeking a Climate Applications Scientist. You will expand the availability, awareness, use and scientific impact of long-term satellite Earth observation (EO) data records for climate science and applications, with a focus on the atmosphere. This four-year position, extendable to indefinite, offers you the opportunity to lead a dedicated portfolio of projects in the Climate and Long-Term Action Division, Directorate of Earth Observation Programmes that directly supports international climate action, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Paris Agreement.

Reporting to the Head of the Actionable Climate Information Section, you will investigate and advise on the scientific goals of international scientific and operational user communities concerned with climate research, modelling, adaptation and mitigation activities.

Your tasks and responsibilities

Your work will advance the activities of the ESA Actionable Climate Information Section for example through:

  • deriving technical specifications for EO-based information, mainly relating to the atmosphere’s physical and chemical state and its interactions with the Earth’s surface, with particular regard to the requirements of climate users
  • establishing dialogue with specialised climate user communities and assessing their feedback on available EO-based information
  • initiating and monitoring ESA R&D projects to respond to climate users’ needs, such as generating satellite-based climate data records for climate monitoring, reanalysis, modelling, attribution, projection, trend assessment and data assimilation
  • validating the results of such developments with the relevant climate users
  • promoting the use of EO data for supporting climate science, services and policies, such as the UNFCCC Global Stocktake commitments
  • contributing to the definition of ESA projects, work plans and programmes, and to ESA's public communications on EO
  • supporting the work of ESA Graduate Trainees and Research Fellows.

Candidate profile:

  • A PhD in satellite-based monitoring of atmospheric physics/chemistry, together with at least four years’ post-PhD professional experience in relevant remote sensing application development, research, or another relevant area
  • Broad experience of satellite-based remote sensing retrieval techniques, in particular for retrieving the physical and chemical state of the atmosphere, validating retrieved quantities, and applying them in climate science
  • Experience of science project management
  • Knowledge of climate research and of major international initiatives such as UNFCCC, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the EU Director Generals, Global Climate Observing System, World Climate Research Programme (WCRP), Committee on Earth Observation Satellites, Coordination Group for Meteorological Satellites and Group on Earth Observation
  • Excellent communication and presentation skills, and the ability to work effectively in a team with minimum supervision
  • A background in other Earth science domains, such as land, ocean or cryosphere, would be an asset
  • Technical and computational knowledge, including in machine learning, applied to climate science would be an asset
  • Willingness to travel frequently in order to interact with the various relevant stakeholders.

About ESA’s Climate Change Initiative

Being the focal point of the Agency’s climate related activities, the Actionable Climate Information Section aims to increase the availability and use of global, satellite-based Earth observation data for climate-related science and decision-making. In response to the UNFCCC requirements for the systematic monitoring of the climate system, ESA launched the Climate Change Initiative (CCI), a major research and development programme, in 2008. Through the CCI, ESA develops global, decades-long satellite data records of key components of the Earth system, known as Essential Climate Variables (ECVs). These climate-quality datasets make a major contribution to the evidence base used to understand climate change and drive international action and connect the climate observation and modelling communities through initiatives such as WCRP's Coupled Model Intercomparison Project and Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment.

How to apply:

Follow this link to apply for the position: https://jobs.esa.int/job/Harwell-Climate-Applications-Scientist/1421329033/

Applications close on 31 August 2026 at 23:59 CET/CEST. ESA is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from all qualified candidates.