User Engagement and Partnership Specialist – Climate Services Standardisation

Position description

Job reference: VN24-75
Salary and Grade: Grade A2 EUR 86,824 (Bonn, Germany) NET annual basic salary + other benefits
Deadline for applications: 25/09/2024
Department: Forecasts and Services
Contract type: STF-PL
Contract Duration: 3 years up to 31 December 2027, with possibility of extensions

The role

ECMWF is seeking to fill an exciting new position as  User Engagement and Partnerships Specialist – Climate Services Standardisation (A2) to prepare for and implement the emerging standards for climate services as developed within the Climateurope2 project [www.climateurope2.eu] and to manage related activities in the area of user intelligence and services standardisation at ECMWF.

You will work as part of the User Outreach and Engagement Section, reporting to the C3S EQC and User Intelligence Manager, participating in the Climateurope2 project and contributing to the coordination and implementation of required actions emerging from the project regarding services standardisation. Services standardisation in this context goes beyond data standards and comprises a broad suite of requirements or guidelines for climate services including aspects like accessibility, visualisation, data dissemination, user engagement and feedback processes.

Engagement with the public and private climate services sector in Europe is key. You will contribute to these activities as part of the role of ECMWF in the VALORADA project [http://www.valorada-project.eu/], by assessing different aspects of service maturity, data management and knowledge transfer.

You will support the integration of service standardisation into the wider C3S user intelligence activities and overarching user requirements processes and management system at ECMWF.

You will also support the build-up of an internal capacity in response to developments on international standards and guidelines with the objective to maximise the impact of ECMWF data, tools and applications. You will build linkages between the VALORADA project and other European projects focusing on climate services and C3S and more broadly support the coordination and implementation of recommended actions across ECMWF.

In this role you will work with experts, scientists and software engineers across ECMWF as well as with external partners and stakeholders.

The team

ECMWF’s User Outreach and Engagement Section unites expertise to maintain and increase user uptake, satisfaction and experience and to explore partnerships and opportunities to develop new applications. It also provides training and knowledge transfer to enhance ECMWF impact of its core weather, Copernicus and DestinE activities. In the context of Copernicus, the section is responsible for the implementation of the CAMS and C3S National Collaboration Programmes (NCPs), User Intelligence actions and the Copernicus Health and Energy Hubs.

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 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 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 a main office in Reading, UK, a data centre/ supercomputer in Bologna, Italy, and a large presence in Bonn, Germany.

Main duties and responsibilities

• Engage with external activities related to the international standardisation process, including active participation in relevant meetings;
• Lead the contribution of ECMWF to the strategy and recommendations report of the Climateurope2 project;
• Lead the contribution of ECMWF to the data management plan within the VALORADA project;
• Engage with downstream climate service providers in scope of standardisation aspects;
• Identify and report internally at ECMWF on emerging service standardisation needs relevant for C3S and ECMWF, including in scope of ECMWF’s open data policy;
• Support the coordination and implementation of emerging requirements to inform the evolution of C3S to respond to relevant standardisation needs;
• Contribute to an effective integration of the C3S User Requirements Database (URDB) system and the ECMWF User Request Management System (URMS) and liaise with relevant stakeholders at ECMWF to streamline and communicate on linked processes.

You will liaise with different sections across ECMWF to help streamlining the process of user requirements analysis and implementation. In particular, you will work closely with other colleagues in the Forecasts and Services Department and especially the User Services Section.

Occasional travel to the other ECMWF offices and to Member States, Co-operating States and EU member states may be required. 

What we are looking for

• Accountability, strong planning skills and capacity to deliver according to objectives;
• Enthusiastic and excellent networking skills;
• Ability to work both autonomously and as part of a multidisciplinary team;
• Ability to multi-task, handle multiple projects and drive tasks to completion against tight deadlines;
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills;
• Genuine interest in ECMWF and C3S as well as operational climate service developments in general.

Education

• An advanced university degree (EQF Level 7 or above) in Meteorology, Climate Sciences, Environmental Engineering or similar relevant scientific discipline.

Experience, Knowledge and Skills

• Very solid understanding of the scientific aspects underpinning climate data products as well as of their relevance in national and the European policy context;
• Good insights into the ecosystem of public and private climate services market in Europe and linked data value chains;
• Demonstrated experience of working with climate data and information products, including aspects on data standards and quality assurance;
• Demonstrated experience of participating in international projects;
• Experience of working within an operational environment would be an advantage.

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.

Application instructions

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