Senior Scientist – Data integration

The UN Environment Programme’s International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) is a data-focused, action-oriented initiative that drives deep reductions in methane emissions – the second biggest contributor to global climate change and a key opportunity to reduce warming in the near-term. IMEO’s mission is to provide the open, reliable, and actionable methane data needed to cut emissions at the speed and scale necessary to achieve the Paris Agreement goals. 

To do this, IMEO is harnessing a methane data revolution under way thanks to rapidly advancing technology and momentum for methane action. IMEO collects, integrates, and reconciles data from methane-detecting satellites, scientific measurement studies, rigorous industry reporting through the Oil and Gas Methane Partnership 2.0 (OGMP 2.0), and national emissions inventories. 

A Senior Scientist will provide thought leadership on several IMEO activities, which require the consideration of scientific aspects of IMEO’s work. This includes primarily the integration of a diversity of data streams on anthropogenic methane emissions to provide policy-relevant insights that support IMEO’s mission of catalyzing emissions reductions. The data come from a variety of sources including field measurements, satellite remote sensing, emission inventories, and company reporting. Further areas of scientific advisory include the Methane Science Studies as well as OGMP2.0

In strict coordination with the IMEO Scientific Oversight Committee and its Chair, the ICA holder will (i) develop a strategy for gathering, prioritizing, and integrating global methane emissions data from various sources, quality levels, and granularity into policy relevant data products, (ii) develop a strategy for assessing how to communicate insights, data gaps, data complexity, and variation in data quality resulting from the data products, (iii) plan and oversee the implementation of this strategy, (iv) provide high-level advisory for the planning and execution of the Methane Science Studies, (v) provide scientific advice to enhance rigor of the OGMP2.0 analytics, and (vi) help IMEO meet its mission of serving as the global hub for policy-relevant data on anthropogenic methane emissions.

Key responsibilities: 

• Devise the strategy for the integration of methane emission data from field measurements, satellite remote sensing, emission inventories, and company reporting to be approved by the IMEO SOC.

• Establish and maintain deep expertise in the technical aspects of the various empirical and non-empirical methane data sources relevant for IMEO’s data integration.

• Provide thought leadership on the synthesis, organization, and communication of highly heterogenous data streams with the aim to provide policy-relevant and actionable data products for use in effective policy formulation and emissions mitigation.

• Coordinate and collaborate with scientists and policy experts within IMEO and from academia, industry, and research organizations internationally regarding their data collection efforts and data needs.

• Coordinate with IMEO’s  management to determine the internal and public data integration outputs over time in alignment with IMEO’s data vision. 

• Coordinate with IMEO’s internal data architecture and data visualization teams to communicate the scope, priorities, and availability of data outputs for public sharing vs. internal use, and to convert the data integration outputs into public-facing data products.

• Support internal and external efforts to integrate IMEO’s synthesized data into national inventories.

• Provide high-level advisory to the Methane Science Studies team to enhance the studies’ alignment with IMEO’s data integration strategy, and to maintain regular exchange on new developments in methane science.

• Provide scientific advice to the OGMP2.0 analytics team to align OGMP2.0 data products with the state of the art in empirical methane data collection.

• Lead and participate in the analysis and writing of papers in peer-reviewed journals.

• Support data user seminars and capacity-building initiatives designed for diverse stakeholders.

• Remain at the cutting edge of methane science and up-to-date with the scientific literature; build and maintain relevant scientific networks.

• Support "rapid response" and/or project development efforts on an as-needed basis.

An advanced degree (PhD or Master's) preferably in Engineering Systems, Earth Systems Science, Information Science, or related disciplines is required.

Work Experience 

• A minimum of 7 years of experience synthesizing and integrating highly diverse data sets is required.
• Experience with greenhouse gas emission data is required.
• Strong quantitative analysis skills; proficiency in statistical analysis and understanding of atmospheric and/or emission data is required.
• Demonstrated scientific expertise, including but not limited to a record of scholarly publications and/or involvement in scientific panels is required.
• Ability to synthesize, interpret, and communicate scientific data in an advocacy setting and for non-scientific populations is desirable.
• Knowledge about environmental issues, especially air emissions is required; familiarity with emission inventories is desirable.
• Experience with methane emission data is desirable.

Language Requirements: 

• Fluency in English is required. 
• Knowledge of another UN language is an advantage      

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.

• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.

• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures,  languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. 

• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.

• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process.  If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions 

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. 

• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few mandatory courses ( they take around 4 hours to complete)  in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. For more information on a retainer contract here.

• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.

• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.