Overview
Senior Climate Scientist
TERM: Permanent
Climate and Energy
Union of Concerned Scientists
Oakland, CA
The Position
The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) is an independent national nonprofit that uses science to protect our health, safety, and environment. We are scientists, engineers, economists, activists, and everyday people who develop and advocate for innovative, practical solutions to some of our planet’s most pressing problems—from combating global warming and developing sustainable ways to feed, power, and transport ourselves, to fighting misinformation, advancing racial equity, and reducing the threat of nuclear war.
The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) is seeking a Western States Senior Climate Scientist who will design, carry out, research, scope, and develop longer-term analytical products to advance the western climate campaign with a focus on water and wildfire. Outreach and policy activities will be carried out to strategically raise awareness in California and other western states of the climate change consequences, including ecological and economic costs, which can be avoided by sound and equitable climate policies.
The person in this role will lead UCS’s efforts to provide California and western states’ public and policymakers with robust, timely, accessible, and policy-relevant information on certain climate science and impact topics. Be required to contribute to federal and international issues where applicable and provide expert technical and analytical advice for the UCS Climate Program and Climate Campaign, as needed. Research, outreach, and media activities will be carried out, with a primary focus on climate work in California, and will provide project management and staff supervision when needed. Research and associated work in other western states may be required.
Responsibilities
· Provide leadership in identifying and developing relevant analytic and research projects that will advance western climate campaign goals and objectives with a focus on water and wildfire. Scope new ideas, develop project plans and assess the idea’s promise, and implement work on promising ideas.
· Plan, design, and carry out primary analysis of climate change on key sectors and populations in California and western states, taking into account technical feasibility, opportunities for effective collaboration with key regionally based experts and influential stakeholders, policy relevance within the context of the UCS California office plan and with UCS’s climate campaign objectives.
· Help develop, review and ensure high quality UCS materials on climate science and adaptation, including but not limited to reports, science briefs, web pages, infographics, blog posts, press releases, telephone press briefings, expert testimony, draft legislation, webinars, and public presentations in support of the climate campaign.
· Maintain close working relationships with academic colleagues, including through participation in relevant experts and influential stakeholders at other institutions to exchange information, share resources, and generally strengthen UCS’s leadership role on climate science and impacts in California and other western states.
· Maintain close working relationships and partnerships with environmental and climate justice organizations based in low-income communities of color, to co-design analyses and co-produce policy-oriented material responsive to community-identified needs.
· Contribute to collegial and respectful work culture and participate in program and organization processes to advance an equitable and just workplace and to help UCS to become an anti-racist organization.
· Serve as a project leader who guides the research design, and external expert collaborator engagement, and works with key staff on the media and outreach aspects of major reports.
· Serve as an advisor or resource on research or outreach projects led by other project leaders.
· Serve as lead UCS spokesperson on climate science and water and wildfire impacts in California to the media and public, scientific conferences, and policy-relevant research collaborations.
· Reserve a percentage of time supporting foundation and fundraising efforts.
· Stay up to date on the latest climate-relevant publications, reports, and scientific developments in the broad areas of climate science, impacts, mitigation, and adaptation, with a focus on water and wildfire.
· Supervise consultants, volunteers, or staff, as appropriate
Qualifications and Experience
Position requires:
· Ph.D. in a relevant field required. Comparable training and/or experience can be substituted for degrees when appropriate.
· An in-depth knowledge of climate science and impacts and demonstrable ability to understand the public policy aspects of climate change and the role of technical analyses and advocacy in informing public opinion and policy debates.
· Knowledge of California water and wildfire impacts and policy issues as they relate to climate change is highly desirable.
· Experience with incorporating equity, inclusion, and justice into prior work is essential.
· Strong public speaking skills, a demonstrable ability to write for non-technical audiences, and the ability to work both independently and as a member of a multidisciplinary team.
· Strong background in climate change science and impacts and five to seven years of comparable and relevant experience, including collaborative work in academic research teams or government research programs or the application of climate science to public policy and experience in communicating science to a wide variety of audiences, especially the media.
· Experience with the application of climate science to public policy, community engagement, and interdisciplinary science is a plus.
· Strong communication and teamwork skills are essential. Extensive experience managing scientific and technical groups while utilizing project management techniques and supervising research staff is desired.
Supervisory Responsibility
Some supervision of climate science consultants and interns may be required
Physical Requirements
Little or no exertion; may require extended periods at a computer
Hours
Regular office hours may include occasional nights and weekends
Travel
Occasional travel to field sites, Washington, Oregon, Sacramento, and other UCS offices will be required as needed
Details:
This is a full-time position, located in our Oakland, CA office. For those who meet all position requirements, the salary range is $101,931 – $114,670. UCS offers excellent benefits and a rewarding work environment.
Information about the organization is available at http://www.ucsusa.org.
More about the team:
Our team is made up of a dedicated group of researchers, scientists, communicators, campaigners, and advocates from wide-ranging backgrounds and experiences. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive team and a collaborative and supportive work environment where all staff can thrive. We continually strive to create an environment which is a welcoming place for the LGBTQ+ community, people of color, parents, empty-nesters, and people with a wide variety of interests and backgrounds.
To Apply: We know there are great candidates who won’t check all of these boxes, and we also know you might bring important skills that we haven’t considered. If that’s you, don’t hesitate to apply and tell us about yourself. Please upload a cover letter and resume. In the cover letter, please confirm that the listed salary meets your expectations. Upload materials in Word or PDF format only. No phone calls, please.
Covid Mandate for New Hires:
Covid mandate for new hires: For roles that require in-person work or travel (including this one), UCS employees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Employees are considered fully vaccinated as defined by the CDC. All new hires who will be reporting to an office location or conducting in-person work must provide notice of their vaccination status and vaccination documentation, on or before their first day of work. For all others, UCS strongly encourages full vaccinations among its employees, up to and including booster shots, even if working remotely.
All new employees must comply with the mandatory vaccination requirements outlined in UCS policies as soon as practicable. Union of Concerned Scientists will notify candidates for employment of the requirements of this policy before the start of employment.
UCS is working to center justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in both its work and its workplace. UCS is committed to building an inclusive and anti-racist workplace culture where talented people of widely diverse backgrounds can thrive. The inclusion of diverse perspectives improves our work and produces better societal and environmental outcomes for all, including historically disenfranchised communities. All staff participates in consistently and effectively deepening this commitment. Internally, we continually strive to create an environment that is a welcoming workplace for people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, parents, empty-nesters, and people with a wide variety of interests and backgrounds. Externally, we strive to ensure inclusive and anti-racist engagement with supporters, media, vendors, allies, and others.
Deadline: Until filled